


Why Me?!

by Sara68650



Category: Dreamcatcher (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:08:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 124
Words: 460,803
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25263610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sara68650/pseuds/Sara68650
Summary: Siyeon is a wolf that just wants to go to college and finish school like a normal person with her little sister Gahyeon. But what happens when Siyeon’s transformation into adult wolfhood allows her to start hearing the most popular vampire in school, Kim Bora, (who siyeon may or may not have a major crush on) with her human girlfriend every day while walking home? What also happens when Bora’s sounds of happiness turn to cries of pain and heartache? Will Siyeon help the vampire? And what will Bora decide to do when Siyeon tells her a secret that paints a target over Siyeon’s head with all the other wolves in the area?
Relationships: Kim Bora | SuA/Lee Siyeon, Kim Minji | JiU/Kim Yoohyeon, Lee Gahyeon/Lee Yoobin | Dami
Comments: 63
Kudos: 196





	1. I Can Hear You

**Author's Note:**

> so this story is a very long one. it's at 90 chapters on AFF and still ongoing. I'm slowly moving it over to here too. please look forward to it! ^_^

“Siyeon? LEE SIYEON!” Gahyeon yelled, trying to get the older girl’s attention as she waved her hands in front of siyeon’s face. “hello?” Gahyeon called as she frowned at her sister. Gahyeon hated to admit it, but Siyeon had been starting to worry her the last week or two. Her mind seemed to be someplace else, and it was rather unlike Siyeon to ignore her sister.

Gahyeon finally jumped in front of Siyeon while waving her hands to get her attention. It didn’t work. Siyeon was so lost in her thoughts that she ran right into her sister. Gahyeon pouted cutely at her sister when Siyeon looked at Gahyeon in surprise.

“huh? Sorry, I was thinking about something. What did you say?” Siyeon asked the younger girl as they casually walked back home from school.

“I asked you what has been bothering you these last couple days. You don’t seem like yourself. I know that you're starting to change more, but I don’t think that’s all…” Gahyeon said, looking at her sister, worriedly.

Siyeon just sighed. Yes, she had started the dreaded change that all wolves go through., But that wasn’t what bothered her. Could she tell Gahyeon the truth? That she was worried about a vampire? A vampire she had a crush on? That she had noticed her stop coming to school, and she heard cries of pain and sadness from one of the houses every day they walk home. The sound of Kim Bora crying heartbreaking sobs begging someone to stop.

The same Kim bora that she has secretly had a crush on for years. That same Kim bora was Pleading with someone not to hurt her anymore. Siyeon felt extremely horrible and useless for ignoring her cries, but seeing as she was only just gaining control of herself after her first signs of the change, and Gahyeon being there with her, she didn’t know if she should get involved and it was killing her inside. Every day she dreaded walking by that house. Hearing the one person that she wished she could finally get up the nerve to talk to, only to hear her in pain and suffering. Siyeon’s chest ached just at the thought of it. Siyeon sighed as she shook her head, trying to clear it.

_-Flashback-_

_Kim Bora was one of the popular girls in the school that had both werewolves, vampires, and humans as students.there were other kinds of people that were classified as legends to humans that went to the school, but it was mainly the three groups. Bora was part of the very popular vampire group with her close friends Kim Minji, known as Jiu at school, and Handong. And Siyeon was NOT part of the popular werewolves or popular people in general. She preferred to stay by her younger sister and protect her instead of making friends._

_It wasn’t exactly her choice in the beginning. Gahyeon was always picked on when she was younger, and Siyeon refused to leave her side once she found this out. It made Gahyeon’s last year of high school a nightmare. Siyeon was part of the college, which was right next door, but would always find Gahyeon on her lunch break to stay with her. Gahyeon didn’t like the attention it gave her, but she knew her sister did It to protect her, so she said nothing._

_Once Gahyeon finally graduated and started attending college too, Siyeon still preferred to stay with her little sister. The only friend that the two girls had was another wolf named Kim Yoohyeon.but they have kindof been ditched the last couple years off and on. Yoohyeon was dating the vampire Kim Minji, and Yoohyeon seemed to spend more time with her girlfriend. Siyeon and Gahyeon didn’t hold it against her. If they found someone they cared about as much as Yoohyeon cared about Minji, they probably would have a hard time leaving their side too._

_Siyeon’s crush on bora has been going on for years. She doesn’t even remember when it started anymore, honestly. She would just always remember watching the shorter girl. Everything about her caught siyeon’s interest. The way she laughed, the way she would tuck her hair behind her ear when she was nervous. The way that sometimes their eyes would meet. It would send chills down her spine. Every time their eyes would meet, bora would give her a shy smile, and Siyeon wouldn’t know how to deal with it. So her go-to plan was to bolt._

_Siyeon would always kick herself later, but she would just panic and not know what to do. She didn’t realize just how much she would start to hate herself until a scandal broke out in the school._

_It was a huge scandal when one day, Bora started openly dating a human girl. Siyeon wouldn’t admit it, but she was a little jealous of the human. Ok, so maybe it was more than a little. She was extremely jealous, but what could she do? She was too late. And she had been regretting it for weeks. ‘i’m such a fucking coward! Why couldn’t I have just talked to her? Is it really that hard!’ she would always say to herself every time she would see the couple in school._

_Bora, who goes by Sua at school, adored her girlfriend, and did anything she asked, and even followed her around like a puppy. It was a hard thing for Siyeon to watch. ‘at least she seems happy…’ Siyeon thought sadly as she watched bora hanging onto her girlfriend as they walked to class._

_One day when Gahyeon and Siyeon were walking home, Siyeon started to hear strange noises coming from one of the houses that they usually passed by every day. Unluckily for Siyeon, the first signs of her transformation into adult wolfhood was hearing the sounds of her crush moaning a human’s name in pleasure._

_But after a week, the noises changed from sounds of pleasure to sounds of heartbreak and pain. Sua also stopped coming to school. Rumor has it that she ran away with the human, and even left nasty messages to her closest friends, telling Minji and Handong not to look for her. It had Siyeon’s fur up. She knew something was wrong when she heard Sua pleading with the girl one day._

_“Why are you doing this to me? You know how much I love you!” Sua sobbed, sounding utterly heartbroken. She had never heard sua sound so utterly crushed. It shocked Siyeon greatly_

_Siyeon froze in her steps as she heard the utter sadness in Sua voice, and the hair on the back of siyeon’s neck went up as chills ran down her spine._

_Gahyeon didn’t even notice that Siyeon wasn’t following her anymore until she turned to ask a question and realized that Siyeon wasn’t there. There Siyeon stood several feet behind Gahyeon, her long black hair blowing gently in the wind, eyes wide staring at a plain white house._

_“Siyeon?” Gahyeon called as she looked over at her friend and sister. She noticed that Siyeon looked tense as she gripped the hem of her leather jacket tightly, and her eyes were wide with a faint glow to them. “shit!” Gahyeon whispered as she ran back to Siyeon._

_When she reached Siyeon, she saw Siyeon flinch like she had been hit and covered her ears with her hands. Teeth clenched, showing fangs descending._

_“Siyeon! Siyeon!” Gahyeon shouted as she shook the older girl vigorously, trying to snap her out of whatever was going on. “hey! Can you hear me?” Gahyeon pleaded as she hugged Siyeon, trying to comfort her, but not knowing what to do._

_“I'm sorry, I'm only half-wolf, I don’t know what to do to help you…” Gahyeon said sadly as she held Siyeon. The older girl still had her hands over her ears as she crouched down, trying to block out whatever she was hearing. Suddenly Gahyeon felt Siyeon’s muscles rippling under her hold._

_“I've got to go!” Siyeon shouted as she broke out of Gahyeon’s hold gently and ran for home. Gahyeon didn’t know what to do, but she knew one thing. Whatever triggered that in Siyeon had something to do with that white house._

_Gahyeon squinted at the house and tried to use her wolf senses, but they were underdeveloped. She hadn’t come to age yet for them to strengthen. She sighed and tried to use the other half of her blood. She took in a deep breath, and her eyes went green as she smelled the air._

_Blood, she smelled blood and a lot of it. Some fresh and some old. But It didn’t smell like human blood. It smelled… strange. She couldn’t figure out what it was, but the situation didn’t smell good. She also smelled fear and pain in the air as well as a twisted smell of pleasure. It made Gahyeon’s skin crawl. She slowly turned and ran home, hoping Siyeon would be there when she arrived._

_-end of flashback-_

“yah! Lee Siyeon! What's wrong? Is it that house? The one that reeks of blood?” Gahyeon asked as she looked toward the house that they were slowly approaching. Siyeon’s eyes snapped to Gahyeon’s as she twirled around to look at her.

“blood?” she asked, sounding stunned. “you smelled blood coming from that house?” she asked as Gahyeon looked at her wild eyes and started to squirm under Siyeon’s intense stare.

“um, yeah, why? I know I don’t have wolf senses like you yet, but I tried to tap into a part of my vampire blood and smelled a strong scent of blood, but it's weird…” Gahyeon said as she tilted her head in confusion.

“it didn’t smell like human blood. I don’t have many friends except for you and Yoohyeon, so I don’t know if it’s vampire blood or something else. But whatever it is, it’s not human blood. Whose house is that anyway?” she asked as she watched Siyeon go pale as she slowly looked at the white house that she has started to hate over this last week.

“that house is the house of Kim Bora's girlfriend… I have started hearing Bora crying from somewhere deep in that house the last week. She seems trapped, and… hurt…” Siyeon said as she looked away from Gahyeon’s shocked stare.

“lee Siyeon don’t you even think about it!” Gahyeon ordered shocking the older girl. “Think about what?” Siyeon asked, looking confused.

“I already know you have had a crush on Bora for years now. You don’t hide it well. Don’t interfere in someone else's relationship trying to rationalize that you are trying to help her just to try to get with her!” Gahyeon said as she put her hands on her hips.

“Bora’s a vampire! Why would I have a crush on a vampire?” Siyeon somewhat shouted in surprise.

“You forget you say that to your half wolf half VAMPIRE sister!” Gahyeon shouted back as she raised an eyebrow at Siyeon.

“ok true, you have a point there. But I don’t have a crush on Bora! She's one of those popular preppy girls!” Siyeon said as her face flushed, and Gahyeon lifted a brow suspiciously.

“and that’s why you look for her every morning at school? And why you were the first one to notice when she went missing?” Gahyeon asked with the same brow raised.

“I was not! I'm sure her friends noticed her missing first!” Siyeon mumbled nervously.

“You sure you’re not just trying to do this to make yourself look like a knight in shining armor to her?” Gahyeon asked as she gripped Siyeon’s jacket nervously.

“hey! What kind of person do you think I am! I wouldn’t do that!” Siyeon said as she looked at her sister, who was still holding her arm with a worried expression. 

“I have been tormenting myself for the last couple weeks trying to ignore her cries of help trying to tell myself it’s none of my business! I'm trying to ignore it! I’M TRYING! It is just so hard when you hear everything! And I mean everything!” Siyeon shouted. Her voice cracked, showing Gahyeon just how much she had been tortured these last weeks.

“I'm sorry…” Gahyeon said as she and hugged her sister. “let's just try to walk by quickly, ok?” Gahyeon asked as Siyeon just nodded, and they slowly started heading closer to the house.

“When you say you hear everything, how much is everything?” Gahyeon asked curiously as she glanced up at her sister. “I know you let a silent, but deadly one rip in science class today, and blamed it on someone else.” Siyeon said as Gahyeon looked at her horrified. “did not!” Gahyeon said as her face flushed.

Siyeon sighed in relief when they drew closer to the house, and she still heard nothing. All that she heard was silence, but that soon changed.

_Siyeon heard the sound of a door opening, and farther away clothes or sheets shuffling in what sounded like a very tiny area. Footsteps started heading down the stairs, slowly approaching the rustling noise. Then what was that, chains clinking? No, it couldn’t be…_

_‘your finally awake leech?’ a feminine voice said coldly._

_There was the sound of more rustling and chains clinking. It sounded like someone turning around in a small area._

_‘Why are you doing this to me? What did I do wrong to you? I gave you everything you could want and did anything you asked. I love you! W-why are you hurting me?’ a soft pleading voice begged._

_‘because it was fun, but now it is not so fun anymore… Question, If I stab you in the heart, you just turn into dust, right? Just like in the movies? No annoying body to get rid of?’ the girl asked as she let out a sick giggle that made Siyeon’s fur stand on end._

Gahyeon gripped Siyeon’s wrist HARD startling siyeon.

Siyeon looked at Gahyeon. The younger girl’s eyes were wide in shock. “did you hear that too?” Siyeon said as she looked at her younger sister, whose eyes were starting to faintly glow green. Gahyeon just nodded.

The sisters were snapped out of their conversation when they heard Bora screaming for her to stop and pleaded with her girlfriend as the girl slowly walked closer.


	2. Action

Siyeon’s instincts suddenly kicked in, and everything was a blur as she ran around the back of the house and burst right through the door with Gahyeon following right behind her.

“where?” Siyeon asked as she looked to Gahyeon, who was already smelling the air with her vampire senses. In seconds Gahyeon was able to track down where the blood came from and looked at Siyeon.

“that way!” she said as she pointed to a door. Siyeon ran over to the door and halted as she looked at her sister with worry.

“call dad! Tell him what's happening, and wait outside to show them in. I will get Bora out and take her home, ok?” Siyeon said rapidly as Gahyeon just nodded and ran outside, holding her phone and dialing their father.

Siyeon burst through the door her sister indicated and went flying down the stairs to land on all fours at the bottom. Siyeon’s eyes glowed green in the eerie darkness of the basement. Her night vision kicked in, and she saw a human holding some kind of weapon in her hand. The human was startled as Siyeon let out a low growl. “drop it…now!” Siyeon growled as she slowly approached the human.

Siyeon’s head was tilted slightly down, which made her hair frame her face, and only her eyes that glowed green and her fangs were visible. The human dropped her weapon and dropped to her knees at the sight of Siyeon and started backing up and pleading with her.

Soon the lies started flying out of the human's mouth. First, She claimed that Bora was a vampire that was going to kill her for her blood, and that’s why she was going to do it for fear of her safety. Then she said more and more ridiculous lies.

Listening to the girl made Siyeon feel sick, and it felt like her blood was boiling the more the human talked poorly about Bora.

Siyeon let out a low growl that made the girl shut up and looked around the room, spotting what she was looking for. A pair of handcuffs lay on a table nearby. Siyeon didn’t want to think about why this human girl had some police-grade handcuffs in her basement, so she ignored it. Quickly she ran to the table and grabbed them as the girl tried to escape, but she wasn’t faster than Siyeon.

Siyeon pounced on top of the girl and pinned the girl to the ground, causing Bora to scream in shock. “please don’t hurt her!” Bora cried as she reached out of the cage that she was locked in.

Siyeon just rolled her eyes as she handcuffed the girl, locked it to the railing of the stairs, and slowly stood.

“I'm not going to hurt her…and in this situation, shouldn’t you be mad at her for the way she treated you?” Siyeon said as she walked closer, eyes still glowing emerald green. Bora was caught off guard by the surprisingly vivid green that was staring back at her.

“I thought wolves’ eyes were yellow?” Bora asked nervously as Siyeon gripped the small cage door and gave it a slight tug. The metal made a popping sound. It might have been too strong for a vampire to break out of, but it wasn’t strong enough to hold up against siyeon’s new strength. Siyeon smirked and pulled the door with one hand, roughly ripping it from its hinges.

“most are,” Siyeon said as she shrugged. “but my family is different. We have rare green eyes. Even my sister has them, and she's only half…” Siyeon said as she looked at her crush. Her voice trailed off as she stared at Bora. She was naked, and the only thing in the cage was a thin white bedsheet that seemed covered in boras blood.

Siyeon sighed as she shrugged off her leather jacket and backpack, and pulled out a pair of shorts, and white tee she always carried around just in case she accidentally shifted and ruined the clothes she had on and handed it to Sua, who thanked her softly as she dressed when Siyeon turned her back to give her privacy.

“ok, I'm clothed…” Bora said softly, and Siyeon turned to look at her. The cuts were bleeding through her white tee as Siyeon expected it to. She held out her leather jacket and waited for Bora to put it on. As soon as her arms were through the jacket, Siyeon scooped up the smaller girl and walked up the stairs with the girl she had a crush on in her arms.

“I can walk, you know!” Bora said as she looked at Siyeon, who only looked forward. “can you now? You are so drained you can't even heal the cuts you have, and you have been locked in a tiny cage for weeks, but you can walk?” Bora's head drooped at the facts, and Siyeon chuckled while still looking forward.

Soon they were outside, and Siyeon gently sat her down and handed Bora her backpack. “put this on, I won't be able to carry it in my other form.” Siyeon said as Bora put it on and looked at her, confused.

“But I thought you are too young to transform into your adult form. Isn’t it another year until all of your year mates turn? Otherwise, it's just your puppy form?” Bora asked, confused.

“yes, but remember when I said my family is different? Almost every one of us is born an alpha, so we are bigger and stronger than normal wolves, and we turn a year earlier. Oh, and we also don’t lose control like most new shifters.” Siyeon said as she smirked and started stripping in front of Bora.

“w-what the hell are you doing!?!” Bora shouted as she turned around to hide her blush.

“what do you think? When I shift, if I'm wearing clothes, they will be shredded. And I don’t want to walk you into my house naked. Again…” She said as she opened her backpack that Bora was wearing and put her clothes inside.

“ok, I'm about to change, when I do, hop on, and hold on tight. I know you are probably weak from blood loss, so I will try to be careful and not run too fast. Ok?” Siyeon said as she looked over her shoulder at Bora and smiled. Bora went to turn around and agree, but she caught sight of Siyeon’s naked back, and she found herself staring for a second too long at Siyeon’s ass, causing Siyeon to giggle. Bora's face flushed red again as she turned back around.

Suddenly she felt something in the air ripple behind her, and she looked back to see an enormous wolf with black fur with splashes of white mottled throughout. It wasn’t a normal pattern, and one eye was covered with a patch of white fur, and even the tips of her ears were speckled white and the same vivid emerald green eyes looking into her eyes. It reminded her of that black cat that went viral on the internet when it started turning white. Bora found the wolf in front of her beautiful but realized something quickly. Siyeon’s shoulder was equal to the top of Bora's head.

“How the hell am I supposed to hop on? Your taller than I am!” Bora shouted as she looked at the wolf that she was pretty sure was snickering at her before laying on the ground to let Bora climb on. After some struggles, and Gahyeon having to come back there to help push Bora's ass to help her get on, they were ready to go. 

_‘go home right away, and don’t forget to tell dad I'm taking her home to avoid the nosey neighbors, ok?’_ Siyeon spoke mentally to Gahyeon, who just nodded to Siyeon.

“did she just say something? You just nodded to her, right?” Bora asked, and Gahyeon nodded. “wolves can speak mind to mind. I may not be all wolf, but I’m wolf enough to still hear her, and speak mind to mind.” Gahyeon said as Bora gave her a questioning look,

“half?” Bora asked her curiously. But Gahyeon just looked away, seemingly embarrassed. “that’s why you smell different…” Bora said to herself. Causing a low growl from Siyeon.

“what's wrong?” she asked as she tried to look at the wolf, and then Gahyeon.

“um, she says we are taking too long, and need to go. She hears dad's cop car.” Gahyeon lied somewhat. Siyeon did say she could hear him, but she didn’t like Bora's interest in her sister, causing her to growl. Was it in protection or jealousy? Both sisters were unsure.

“she says hold on tight!” Gahyeon shouted as Siyeon stood, and Bora felt Siyeon’s muscles tense underneath her, and soon, they were a blur as she ran through the trees. They were lucky that the house was up against the forest where Siyeon could run freely. It would be hard to explain why Bora was screaming while riding on a giant dog throughout the streets.

After a minute or two, they arrived at her house, and Siyeon slowed to a trot as she went to the back door, and gently laid down to let Bora get off her back. There was an “oof!” and a thump as Bora's legs gave out, and she fell on her butt. Siyeon gave a wolf laugh, which sounded in between a sneeze and a growl at once, which earned a glare from the vampire.

Siyeon turned and stared at the girl like she was waiting for something. “what?” Bora asked, confused. Siyeon walked over and bumped her nose into her backpack that Bora was wearing. After a second, it clicked.

“oh! Your clothes! Right!” Bora said as she turned around and pulled out the clothes for her. To her embarrassment, she dropped something and had to dive for it only to figure out she had just caught Siyeon’s black panties and froze in place panties still in hand.

“I’ll take THAT!” Siyeon says as she chuckles to herself, and wiggles into her underwear.

“are you a statue?” Siyeon teases as Bora hadn’t moved from her panty holding pose. Bora slowly straightened as she cleared her throat. “um, sorry…” she said to Siyeon.

“Sorry for what?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Bora, confused while trying to latch her bra. Bora wasn’t looking at Siyeon yet because she was still dressing.

“uh, Sorry for grabbing your underwear like that…” Bora said as she looked at the ground.

“Actually, thank you for catching them, I would hate to get sand in my underwear. Not the most comfortable feeling. Ever get sand in a swimsuit? It's horrible!” Siyeon joked, causing Bora to finally smile.

“Alright! Now that I have my clothes on, let's see if mom got what you need…” she said as she walked into the backdoor.

As they approached the door, Bora froze at the entrance. “what? don’t tell me it’s true you need permission to enter a house…” Siyeon teased, causing Bora to shoot her another glare. “no, but not all wolves like vampires, especially in their homes…” Bora said nervously.

Siyeon just rolled her eyes and grabbed the vampire’s wrist and gently dragged her inside.

“mom! Were home! You have the blood ready?” she shouted as her mother peeked around the corner spotting the two girls.

“of course! What do you take me for?” her mother teased as she held out a huge thermos to Bora. “drink, my daughters’ filled me in on your situation, and my husband will be here soon to talk about what happened.” Siyeon’s mother said to Bora with a gentle smile. It made Bora feel safe. And she hadn't felt that way in weeks.

“Oh! Before you drink, we need to take photos of your injuries for my husband's police report!” her mom said as she looked at Bora apologetically.

“Um, what is going to happen to her if we take those pictures?” Bora asked nervously. Ms. Lee turned her head as if she was listening to something and nodded before speaking.

“my husband says it will give them the proof they need to get her the help that she needs. It seems she has a history of mental illness, and you aren’t the first person she’s hurt like this…” Ms. Lee said softly.

“well, why didn’t the other girl report her?” Bora asked curiously. She wished she didn’t ask because the look on both Siyeon and her mother’s face showed it wasn’t good.

“she never woke up, she was a human, and her body or mind couldn’t take the abuse. She's in a permanent coma.” Siyeon said as Bora looked at her in shock. Bora was sure that the only reason she had treated her like that was that she knew she was a vampire and could heal from it with blood, but maybe not. How could a human survive that? Bora just shook her head in disbelief.

“so, those pictures?” Ms. Lee asked gently, and Bora's head drooped as she just nodded. Siyeon watched as her mom walked Bora into her dad's workroom and close the door behind them. Siyeon could hear everything with her heightened hearing as her mother asked her the questions her father told her to, and she heard the click of a camera repeatedly. She tried to distract herself when she felt Gahyeon approaching.

_‘How did Gahyeon get here before dad?_ ’ Siyeon wondered as Gahyeon burst through the door. Unlike Siyeon, she actually opened the door and didn’t run through it. Gahyeon came to an abrupt halt beside Siyeon.

As Gahyeon looked up, Siyeon saw her eyes burning emerald brightly, and unlike Siyeon, who only had one set of fangs on the top, Gahyeon had two which for some reason Siyeon found adorable because it pushed out her top lip slightly giving her a slight pout and caused her to look very cute.

With Gahyeon’s hair wild from the run, her intense eyes and fangs, Siyeon was pretty sure most would be terrified of her. She looked completely wild, but Siyeon was trying to fight the urge to grab her and snuggle against her cute little sister.

“aww! Is someone going through the changes?” Siyeon cooed as she held her arms open for her sister she ran into her arms for an as Siyeon called it a “great wolfy hug.” Gahyeon snuggled against Siyeon as she dangled from siyeon’s hold, and she tried to release her anger.

“what's wrong?” Siyeon asked as she felt Gahyeon trembling in anger.

“do you know what that crazy girl was saying? She said all kinds of lies like you tried to attack and rape her, and so did Bora, and that Bora was going to drain her blood and all kinds of bullshit! Every word out of her mouth was another lie! She even tried to accuse dad of hitting on her!” Gahyeon said as she shook in anger.

Siyeon just shook her head. From what her dad had said, it seemed to be normal behavior for the girl, but obviously, Gahyeon didn’t hear that part. Leave it to dad to not tell Gahyeon that part. Everyone in the family views Gahyeon as the baby and tries to baby her any chance they get, so of course, he wouldn’t tell her. Siyeon just shook her head at her father, and finally explained it to Gahyeon.

“that still doesn’t make up for any of that!” Gahyeon finally said after Siyeon filled her in on the situation. Gahyeon was sitting on the couch with her arms crossed and a pout on her face. Her mouth was slightly pushed out due to her fangs, and every time Gahyeon went to speak, she had to lick her front teeth to stop her lip from catching on her fangs. Siyeon and Bora couldn’t help but smile at the cuteness.

Siyeon hadn’t noticed that Bora was out of her dad's workroom yet because she watched her sister, so when Bora cleared her throat, both girls jumped and looked at her in surprise.

“so, uh… hi?” Bora said nervously as she looked at the two sisters. “hey.” Siyeon said as she shot a smile at Bora, trying to help calm her nerves. “um, your mom said to ask you to show me where the thermos is in the kitchen?” Bora asked nervously, and Siyeon nodded and got off of the wall she was leaning against and led Bora into the kitchen.

As Bora opened the thermos, her eyes went black. _‘how starved was she? How did she not drain that damn girl? She could have easily done it. Those marks required her to be really close. Why let her live? It had to hurt her every time she walked in if she’s that starved. Gahyeon had a lot of troubles with it as a kid, so I would know…’_ she thought to herself as she watched Bora drain half of the thermos in one go.

As Bora took a gasp of air that she didn’t really need to do, but was just habit, she suddenly looked at Siyeon embarrassed.

“what?” Siyeon asked as she leaned against the doorframe casually. 

“doesn’t this gross you out? I know most find it repulsive…” Bora said as she looked down into the thermos.

Siyeon just chuckled. “I'm used to it, I'm used to watching someone drink blood,” Siyeon said as she just shrugged with a smile. And crossed her arms again. Bora noticed that that seemed to be Siyeon’s trademark pose because she was always doing it. Even at school, she would always be out of the way and leaning against something. Thinking about it caused Bora to smile as she looked from Siyeon to the thermos. 

“what?” Siyeon asked as she caught Bora staring. Causing Bora to laugh.

“so, is that your thing or something?” she asked, leaving Siyeon confused.

“she means how you are always leaning against something with your arms crossed,” Gahyeon said as she plopped down in the chair beside Bora.

“feeling better?” Gahyeon asked as she looked kindly at Bora. She nodded with a small smile. Gahyeon had that effect on people. She would always make them feel calm and safe. Siyeon wasn’t sure if it was a Gahyeon ability or hybrid ability, but either way, it always helped them in tough situations.

“can I?” Gahyeon asked as she held out her hand for the thermos. Bora looked at her confused, but handed it over, and panicked as Gahyeon took a big gulp. “wait!” Bora shouted a little too late, and the two sisters chuckled at her reaction.

“I told you I was used to seeing someone drink blood, right?” Siyeon said as she nodded to her sister, who looked at her with eyes glowing vivid green as her sister did, but there was a very faint red ring around the edge of the green. If Bora weren’t looking for it, she would have missed it.

“your half-vampire!?!” Bora shouted as she looked at Gahyeon, who just started laughing at her reaction. She then looked at Siyeon, who was also fighting back, laughing at Bora's surprise.

“wait, I thought you two are sisters? Does that mean that your father had an affair?” Bora asked worriedly. Both Siyeon and Gahyeon shook their heads.

“Gahyeon’s father was my uncle, he fell for a vampire, but when she got pregnant with a hybrid, and her family made her an outcast she left him with the baby, she couldn’t handle being outcast from her family, and he couldn’t handle living without her and killed himself. So, we got to take care of Gahyeon, and I got an awesome little sister.” Siyeon said as she patted Gahyeon’s head.

“Sorry for asking.” Bora said, and Gahyeon waived it off. “it's not often you find a hybrid, let alone a vampire, and werewolf hybrid. I would ask if I were you too.” She said as she shrugged completely unbothered by it.

“so, have you figured out where you're staying for tonight?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Bora.

“I tried calling my roommates, but they hung up as soon as I said it was me, I don’t know why. It's so unlike them…” Bora said worriedly.

“oh, we can probably explain that…” Gahyeon said as she looked at Siyeon to continue. Bora looked at Siyeon with a hopeful gaze causing Siyeon to sigh, and walk over, and sit at the table.

“look, that girl got your phone, and sent all of your friends' nasty messages talking about how you always hated them, and they were always jealous of you, and everything. They are extremely pissed at you right now.” Siyeon said as she watches Boras jaw drop in horror.

“she said what!” Bora shrieked very loudly. “oh god, they are going to be so pissed…” Bora mumbled into her hands.

“I guess that means you’re staying the night here.” Their mom said as she walked in with their father, who just nodded silently.


	3. Chapter 3

-Later That Night-

“What family are you from?” Siyeon asked Bora as they walked up to her room.

“huh?” Bora asked, confused. Siyeon just paused on the steps and looked back at Bora.

“what vampire family are you from? I know one family has a weird trait that they don’t need to sleep, and others need to, and some can’t go into sunlight. What family are you a part of?” she asked curiously.

“oh! Sorry, I'm not used to explaining that stuff to people. I'm from the true Kim line. We can still sleep, and the sun doesn’t bother us, obviously. We were in the same gym class.” Bora said as Siyeon nodded and started walking again.

“good, it would be weird if you had to stay in my room only to have nothing to do but watch me sleep.” Siyeon joked.

“that would be kinda creepy, huh?” Bora chuckled as she followed the taller girl.

“So is your wolf form so tall because you’re so tall?” Bora asked randomly.

Siyeon laughed as she turned around and looked at Bora. “I'm not tall. You're just short.” Siyeon teased, earning another glare, and an elbow to the ribs. “ok, ok, sorry!” Siyeon laughed as she looked at a very angry, but short Bora.

“and no, a couple things can affect the height of our wolf form. Our rank, I'm told just like my parents, I'm an alpha as well. I just haven’t come into everything yet. Another thing that could affect it is our personality or energy. Take Yoohyeon, for example. She’s huge because she has a lot of energy, even though she's an omega. Kinda, well, let's just say Yoohyeon is strange. She's both an alpha and omega.” Siyeon said as they walked into Siyeon’s room.

“Kim Yoohyeon? The same Yoohyeon that’s always around Minji?” Bora asked, confused.

“yep, the one, and the same. She's an alpha by birth but chose to be an omega for Minji. Because Minji liked it when she acted more like a puppy than an alpha. But I guess that’s what happens when you find your mate. I just only heard of a wolf finding out their mate was a vampire once before. So, I was kinda shocked. I didn’t believe her at first until she went into wolf form and showed me her thoughts.” Siyeon just shook her head.

“I hope when I find my mate, I'm not that bad…” Siyeon said as she chuckled. “if it were possible, her eyes would be literal hearts, I'm not kidding.” She said as she flopped on her bed, leaving room for Bora.

“You said you only heard of a vampire being a wolf's mate one time before. Who was it?” Bora asked curiously.

“Gahyeon’s father. It’s why he killed himself when she left him, and Gahyeon behind. When you find your mate, your world revolves around them. With them gone, your world feels like it’s crumbling. Ever hear about a wolf's mate dying, and the one alive dies shortly after? Literal heartbreak. I guess you could say us wolves are dramatic when it comes to romance…” Siyeon grimaced as she looked over at Bora, who was sitting at the edge of the bed.

“I think it is sweet. And I understand the feeling. When I fall for someone, I really fall for them. It is truly like my world revolves around them, but I guess I'm not good at relationships, huh?” Bora said sadly. Siyeon was lying on her bed with her arms behind her head as she looked at the side profile of Bora's face. It was beautiful. Siyeon was mesmerized as she looked at her.

“huh?” Siyeon asked. She had missed Bora's question.

“how do you know when you meet your mate?” Bora asked as she looked over her shoulder at Siyeon.

Siyeon propped herself on her elbows as she thought about her answer.

“well, rarely it can be from a touch like a handshake or just fingers brushing, but usually it's by a kiss. It makes it difficult to find your mate if you don’t like kissing everybody…” Siyeon mumbled, frustrated.

“I take it, I hit a nerve?” Bora asked apologetically.

“huh? Oh, no, it's not that. It’s just Gahyeon keeps teasing me to try to find my mate, but she knows I am uncomfortable with talking to new people and hate crowds. Plus, I have issues with getting close to people, so I'm pretty sure I will never find my mate…” Siyeon said as she tried to laugh it off, but it sounded fake.

“You seem to be talking fine to me. You even seem relaxed with me sitting on your bed.” Bora said as she looked at Siyeon. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she looked at Siyeon as she leaned her head back while still propped on her elbows. The moonlight reflected off of Siyeon’s jaw and neck and let her face beautifully. It was like Siyeon was glowing in the moonlight.

“yah, but you're different,” Siyeon said as she had her eyes closed, and just enjoyed the moonlight.

“How so?” Bora asked as she continued to watch Siyeon.

“well, I don’t know. I just don’t feel nervous around you anymore.” She said as she opened her eyes. They were glowing green again.

“anymore?” Bora asked.

“Yeah, in the beginning, I would see you across the classroom or lunchroom, and when you would look at me, I would get nervous and look away or leave.” She said as she closed her eyes again.

“oh, I thought you just didn’t like me. I could never figure out what I did wrong…” Bora said softly, causing Siyeon to look at her again.

“what do you mean? Why would I hate you?” she asked with her brows together in confusion.

“I don’t know, you just never wanted to be anywhere I was, and whenever I would go to approach you, you would leave qui-“

The door swung open quickly as Gahyeon barged in and started shouting.

“oh, for the love of god just tell her you have a crush on her already! I can hear EVERYTHING now! And I can even feel when you two blush because I'm half-vampire you two kiss and get it over with! If you two aren't mates, Yoohyeon, and I owe money!”

“lee Gahyeon! Siyeon jumped up and launched a pillow lightning-fast at her younger sister, who dodged it perfectly and then proceeded to stick her tongue out to taunt her older sister.

“wait, who would you owe money to?” Siyeon asked as she lulled Gahyeon before launching another pillow at her head.

“Minji, and- oof! Ouch! Minji and Handong!”

“wait, what?” both girls asked in unison.

“I thought that you never talk to the vampires in our school?” Siyeon asked as she looked at her sister that was coated in feathers after Siyeon’s pillow attack.

“your right, I don’t because they think I smell strange, but Yoohyeon does hang out with them because of Minji. Anyway, we were talking one morning after watching you flee from Bora, and I told her I bet you two would end up mates, and Yoohyeon said totally when Minji and Handong came out of nowhere and asked if we wanted to bet. They said you two would never know because you both were too chicken to approach each other without one of us interfering!” Gahyeon rambled as she flinched, waiting for another object to fly her way.

“well, didn’t you just make yourself lose that bet?” Siyeon asked as she looked at her sister like she was crazy.

“no, why?” she asked as she looked at the two.

“because you just interfered, you are trying to get us together,” Bora said as she looked at Gahyeon.

“true, but the bet ended up just being if you were mates or not. We were planning to help push you together, but then Bora started dating that human…” Gahyeon said as she shrugged.

“It was so stupid of me to date her…” Bora said as she shook her head.

“why?” both sisters asked in unison.

“because I dated her to try to forget someone I had a crush on. I guess I put all my effort into the relationship and was blinded by it, huh?” Bora said sadly as she looked at Gahyeon.

“dang, I guess Yoohyeon, and I owe money anyway…” Gahyeon pouted as she sighed, and looked sadly at her sister, who just shrugged. It's not like she could make Bora love her or be her mate, so Siyeon tried to coolly brush it off, but hearing that Bora liked two people and that both weren't her hurt a lot.

“well, who do you like then? Maybe I can help as an apology for betting on your love life.” Gahyeon said apologetically.

Bora went to speak when Siyeon interrupted her. “Gahyeon, give her time. She just got out of a bad relationship where her last girlfriend tried to actually kill her. It hasn’t even been 24hrs since that incident. Let's give her some time before we force anything on her, ok?” Siyeon said as she flopped back down on her bed and enjoyed the moonlight. It seemed to calm her whenever she was stressed.

“um, Siyeon? do you know that your glowing?” Gahyeon said as she watched her sister radiate the moonlight.

“what?” Siyeon asked as she opened her eyes and looked at her sister. “what do you mean?”

“you’re physically glowing when you go into the moonlight,” Bora said as she looked at Siyeon. “I thought it was just a wolf thing, but I guess not if your sisters so shocked by it,” Bora said as she looked at the light on Siyeon’s face.

“you know what this means, right?” Gahyeon asked Siyeon nervously. She looked to Bora, worriedly causing Bora to sit up feeling Gahyeon’s tension.

“what's wrong?” Bora asked, looking between the two girls.

“no one will know as long as I don’t go into the moonlight, ok?” Siyeon said as she looked at Gahyeon, pleading with her not to make a big deal out of it with her eyes.

“oh no, I'm not going to act like this is nothing! If you don’t find your mate soon, and the alpha boys in the area find out, they will all come to try to dominate you! That means rape, Siyeon! Rape! I don’t care if I have to set you up a kissing booth tomorrow your finding your mate! starting tomorrow!” Gahyeon shouted as she ran over to Siyeon and wrapped her in a big hug and started to cry.

“shh, it's ok. I'm ok, alright?” Siyeon tried to soothe the younger girl, but it didn’t help. Gahyeon was working herself into a hiccup fit.

“let me try?” Bora asked as she held her arms out for the younger girl, and Siyeon let Bora take Gahyeon from her arms. Soon Gahyeon felt a calming energy flow over herself, and her crying started to slow.

“what was that?” Gahyeon asked, still sniffling.

“vampire powers. Effecting emotions. Mainly calming or creating lust. My specialty is calming.” Bora said as she looked down at Gahyeon, smiling. “Feel better?” she asked, and Gahyeon nodded.

“now, tell me about what's going on now, please?” her words were phrased like a question, but it was more like an order, and Siyeon sat up at the change in tone.

“well, some wolves are born stronger, and a sign of it is what you just saw. Many alphas want to grow a strong pack, and when they find out a wolf in the area shows signs of what they used to call “being chosen by the moon,” they will come from all over to dominate them and make them join their pack.” Siyeon said as she looked at Bora.

“that’s not all. Even if she's forced to join a pack, the alphas from other packs will try to mate with her, and whoever gets her pregnant gets her unless she finds her mate. Siyeon will be highly prized because she's an alpha, and from our family, we can't hide our green eyes.” Gahyeon said nervously and looked at Siyeon worriedly.

Siyeon was gripping her sheets tightly. She knew what it meant, and it’s why she kept to herself for so long, and even tried to hide it from her family.

“But you said that changes if she found her mate?” Bora asked with hope in her voice.

“yes, they can't touch her if she has found her mate,” Gahyeon said as she nodded.

“How would they know if she found her mate?” Bora asked.

“her scent changes when she finds her mate. Think of it like a perfume that says’ go away! I’m taken!’ Before that, it's like someone holding up a sign saying single!” Gahyeon said as Bora nodded.

“and how do you know if your mates or not again?” Bora asked as she looked at Gahyeon. “Touching, but mainly kissing. Why?” Gahyeon asked as Bora stood up and walked in front of Siyeon.

Siyeon felt and heard Bora standing in front of her, and opened her eyes to look at her confused when suddenly lips met hers, and suddenly, Siyeon’s head was spinning. Fire flooded her body, and her body temperature spiked as Bora's lips moved against her own. Gahyeon let out a shriek in surprise as she watched the vampire mount her sister and start making out with her.

Bora's mind went blank as her lips touched Siyeon’s, and it was hard to explain. She had never felt this before her heart felt like it was about to burst with happiness as she kissed the girl beneath her. And soon, she heard s slow growl coming from Siyeon as one hand gently grabbed her hip, and the other gently grabbed the back of her neck, deepening the kiss as Siyeon growled in pleasure. Bora could feel Siyeon’s body rumble underneath her with the growl, and it drove her mad.

“oh my god, you too, I'm still here, you know!” Gahyeon shouted as she closed her eyes, kinda. She was peeking.

Finally, they broke apart for air when Siyeon looked at Bora in wonder.

“what?” Bora asked as she looked at Siyeon’s beautiful green eyes.

“um, I won the bet. That’s what. You’re her mate. I think she’s kinda stunned at the moment.” Gahyeon giggled as she looked at her sister smiling up at Bora with an extremely goofy grin.

“is that why it was so intense? It was like the world shifted, and I felt so extremely happy…” Bora asked, slightly panting.

“I don’t know, you would have to ask Minji how it feels when she kisses Yoohyeon. But usually, it is stronger for the wolves than non-wolf mates.” Gahyeon said thoughtfully.

“is she going to keep giving me that goofy grin?” Bora asked as she giggled at Siyeon.

“most likely, she’s in love. Get used to it. Oh, and because she's a natural alpha, she will be very protective of you. Especially after what happened to you yesterday. Get used to it. School is going to be interesting…” Gahyeon said as she shook her head and walked out the door.

“well, you too, have fun!” she said as she ducked out the door to message Yoohyeon.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

-Gahyeon and Yoohyeon-

GH: Yoohyeon! Wake up!

What? :YH

GH: big news!!!

What? Just tell me! :YH

GH: Siyeon found her mate!

Oh shit! Who? Oh damn, do I owe money to Minji? :YH

GH: nope, we won!

Wait, what? Seriously? It can't be Bora! :YH

She hasn’t even been seen in weeks! :YH

GH: Oh that’s only because she was kidnapped, and held captive

GH: But seriously, look!

GH: [pic of Bora on top of Siyeon, kissing]

Holy shit! That’s hot! :YH

GH: …

GH: Not the point…

Sorry. Wait, KIDNAPPED!?! :YH

GH: Yeah, I will explain it at school tomorrow, ok?

GH: Don’t tell Minji or Handong yet ok? Bora needs to talk to them first.

Ok, but no guarantees. You know I can't lie to Minji. If she asks, I will tell her. :YH

GH: I know, but try, please?

Ok, I will try… :YH

I can't believe we won! :YH

Can I at least tell Minji about that? :YH

GH: Sure, after all, it will be obvious when Siyeon gets all protective of her.

Sweet! :YH

GH: Night!

Night! :YH

Gahyeon had just finished messaging Yoohyeon when she gets a call from the older girl.

“what's up?” Gahyeon asked.

“I forgot to ask when this all happened!” Yoohyeon said excitedly,

“oh, like not even fifteen minutes ago. I was talking about Siyeon finding a mate, and Bora seemed to not like that idea,” Gahyeon was cut off mid-sentence by Yoohyeon.

“wait for what! Seriously? Kim Bora got jealous? But how did you get them to kiss?” Yoohyeon asked curiously.

“I didn’t. Siyeon and I were arguing about something when she just stood up, walked in front of Siyeon, got on top of her, and you saw the pic and know what happened next.” Gahyeon said as she looked at the ceiling while talking to Yoohyeon.

“damn! They looked like they were really going at it too…” Yoohyeon said, sounding slightly impressed.

“oh! Hey, Yoohyeon? When you kissed Minji for the first time, did she feel something too?” Gahyeon asked as she thought about what Bora said.

“yes, she said she felt like electricity, and she felt drawn to me ever since. Why?” Yoohyeon asked curiously.

“well because Bora said that when she kissed Siyeon, she felt the world shift whatever that means, and said that she felt so extremely happy. Cheesy, huh?” Gahyeon said as she remembered Bora's words.

“um, Gahyeon? Are you sure that Bora isn’t a hybrid like you?” Yoohyeon asked gently.

“yes, why?” Gahyeon asked, suddenly feeling worried.

“um, because that described how it felt when I kissed Minji. That means she had felt as strong as a true wolf. It’s rare for a non-wolf to react so strongly. If she isn’t a hybrid, then they must not just be mates, but soulmates too.” Yoohyeon said while thinking.

“what's the difference?” Gahyeon asked curiously.

“well, if your mate dies, you can find another mate. If you survive the initial shock of it, that is. But your soulmate is only one in the world if they die, so do you because you can't live without them. It means they would do anything literally for each other. This is going to get interesting at school tomorrow. If they are soulmates, then Siyeon’s going to be extremely protective…” Yoohyeon made a note to keep Minji away from Siyeon for the first 24hrs because that will be when Siyeon has the least amount of control.

“let's keep Bora away from Minji, and Handong ok? I don’t want my sister attacking Minji if she yells at Bora. You're kinda my only other friend besides my sister, and I don’t want to choose between you two…” Gahyeon said worriedly, and Yoohyeon quickly agreed.

“oh, Gahyeon? Don’t get your hopes up, but…” Yoohyeon hesitated before talking again.

“What?” the younger girl asked.

“do you still have a crush on Dami?” Yoohyeon asked cautiously.

“…why?” Gahyeon was silent for a time before answering.

“well, I made a side-bet with Minji. Now don’t get your hopes up because she may change her mind. You know how protective she and Handong are of Dami…” Yoohyeon rambled.

“yeah, and?” Gahyeon asked, getting frustrated.

“well, if she stays to it, you will finally be able to hang out with Dami.” Yoohyeon waited quietly for a reaction but didn’t even hear Gahyeon breathing.

“hey! Breathe!” Yoohyeon shouted into the phone, causing Gahyeon to gasp and cough.

“Kim Yoohyeon! Are you serious? You're not messing with me, right?” Gahyeon said, sounding excited.

“I'm serious, but we need to see if Minji will still agree to it. I made that bet a long time ago. I will message you later if she agrees, ok?” Yoohyeon asked, waiting for the younger girl’s response.

“ok, let me know as soon as you find out, ok?” Gahyeon said softly into the phone.

“deal, I'm going to go message Minji now, so I will talk to you later, ok?” Yoohyeon said as they said their goodbyes leaving Gahyeon to sit on her bed daydreaming about Dami. Well, until the noises from her sister's room started to become more noticeable.

‘ugh, why did I have to start changing now? Why couldn’t I have waited a day or two…’ she thought to herself as she tried to block out every moan and growl coming from her sister's room. 

“I'm so glad, mom and dad are not home. This would be hard to explain…” for once, Gahyeon was glad that her parents liked to run together in wolf form when there was a lot of moonlight, but they would be in for a surprise when they come back and smell Siyeon’s scent changed. Luckily, they already knew Siyeon’s preference towards girls, or this would be a total shock to them.

“well, breakfast is going to be interesting in the morning…” Gahyeon said to herself as she grabbed some headphones to try to drown out Bora, and her sister's lovemaking. The music helped, and she finally fell asleep. She wouldn’t see Yoohyeon’s message until morning.

-Yoohyeon And Minji-

YH: Minji!

YH: Minji, wake up!

What, baby? :KMJ

YH: Don’t be shocked when you hear this, ok?

What's wrong? :KMJ

YH: Remember the bet we made with Siyeon’s younger sister?

The one that smells weird?? :KMJ

YH: You know that’s not nice, right?

YH: But yes

Yeah, what about it? :KMJ

YH: Gahyeon, and I won the bet!

What? :KMJ

That’s not even possible! :KMJ

Bora ran off with that human! :KMJ

YH: No she didn’t, but I can't tell you until after tomorrow

YH: I promised

… :KMJ

YH: Baby, you know I hate to break a promise

Ok, fine. :KMJ

But I don’t believe it. There better be proof! :KMJ

YH: Tadaa!

YH: [pic of Bora on top of Siyeon, kissing]

Holy shit! :KMJ

YH: I know! Hot right!

Kim Yoohyeon! :KMJ

YH: Sorry…

When did this happen? :KMJ

YH: According to Gahyeon, after I called her back After texting…

YH: Not even thirty minutes ago.

So, wait? What happened to the human girl? :KMJ

YH: Oh, she was arrested.

Wait, what?! :KMJ

YH: Damn! Please don’t ask till after tomorrow…

Fine… :KMJ

I now have a headache… :KMJ

YH: But, our side bet…

YH: Can you finally let Dami be around Gahyeon?

… :KMJ

YH: Babe!

YH: You promised!

Fine… :KMJ

YH: Yes!

YH: I love you!

… I love you too, baby. :KMJ

Now go back to bed, my puppy. :KMJ

YH: K! night!

Lol :KMJ

Night. :KMJ


	5. Chapter 5

-Well, Good Morning-

Siyeon woke up to the feeling of being watched. She slowly started to try to sit up when she felt something on her arm. Siyeon looked over to see a sleeping Bora looking peaceful, and Siyeon grinned a big goofy grin when suddenly she heard someone clear their throat and looked up to see both her parents looking at her with a brow raised.

“I know I said to welcome the girl, but this wasn’t what I meant…” her mother teased her as she grinned at her daughter, who was now a vivid shade of red.

“you know, that’s not how you protect a victim…” her father teased in a very serious voice.

“it's not her fault. I kissed her first…” Bora said sleepily as she tried to rescue Siyeon from her embarrassment.

“oh really?” her mother asked, impressed. “and what made you want to do that?” her mother asked curiously.

“well, she looked so pretty in the moonlight, and then Gahyeon was freaking out talking about guys trying to make a move on her, and I really didn’t like that. Suddenly I was kissing her, and… well…” Bora tried to hide under the sheets when she realized she was still naked, and almost flashed Siyeon’s parents.

“Siyeon, is she saying what I think she is?” her father asked truly serious this time.

Siyeon sighed as she sat up carefully so she wouldn’t expose herself or Bora. Bora, and Siyeon both agreed to hell her parents the truth in the morning, but suddenly, Siyeon was feeling nervous.

As if Bora could feel her nervousness, she gripped her hand gently, and Siyeon felt a wave of calm come over her. Is this what Gahyeon felt last night?

After several minutes of explaining, Siyeon’s parents looked at each other worriedly.

“I'm safe now that I found my mate, right?” Siyeon asked as she looked at their nervous expressions.

“that’s almost right, honey…” her mom answered worriedly. You have to go into your first heat and have found your mate. If you go into your first heat, and someone gets to you before Bora here does, you will be forced to submit to them like a slave.” Siyeon’s and Bora's eyes went wide at the news.

“when is Siyeon’s first heat?” Bora asked her parents. But they shook their heads.

“it happens after all of her senses finally wake up, right now she has sight, and hearing, and from the look of that door strength, but last will be a combination of taste and smell. As soon as that triggers, so will her heat. It also means her final transformation is complete. I know this is a difficult thing to ask, especially after what you just went through, but can you protect my daughter?” Siyeon’s father asked as he looked Bora in the eyes.

“You don’t even have to ask. Ever since last night, I feel extremely protective of her. I won't let her out of my sight if I can help it.” Bora said with a determined look.

As Siyeon looked over, she saw Bora's eyes glowing a beautiful shade of red. She was ready to fight for Siyeon, and suddenly Siyeon couldn’t stop herself as she leaned over, causing Bora to look at her, and their lips connected gently. Suddenly her parents felt waves of happiness radiating from Bora. The kiss didn’t last long, but it did leave an impact on Siyeon’s parents.

“Bora dear, were you always able to affect wolves with your powers too?” Siyeon’s mother asked calmly as Bora looked up at her with a confused look.

“what do you mean?” she asked as she looked at the two.

“We felt your emotions radiating off of you when the two of you kissed. Is it normal for a wolf to be able to feel your emotion abilities?” Siyeon’s father asked as he looked at Bora.

“no, usually it only affects vampire hybrids like Gahyeon or Dami…, but never full wolves. Are you saying you felt my emotions?” Bora asked, shocked at the news.

“wait, Dami is a hybrid too? With what?” Siyeon asked. Gahyeon would love to know this info.

“Not now, sweetheart.” Her dad scolded Siyeon teasingly as he looked at Bora.

“Try that again, please?” her father asked Bora gently, and Bora nodded. Suddenly a feeling of sadness washed over everyone in the room, causing both of Siyeon’s parents to stumble from the shock and strength of it.

“it seems that your powers seem to be affected by Siyeon. She magnifies the powers of her partners. This may help you protect her. Try fear.” He insisted as Bora sent a wave of fear at him.

His reaction was automatic. He paled, and his breath quickened, and his knees went weak as he backed up in a panic. But soon, the wave of emotion was gone.

“I'm so sorry! Are you ok?” Bora asked as she went to get up before remembering the naked thing again and just watched him worriedly.

“wow, that was extremely strong. That will definitely keep all but the strongest alphas away!” Siyeon’s father said as he got up and looked at Bora. He was very impressed.

“It seems like my daughter found her perfect mate!” he said proudly as he looked at the vampire.

Bora couldn’t help but smile. She and her friends all lived together in Minji’s house, but all of them lost their parents at young ages, so Siyeon’s parents brought back warm memories, and Bora liked making them proud.

“So, is it because she amplifies power that the first kiss affected me so much?” Bora asked as the two looked at her, confused.

“How did it affect you?” her mother asked while looking at Bora. “I know it sounds weird, but the only way to describe it is like the world shifted, and then extreme happiness flooded over me. Oh, and I felt hot, but I don’t know if that’s normal or because of the kiss…” Bora said nervously, realizing how that just sounded.

Siyeon’s parents looked at each other with shocked expressions before looking back at the two girls.

“it looks like you two will be getting even stronger, you two are soulmates. It’s an even stronger bond than a mate, and the two of you would naturally strengthen each other, but with Siyeon being what she is, that makes it even stronger.” He said as he looked at the girls.

“But there's a danger. I don’t know if this is true or just a rumor, but. If one of you dies, the other dies as well. So, both of you be careful. If I'm right, then when one of you gets hurt, the other will feel it and know where to find you, but if it's too late…” he trailed off at the thought of losing either girl.

Both of Siyeon’s parents had already accepted Bora into their family as soon as they ran close enough to home to smell the change in Siyeon’s scent and the thought of losing either upset them greatly.

“oh my god! I get to meet Dami today! What am I going to wear!” Gahyeon shrieked loud enough from her room that it echoed throughout the house, causing everyone to chuckle at the youngest daughter.

# School

‘ _Today is going to be interesting…_ ’ Gahyeon thought as she looked at her sister and her girlfriend being extra clingy and protective of each other. Every time someone looked at Siyeon, Gahyeon would feel Bora send out a wave of fear causing the boys to run away in terror. It was funny to watch at first, but now it was just kinda sad.

They finally arrived at the gates of the school and walked in. Obviously, the news that Bora was now with Siyeon had already traveled as everyone watched and whispered at the new couple. Gahyeon started to lag behind, causing Bora and Siyeon to wait on her, causing way too much-unwanted attention for Gahyeon. She wouldn’t do THAT again.

As Bora looked around the school, she spotted Minji and Handong. Her face lit up at her friends, but they soon realized their ‘ _eat shit and die’_ looks, and drew back in shock. Siyeon could feel the hurt radiating from Bora and looked at where she was looking.

Siyeon noticed the look they gave Bora and felt bad for her girlfriend. It wasn’t Bora’s fault, but they didn’t know that. ‘ _I've got to do something about this…_ ’ she thought to herself as she looked worriedly at Bora.

It was the class right before lunch, and Siyeon slipped out of her class using the excuse of a bathroom break and went looking for Handong, and Minji. Everyone that knew the girls were vampires knew that they skipped the class right before lunch so that they could drink in private.

After a little bit of searching, Siyeon found who she was looking for. As she walked around the library, she found both Handong and Minji as well as Dami sitting by one of the shelves and drinking while reading.

“uh, guys?” Dami said nervously as she was the first to recognize the person walking over to them. Yoohyeon had warned them to avoid Siyeon for the first 24 hours just in case she wasn’t in control of her emotions at the time.

“can I help you?” Minji asked as she and Handong shifted in front of Dami to act as a shield to protect her.

Siyeon walked over with her hands up, trying to show she meant no harm, but the two didn’t relax.

“look, I just want to talk. Ok? I-I think you both need to know something… it's about Bora…” Siyeon trailed off after she realized the anger flash in Minji’s eyes at the mention of Bora's name.

“wait! Before you get angry and walk off, Bora was locked up by that crazy human girl for two weeks!” Siyeon blurted out as the two went to walk off while dragging Dami along. At the mention of that, though, they all froze in their tracks and turned to look at Siyeon.

“what?” Minji asked in disbelief.

Siyeon sighed as she prepared herself for Minji’s wrath.

“for the last two weeks when I passed this one house, I heard what sounded like a girl crying. Then begging for someone to stop hurting her. At first, I thought it was meant emotionally, not physically. Like she cheated on her or wanted to break up with her, but a couple days ago, the sounds got even worse. I tried to tell myself I’m just changing, and if I interfere, I could hurt or accidentally kill someone, so I talked myself out of it until last night…” Siyeon trailed off, waiting for someone to yell at her.

Siyeon couldn’t look at Minji because she expected Minji to look at her with pure rage or disgust for taking so long to save her, but instead, Minji gently grabbed her arm and looked at her worriedly.

“what happened?” Minji asked worry showing throughout her whole body. For someone so mad a second ago, this change really shocked Siyeon.

“My sister and I were walking home, and I always got tense by that house. Suddenly she asked me if it was because of the smell of odd blood, and that shocked me my sense of smell hasn’t come in yet, but she said it wasn’t a wolf or a humans blood, and she didn’t know what a vampires blood smells like to compare it, so she wasn’t sure.” Siyeon said as Minji listened intently.

“Suddenly, we heard the human calling Bora names, and then she asked her if she stabbed her through the heart if she would disappear into ash like in the movies…” Siyeon suddenly clenched her jaw, and her muscles tightened at the memories of someone threatening HER Bora! Suddenly a wave of calm drifted over Siyeon, and she looked around and realized it came from Dami, who just smiled shyly at her and hid behind Handong.

“Thanks…” Siyeon sighed as she took a couple of breaths before continuing.

“When I got inside, and Gahyeon directed me to where the smell of blood came from, I ran down there. Once I stopped that human, I broke the door of the cage, and helped Bora get dressed-.”

“wait, what do you mean get dressed?” Handong asked, sounding angry. It shocked Siyeon as she looked at the vampire whose eyes were now red.

“the girl had her locked in a cage with no clothes, and only a thin sheet to cover herself. She also starved Bora so much that she couldn’t even heal, and when I rescued her, she was actively bleeding slowly. How she didn’t kill that girl, I have no idea…” Siyeon said as she shook her head.

“Bora can never kill anyone. She's too kind. She can't even hurt an animal. The only way she survives is because Handong and I brought her blood…” Minji said sadly as she had tears in her eyes.

“i-I should have noticed. The messages weren't even typed like Bora!” Minji sobbed as she crumpled to the ground. Handong and Dami joined her and hugged her, trying to comfort her.

_‘Maybe they aren't as cold and preppy as I thought…_ ’ Siyeon thought to herself as she looked at the three girls.

“look, I know it probably wasn’t my place to tell you, but Boras. But this morning, when she looked at you, she felt so happy, but when you both glared back, I could feel it break her heart. I don’t think she can approach you first like that…” Handong and Dami nodded, but Minji just looked at Siyeon, confused.

“what do you mean you felt her happiness and sadness?” even Yoohyeon can’t feel when I shift emotions near her, she can only feel it when Dami does it,” Minji said as she gave Siyeon a look of disbelief.

“well, it's hard to explain. Maybe Bora can explain it if you decide to talk to her again. This is all new to me…” Siyeon grumbled as she rubbed her forehead.

“May I ask something?” Dami asked Siyeon softly, and Siyeon nodded in response.

“How did your sister smell the blood if you didn’t? Isn’t she a year younger than you? And you're already turning a year earlier than most, correct?” Dami asked softly.

“ah, well…” Siyeon sighed and promised herself to apologize to Gahyeon later. “Gahyeon is half-wolf and half-vampire. She's actually my cousin, not my true sister, but as far as I'm concerned, she’s my true sister, and if you mess with her because she’s a hybrid, you will have to get through me first got it!?!” Siyeon started out calm but ended on a little of a hostile note. When it came to her sister, they could see Siyeon was protective, and it made both Minji and Handong smile. It seems they all have something in common.

“I guess it’s a good thing we said it was ok for you to meet with Gahyeon…” Minji said as she looked at Dami, who just nodded with her eyes wide.

“why?” Siyeon asked worriedly.

“Well, it's not often that you meet another hybrid, let alone one that is the SAME kind of hybrid…” Handong said humorously.

“wait, your half-vampire, and wolf too?” Siyeon asked as Dami looked at her startled, and just nodded.

“show me your eyes,” Siyeon ordered Dami, causing her to flinch, and her eyes to glow gold. Siyeon nodded happily. As she relaxed, her alpha hold on Dami.

“what the hell was that?” Minji asked as Siyeon looked over, and was startled to see both Handong, and Minji’s eyes glowing red.

“oh, shit, sorry, I'm not used to my powers affecting others, but wolves…” Siyeon smiled sheepishly at them.

“yah ok, we will get back to that one later, but why did you order Dami to show you her eyes?” Minji asked, slightly defensive. 

“to make sure that Gahyeon and Dami are not related. They were born in the same year, so I wanted to be sure…” Siyeon said calmly.

“my family is slightly different than most wolves… first, most of us are born alphas. And second,” Siyeon looked at them, and the three backed up as they witnessed her green eyes.

“What the hell?” Minji asked, shocked as she looked at the glowing green eyes looking back at her with such an intense stare. They were rather striking with Siyeon’s black hair and pale skin.

“Woah…” Dami mumbled as she looked at Siyeon in admiration.

As Siyeon looked at Dami, an idea popped into her head.

“hey Dami?” she asked nervously. She was never good at making friends, and this is exactly what she felt like she was doing right now.

“yes?” Dami asked nervously.

“You have only been around vampires, right?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Dami curiously.

“yes, if you don’t count Yoohyeon. Minji, Handong, and Bora always kept me close to them to hide my scent. why?” Dami asked nervously, and Minji and Handong picked up on her nerves and came closer.

“well, you see… Bora mentioned that Gahyeon has never been around a vampire and didn’t know how to use her vampire side. I figured you may be the same. Do you know how to tap into your wolf side or control it?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Dami.

Minji and Handong looked at Siyeon with a shocked expression. They never expected Siyeon to be offering what they were hearing. And why hadn’t they thought of that? In a year, Dami would go through the changes when her wolf side would develop, but she has no one to teach or guide her, again everyone forgot to think of Yoohyeon, who was also a wolf and was constantly glued to Minji’s side.

“shit…” Minji mumbled, catching Siyeon off guard.

“Sorry?” Siyeon mumbled, surprised. “Should I have not asked?” she asked hesitantly.

“no! It's not that. It's just that I didn’t think of that, in a year she will start having to deal with her wolf side, and she has no training…” Minji looked at Dami worriedly.

“actually, she may start soon. Hybrids sometimes start early. Gahyeon already started yesterday, and I'm not sure if it's because of our family or a hybrid thing, so she may start soon…” Siyeon said as she looked at Dami.

“is that why everything is so loud now?” Dami asked as she looked at Siyeon, and Minji and Handong turned to look at Dami, shocked.

“yah! Why didn’t you tell us that?” Minji shouted as she turned Dami to face her.

“it only started right before Siyeon walked up. I started hearing everyone's breathing in the room, and when I went to ask you, I heard Siyeon approaching, and Yoohyeon said for us to avoid her for a day or two so…” Dami looked down nervously.

“you know, this is the most I have ever heard her speak,” Siyeon said as she looked at the younger girl.

“really? She talks all the time at home. Especially about some anime she likes or with anything hip-hop.” Minji chirped up, causing Dami to blush as she shrank behind Handong more.

“Relax, I don’t bite!” Siyeon joked as she looked at how nervous Dami was.

“yes, you do, I saw the photo…” Minji teased as she wiggled her brows at Siyeon.

“what picture?” Siyeon asked, and she started to worry when she saw how excited she was to show it.

After a couple of seconds, she realized what she was looking at. A pic of her and Bora last night.

“lee Gahyeon!” Siyeon shouted as she turned around, causing shushes from all over the library, and giggles from the three behind her.

“I'm going to KILL my sister when I find her!” Siyeon fumed, and then suddenly hesitated, and looked at Minji.

“You want a copy of the pic, don’t you?” Minji asked as she tried to fight her laughter from overwhelming her. Siyeon only looked away and nodded.

“phone,” Minji ordered, and Siyeon handed hers over obediently, and Minji programmed in the three girls numbers, and user ids on the group chat app. Minji handed Siyeon the phone back, and suddenly a message popped up from Minji with said picture causing Siyeon to try to fight a smile. It was a really good picture.

“uh, thanks!” Siyeon nodded as she rushed back to class before the bell rang. If Bora found out she wandered off without her, she would be pissed.


	6. Chapter 6

-New Friends-

Siyeon made it just in time and flopped back into her seat just before the bell rang. Shortly after Siyeon sat down, Bora walked in to meet her girlfriend with a smile.

“hey.” She said as she leaned in for a kiss, and Siyeon kissed her back gently, causing the class to gasp in shock.

“What?” they both chorused at once as Siyeon got up. Siyeon walked with Bora out the door and headed to the cafeteria.

“what's wrong?” Siyeon asked as she felt Bora tense as they walked closer.

“Minji and Handong will be there, I don’t know if I can face them yet…” Bora said as she fidgeted with her hands.

“relax, I don’t think that will be a problem, ok?” Siyeon said with a smirk as she wheeled Bora around and through the cafeteria doors.

Everyone seemed to be looking at the new surprise couple of the school, and Bora's eyes darted around as she tried to look for her old friends. As soon as they made eye contact, they rushed over, and Bora closed her eyes, expecting a slap or something but instead was ingulfed in a giant group hug as the three girls whispered words of apology, and checked to see if Bora was alright.

Minji hissed as she looked at Bora’s arms. Though humans couldn’t see it, wolves and vampires could see the new scars that covered Bora’s body. It was like a faint shimmer of silver, but they were all over. They would totally fade in a month or two, but it showed the three just what all she had gone through, and Minji looked at Siyeon with a grateful look.

“thank you for saving her when we didn’t even know what she was going through…” Minji whispered with such gratitude that it surprised Siyeon.

“it’s nothing, I just wish I would have helped her sooner…” Siyeon said as she looked down, and Bora broke out of the group hug to turn Siyeon’s face toward her own.

“I told you last night to not think like that, I probably wouldn’t have listened to you then. It took me hearing her say she was going to kill me with her own mouth before I could believe it. It's not your fault, ok?” Bora said as she gently kissed Siyeon. Everyone could watch as Siyeon melted slightly into the kiss, causing Minji and Handong to snicker at the big wolf.

“Minji! Are you ok?” Yoohyeon asked as she ran over to them, but just as she got closer, Siyeon captured her in a headlock.

“who said you could spread that picture, huh?” Siyeon said as she fluffed Yoohyeon’s hair, causing Yoohyeon to whine until she finally had enough, and a wave of alpha power flashed through her to allow her to break out of her hold. The two then held a staredown as they challenged each other in their minds. This was very common between the two.

“what’s going on?” Minji asked as she watched the two have a silent argument.

“they are arguing mentally. I'm still getting used to it with Siyeon and Gahyeon. It makes you feel kinda left out…” Bora pouted, and Minji pouted in agreement distracting the arguing pair, and they quickly wandered over to their girlfriends to comfort them.

Wolves are so loving, and if they think you're upset, they will try anything to make you happy if you’re their mate, and Siyeon nuzzled Bora gently as she hugged the smaller girl, and peppered her with gentle kisses, and nips on her neck. Bora realized she needed to pout WAY more if this is how Siyeon was going to act. She really liked this affectionate side of Siyeon.

Minji gave a knowing look to Bora as she was experiencing the same thing from Yoohyeon. Bora just nodded in understanding.

‘ _that’s why Minji got very whiney after dating Yoohyeon…_ ’ Bora thought to herself. As she nodded in approval, and Minji just winked at her.

“oh god, she's just like Yoohyeon now…” Gahyeon pouted as she walked up to the group and rolled her eyes at her sister. As she looked around, her eyes met Dami’s, and they both blushed. This time Minji, and Siyeon rolled their eyes as they looked at the two, but Yoohyeon looked rather smug as her bet allowed them to be this close.

Suddenly Siyeon remembered the picture and looked at Gahyeon with a very angry look.

“lee Gahyeon! Who said you could take pictures of us!” Siyeon shouted as she lunged for Gahyeon, but she was too slow. Bora grabbed the younger girl in her arms and shielded her from her girlfriend.

“don’t hurt the baby!” Bora pouted as she hugged Gahyeon, who nuzzled into Boras hold, causing both Siyeon, and Dami to be tense, and the two giggled. Bora slowly released Gahyeon while daring Siyeon to do something. Siyeon just looked at Bora with a raised brow.

“sense when were you so protective of my little sister?” Siyeon teased as she looked at Bora lovingly.

“sense she’s adorable and takes a damn good picture!” Bora said as she winked at Gahyeon, who winked back.

“hey! You knew she took a picture?” Siyeon asked, shocked.

“Of course! I told her to send it to me when I get a replacement cell, but Until then she showed it to me on her phone!” Bora said happily as she hugged Siyeon, which caused the taller girl to melt as she snuggled against Bora's neck, and breathed in.

“You smell good…” Siyeon said as she took in a deep breath, letting Boras scent fill her nose and lungs.

Bora froze. “Siyeon? Are you getting your sense of smell?” Bora asked worriedly as she looked at her lover.

“I don’t think so, you just smell good, why?” she asked as Bora gave her a look. “oh… no, I don’t think so…” Siyeon said nervously.

“um, guys? Can you explain what we are feeling right now?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked at the two with a worried look.

“what?” Bora asked as she looked around.

“ah! they feel your nervousness, Bora!” Siyeon said as she looked at their group. They all looked at her with different degrees of confusion. Finally, Yoohyeon was the first to speak.

“sense when can I feel a vampire's powers? Usually, we are immune, right?” she asked as she looked over to Siyeon, who just shrugged.

“when we bonded, we both became stronger…” Siyeon said, and Yoohyeon knew the cause right away.

“no… Siyeon…” Yoohyeon whispered sadly as she looked at her friend, and both Siyeon, and Bora looked away. It confirmed what Yoohyeon was dreading.

“We are not leaving your side, you hear me!” Yoohyeon demanded with her alpha side flaring up, causing both Gahyeon and Dami to shrink back nervously.

“careful, you are scaring the young ones!” Siyeon said as she looked at Yoohyeon unphased.

“ok, what the hell is going on!?! And why can't we leave Siyeon’s side?” Minji asked as she looked around.

“not here…” Yoohyeon whispered as she signaled the others to follow her. Soon the group was on the roof, enjoying the nice breeze and sunlight.

“well? Now, will you tell us?” Minji demanded as she looked at Yoohyeon. Yoohyeon looked at Siyeon and touched her ears carefully both Gahyeon, and Siyeon listened to make sure there was no one listening before giving the nod.

“well, every once, and a while, a wolf is born that is ‘chosen by the moon’ or some crap like that. It sounds great, right? Wrong. It's always a girl, and alpha males from all over flock to dominate them and force them into their pack. You see, the gifted ones, or however you want to call it, magnify the powers of their partner. Whether it’s a willing partner or not…” Yoohyeon looked around and noticed that the vampires seemed to have a hard time understanding the situation.

“rape, I'm talking about rape. They will all come after Siyeon, and it finally ends when she gets pregnant. The only thing that can stop it is if she finds her mate, and mates with them on her first heat. If another person mates her first, the mate’s bond is broken, and she will be forced to obey whoever claims her…” Yoohyeon said sadly as she looked around. Everyone looked horrified besides Siyeon and Bora, who just looked at each other worriedly.

“oh, we definitely aren’t leaving your side!” Minji said as she looked at the mate of her best friend and smiled while shaking her head.

“Who knew, huh?” Minji said as she chuckled. “we never talked before, and now you are my best friends mate, and we just declared that we would be protecting you, and that includes you too…” Minji said as she looked at Gahyeon, who looked startled and pointed a finger at herself.

“Yeah, you,” Handong said as she smiled at her kindly.

“as the only other hybrid that is the same as Dami, we seem to feel suddenly very protective of you,” Minji said as she ruffled Gahyeon’s hair. Gahyeon quickly looked at Dami, who nodded.

“half-wolf, half-vampire…” Dami said quietly to Gahyeon.

“well, damn!” Gahyeon said, shocked as she flopped onto the ground. “language!” Siyeon teased her sister as Gahyeon stuck her tongue out.

“You will move into our house tonight. The scent and presence of a lot of vampires may ward off some of them,” Minji said as she looked at the two girls. “Yoohyeon, you too. We may need your ability to switch between alpha and omega for this to work.” Minji said, and Yoohyeon nodded happily as she wrapped her arms around Minji and nuzzled against her.

“ok! So, it's decided?” Minji asked, and they all nodded. It made sense, there was strength in numbers, and the three were known as three of the strongest vampires in the area, it would definitely ward off some of the weaker males. It was a good plan, it wasn’t foolproof, and they knew that, but it was the best that they had at the moment. Dami and Gahyeon were not so secretly excited about the new living arrangements too.

“I will call mom and dad and ask them to pack our clothes and stuff!” Gahyeon said as she walked away with her phone in hand.

“ok, sounds good, and we will all go with you to pick up your stuff and walk you to our place. We want people to see us together…” Minji said as she thought it through.

“but whatever we do, we have to make sure that she’s inside before the moon comes up, you hear me?” Bora said worriedly.

“at the moment, no one knows about her. We know we won't be able to keep it a secret forever when our powers strengthen but let's keep it under wraps for as long as possible ok?” Bora asked as she looked at the group as they all nodded in agreement. “good…” Bora sighed as she relaxed slightly.

“We should head back, lunch is almost over,” Dami said right before the bell rang. They all scurried to class, all making it just in time.


	7. Chapter 7

-After School-

The girls' plans went smoothly after school. They all met up and walked to Siyeon’s house to gather the two girls’ belongings, and greeted Siyeon’s parents, who thanked them for trying to protect their daughters.

After some long goodbyes, the group walked out of Siyeon’s house only to realize the time.

“shit!” Minji said as she looked at Siyeon worriedly. There wasn’t even an hour till dark.

“Siyeon! Strip! Now!” Bora commanded, and Siyeon obeyed, shocking the three vampires that didn’t understand the process.

“well, she is sure confident naked…” Minji said as she stared in shock at Siyeon, who just shrugged at Minji’s comment.

“yes, and she's mine…” Bora said as she stared at Siyeon lovingly. Bora was suddenly flustered when Siyeon winked at her, and quickly shifted into her wolf form.

The three girls were shocked as they looked at the massive wolf, and suddenly Minji started yelling at Yoohyeon as she noticed her stripping.

“what? I know where it is from the woods, do you?” she asked Minji as they looked at each other. Minji sighed in defeat as she grabbed her girlfriends’ clothes and stuffed it in her backpack.

“Bora, she says hop on and asks Gahyeon to help you. Minji hop on my back as soon as I turn too, ok?” Minji nodded as she checked out her girlfriend's naked body causing the girl to giggle before shifting.

“ok, yours is nice too,” Bora said in approval at Yoohyeon as Minji nodded smugly.

“damn straight!” she said as she walked toward Yoohyeon as she shifted.

Yoohyeon was a very large, but lanky brown wolf that was mottled in different shades of brown to cream with very fluffy fur that made her look somewhat like a puppy in her teen years. She lacked the muscle that Siyeon had but made up for it in speed. When she wasn’t tripping over her own paws, that is.

Yoohyeon’s tongue hung wildly out the side of her mouth in a goofy wolf grin as she waited for her girlfriend to climb on. 

All this time, Gahyeon was trying to help Bora get on Siyeon’s back. She was lying down, so it wasn’t the height, but the silky fur that just shot Bora off one side or the other until she finally succeeded in staying on.

“saddle! I'm making a damn saddle next time!” she said to Siyeon as she and Yoohyeon gave a wolf laugh.

“meet us at home with their stuff, ok Handong? Dami?” Minji asked as both girls nodded, and then they were off.

Luckily Bora's strength was back, or she would have shot off of her back rather quickly. But she was able to hang on, and in less than fifteen minutes, they were inside Minji’s house with two naked panting girls sprawled out on the cold marble floors.

“You two just HAD to race, didn’t you?” the two vampires teased as they looked down at their exhausted and quite naked girlfriends.

“you-you got faster!” Yoohyeon said as she panted. Her chest heaving with every breath.

“you too…” Siyeon gasped as she enjoyed the cool marble floor.

“you dorks…” Bora said as she shook her head at the two girls, and walked off to fetch their clothes.

“oh god, not yet! I'm too hot to put my clothes back on!” Siyeon said to Bora as she tried to catch her breath.

“well, go take a cold shower then because I will not let the others see my girlfriend naked and glistening with sweat as she wallows on our now sweaty marble floors…” Bora said as she looked at Siyeon with a look of challenge, and Siyeon finally sighed, and let her girlfriend drag her to her feet, and lead her to her room, and shower.

“shower?” Minji asked Yoohyeon, but the girl just shook her head.

“I'm ok with wallowing on the marble floors.” Yoohyeon teased before she got a glare that made her jump up.

“fine… I'm going, I'm going…” Yoohyeon pouted as she walked by Minji, but not before Minji smacked her bare ass as she passed, causing Yoohyeon to jump in surprise.

“You will be wallowing in my bed tonight, little wolf…” Minji purred to Yoohyeon, making the girl go bright red.

“now shower, now!” she said, and Yoohyeon ran to obey. Just as she got into Minji’s room, the others arrived.

“Perfect timing!” Minji said happily as she sighed gratefully at the fact that she got both naked girls out of sight before Dami got home. But Dami looked at Minji, and just shook her head as Handong passed them.

“what?” Minji asked as she looked at the younger girl. “wallowing in your bed? Really?” Dami teased, and Minji swore at Dami’s new hearing. As she looked at Gahyeon to see if she heard it too, she noticed that the girl was trying to suppress a giggle and couldn’t look at Minji.

“damn!” Minji grumbled as she walked off while talking to herself about nosey wolves, causing the two younger girls to chuckle, and follow the others deeper into the house.


	8. Chapter 8

-The “Walk” Back Home-

“so, how far away is your house?” Gahyeon asked Dami.

“About forty-five minutes away by walking. But if Handong allows it, I bet I could make it in fifteen…” Dami said as she looked excitedly at Handong, who was slowly walking in front of the two girls. She gently nodded, causing Dami to jump into the air excitedly.

“Should I be afraid?” Gahyeon asked as Handong shook her head ‘yes’ as Dami shook her head ‘no.’

“uh, so how are we going to get there so fast?” Gahyeon asked nervously.

“by car, of course,” Dami said calmly. She had an excited smile on her lips that made Gahyeon’s heart flutter. She looked down to stop herself from staring at her dazzling smile. It was rare for Dami to smile, but Gahyeon always loved to see it.

“you know how to drive?” Gahyeon asked, shocked.

“Of course, we are all old enough to drive. You don’t know how?” Dami asked curiously.

“no… well, I know how to drive, but he won’t let me get my license. my dad keeps saying that the road is full of drunks and idiots, and he won't let his ‘baby’ drive in that mess…” Gahyeon said as she rolled her eyes. Dami let out a soft giggle. From the short time she met Gahyeon’s father, she got the feeling it would be exactly what he would say. Even Handong grinned at the comment causing Gahyeon to blush.

“um, Handong? Do you still not like me?” Gahyeon softly asked, causing Handong to turn around startled.

“why would you think that?” she asked softly.

“because you never talk around me, and you walk farther away from me…” Gahyeon said as she looked away nervously.

“Handong doesn’t talk much to people because she is worried that they will make fun of her talking. She's Chinese, and still occasionally makes a slip up while speaking.” Dami explained as Handong nodded.

“and I have been walking ahead to give you two more time together.” She said, causing both Gahyeon, and Dami to blush.

“Plus, it wasn’t that I didn’t like you. You seemed like a sweet girl. But we didn’t know what you were or if you would hurt Dami. Even though she’s listed as our sister at school, we are more like her parents. Minji, Bora, and I found Dami when we were kids and protected her ever since. We didn’t hate you. We are just very protective of our baby Yubin.” Handong said while Dami rolled her eyes.

“Yubin?” Gahyeon asked as they walked slowly towards Dami’s car.

“Dami is a nickname I use at school. Like Bora is Sua, and Minji is Jiu. My name is special to me. It was given to me by Minji and the others. I just didn’t want others calling me by it. I only let people I'm close to call me by my real name.” Dami said as she watched Gahyeon frown.

“what's wrong?” Dami asked at Gahyeon.

“she probably wants to ask you what is ok to call you by but is afraid you won't let her call you Yubin,” Handong said as she looked over her shoulder while they walked.

“is that true?” Dami asked as she looked at Gahyeon, who looked away. Dami giggled at the cute pout Gahyeon was giving.

“You can call me Yubin. I'm sorry I didn’t think you would worry about that. I would really like it if you called me Yubin.” Dami said as she gave a shy smile. Both girls had soft blushes on their faces as they walked.

“how much longer to the car?” Gahyeon asked as they walked.

“almost there…” Dami said as they walked. Gahyeon was aware of how close Dami was to her. Their hands had brushed against each other several times, but Dami seemed to ignore it.

Gahyeon felt her hand gently brush against her taller girls again, and on the way back from a gentle swing, Gahyeon gently captured Dami’s hand and laced their fingers together.

Dami looked startled as she looked down at Gahyeon how wouldn’t look at her due to her face being completely red. Dami smiled at the girl and gently nudged Gahyeon’s shoulder to show her it was ok.

Gahyeon let loose a dazzling smile as she looked at Dami. It caught the taller girl off-guard. Just looking at that smile made her smile even more, causing the two to giggle.

Handong didn’t even turn around as she rolled her eyes at the two lovebirds behind her.

“were here!” Handong called sweetly, shocking the two out of their moment. Quickly they loaded the sisters' belongings into the trunk of a black car that had red trim and looked VERY fast.

“This is YOURS?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at the car in admiration.

“You won't seem so excited when you see her driving…” Handong teased musically, causing Gahyeon to gulp. Dami just rolled her eyes at the comment and helped Handong into the back seat after she let the passenger seat down. It was a two-door, and it was definitely fast.

After Handong got situated, Dami put the passenger seat back and helped Gahyeon into the car with a smile.

Gahyeon got into the seat and went to reach for the seatbelt when she noticed something wrong. Instead of a normal seatbelt, it had a racing harness that caused Dami to be leaning inches from Gahyeon’s face as she helped her into the harness.

“Last one… Dami said as her eyes flicked to Gahyeon’s. Dami’s face was red, but Gahyeon didn’t know why. _‘maybe it’s because she is so close?’_ Gahyeon thought to herself. Nope! It was because the last buckle was between Gahyeon’s legs, and Dami quickly buckled it, but as she went to stand up, her fingers gently brushed Gahyeon’s inner thigh accidentally. Gahyeon barely held in the gasp as she looked at Dami.

‘ _ok, so maybe that wasn’t an accident…_ ’ Gahyeon thought to herself as Dami winked at her as she closed the door and walked to the driver's side. Once in the driver's seat, Dami strapped herself in at lightning speed. _‘was she going slow on purpose to fluster me?_ ’ Gahyeon wondered to herself. ‘ _no, couldn’t be,’_ she thought as she watched Dami's expression change. A confident expression came across her face.

Handong barely got out a quick “HOLD ON!” before Gahyeon was slammed into the seat as Dami floored it and went zipping around the back roads that no one, but Minji’s family drove on.

“ahhhHHH! Shit! Fuck!” was all you heard from Gahyeon as she held on for dear life causing Handong, and Dami to laugh as they raced toward home.

Just under fifteen minutes later, Dami drifted into the driveway to one last scream from Gahyeon.

After an overdramatic Gahyeon kissed the ground, the two hybrids stopped and listened to a very interesting conversation going on in the house.

“your sister really likes being naked, doesn’t she?” Dami asked as she looked at Gahyeon, who just giggles.

“it's kinda a wolf thing. Plus, after you rip so many pairs of clothes, you kinda get to find them annoying. Or so I'm told…” Gahyeon said as she shrugged. “it’s kinda hard to know if we will feel that way because we are both hybrids.”

“I have a feeling you're going to take after your sister…” Handong teased, causing Gahyeon to pout.

Suddenly both girl's heads snapped up at the sound of a smack, and Dami just shook her head while Gahyeon went into a fit of giggles.

“what?” Handong asked as she looked at the two.

“two words. Minji, Yoohyeon…” Dami said as she shook her head in embarrassment.

“ah, that explains everything…” Handong said calmly as she walked up to the door, and then hesitated. “I won't walk in on anything, will I? I don’t want to go blind…” Handong teased, and Dami and Gahyeon shook their heads.

“it's clear,” Dami said as Handong nodded, and opened the door, and walked past Minji with a smirk carrying Siyeon’s belongings and set it outside of Bora's room before going to her own room.

“So, where will I sleep?” Gahyeon asked Dami as Minji walked away, grumbling.

“I don’t know yet, we will ask Minji once she’s out of her mood,” Dami said as she watched Minji.

“and when would that be?” Gahyeon asked curiously.

“whenever Yoohyeon gets out of the shower…” Dami said as she rolled her eye, thinking about the two. Gahyeon just giggled, imagining the situation.

Siyeon and Bora came out of their room first. Both with their hair wet from a shower causing everyone to give the two a very suggestive look.

“what?” Bora asked as she towel-dried her hair, and once finished, then moved to Siyeon’s.

Siyeon hunched over slightly to make it easier for the shorter girl and waited patiently while Bora finished drying her hair.

“so… why are you BOTH wet? I thought only Siyeon was going to take a cold shower?” Minji asked teasingly as she looked at the two. Bora just shrugged as she sat down at the table with the others.

“I kept finding twigs and leaves in my hair, so I took a shower,” Bora said calmly as she shrugged.

“Yeah, right!” Yoohyeon teased as she walked toward the group in short shorts and an oversized hoody that was cut to show Yoohyeon’s stomach. It was Minji’s handiwork. She loved Yoohyeon’s abs and modified the spare clothes Yoohyeon would leave over.

“I heard the screaming all the way in Minji’s bathroom! She found a bug on her, and spazzed out, and jumped into the shower with Siyeon in a panic!” Yoohyeon teased, causing the others to laugh, and Bora sulked.

“you know I hate bugs!” she shouted sulkily as she crossed her arms.

“I think it was cute,” Siyeon said as she wrapped her arms around Bora's neck and kissed her repeatedly to comfort her.

“you know? I can really get used to this…” Bora said as she sighed at the kisses Siyeon left. She felt a smile on Siyeon’s lips as she kissed one last time on her neck, sending chills down Bora's spine. Soon Bora was made to stand up, and Siyeon pulled her back onto her lap as she sat and looked over Bora’s shoulder.

“ok, so how will this all work?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Minji, who was also in a similar position, except Yoohyeon was on Minji’s lap instead with her arms wrapped around the vampire's neck as she snuggled into her.

“well, Siyeon, your Boras mate, so you two will probably want to stay together, right?” she asked as the two girls nodded vigorously, causing everyone to smirk.

“what about me?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at Minji with a worried expression.

“well, I'm still thinking about that. We have several open rooms, but you and Dami are both going through the change, and are both the same kind of hybrid, so I know you two are very sensitive to sounds right now. The only thing I could think of is Dami’s old room. It's in the basement and more soundproof than the rest of the house. Plus, it has Dami’s library down there…”

“you're banishing my sister to the basement?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Minji incredulously.

“no, I'm not banishing her to the basement! Dami and Gahyeon were able to hear what I was saying to Yoohyeon while they were outside, so I thought it would be nice to give them a place where they wouldn’t hear their sisters having sex with each other!” Minji said, shocked.

“wait, does that mean that last night…?” Siyeon asked as Gahyeon rolled her eyes. “it was like I was in the room with you. I had to put in headphones and blast music until I finally fell asleep. I didn’t know Bora could be so loud…” Gahyeon said as she shook her head.

“who was louder?” Yoohyeon asked, earning a scolding from Minji.

“I'm betting, Bora,” Handong said as she looked at Gahyeon, who shook her head.

“really?” Minji asked as she looked at a smug Bora and a very, VERY embarrassed Siyeon.

“what can I say? I'm just that good.” Bora said, earning a smack from Siyeon. The others all rolled their eyes as they watched the two banter over who was better.

“Is this an alpha thing?” Dami asked Gahyeon as she noticed Siyeon’s possessiveness over Bora. Gahyeon shrugged as she looked at the two.

“I don’t know, my parents are both alphas, but they never use their alpha presences around me because they are worried it will affect me stronger than Siyeon, it could just be a Siyeon thing…” Gahyeon said as Dami nodded.

“I guess we will learn as she develops it, huh?” Dami asked as she looked at the two and smiled.

“what?” Gahyeon asked as she watched Dami smile at Bora and Siyeon.

“I'm just glad they are finally together. I didn’t like seeing Bora always look hurt when your sister would leave the room to avoid her. She would always ask us if she did something wrong.” Gahyeon was shocked to hear this news.

“so, wait! the girl she was trying to get over when she dated that human was my sister?” Gahyeon asked, and Dami nodded. A grin spread across Gahyeon’s face causing the nervous, butterflies in Dami’s stomach again.

“I guess they were really meant to be, huh?” Gahyeon said, still smiling, and Dami returned her smile and nodded.

“aww! So cute!” Minji and Yoohyeon teased as they watched the two youngest girls whisper to each other.

Dami rolled her eyes as she stood up and held out her hand. “want to go see my old room? I can even show you the library if you would like?” Dami asked hesitantly as she looked into Gahyeon’s beautiful eyes.

“of course!” Gahyeon said as she took Dami’s hand and walked out of the room. Once they were out of earshot, Minji signaled them to look at their phones.

# Group chat

Ok, listen up. Matchmaking time! :KMJ

Alright! :YH

I knew it! :HD

SY: Wait, what?

SY: Who?

Your sister, and Dami silly! :YH

BORA: Wait, what?

They were already holding hands earlier :HD

All they need is a little push :HD

Wait, when? :KMJ

Yeah! Explain plz! :YH

On the way to Dami’s car :HD

You let her drive again! :KMJ

Not the point… :HD

BORA: Who started it?

Gahyeon :HD

Aww! :KMJ

Aw! :YH

BORA: Cute!

SY: So, what's the plan?

Yeah? :YH

The door to the library is “broken” it will let you in, but not out. :KMJ

SY: What about food or bathroom?

Dami likes eating ramen and has a mini-fridge full of blood. :KMJ

And the library has it’s own bathroom too. :HD

SY: So how long will we leave them together?

Till morning :KMJ

BORA: That long?

What if nothing happens? :YH

What if they end up mates? :YH

What if it turns out they are not? It will crush them both :HD

Either way, they are cute together :KMJ

SY: I thought you didn’t want my sister near Dami?

SY: When did they become cute together?

When we found out the truth :HD

Yeah, sorry about that. We just wanted to protect Dami, not hurt Gahyeon. :KMJ

Who will be the top and bottom? :YH

SY: Yoohyeon!

Kim Yoohyeon! :KMJ

BORA: Yoohyeon…

… :HD

Sorry… :YH

But aren't you curious? :YH

SY: No!

Hell no! :KMJ

Anyway, so is it a plan? :KMJ

Sure! :YH

I'm all for it :HD

BORA: I’m ok with it if Siyeon is

SY: Ok, let's do this… 

SY: ugh, I feel like I’m pimping out my sister…

yes! :KMJ

Alright! :YH

“by the way, when did you get your phone back?” Siyeon asked when she looked at Bora’s cell. It looked slightly damaged, and the screen was cracked but usable.

“your father gave it back to me while you and Gahyeon went to go pack the last of your stuff.” She said as she looked at the damaged phone.

“why is it broken?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the cracked screen and edge.

“because she threw it at me and hit me in the face with it,” Bora said without emotion.

“what?!” Siyeon said as she stood up. She had started shaking. “she did WHAT!?!” Siyeon asked as her eyes glowed green.

“what's wrong?” Minji asked as she felt Yoohyeon tense in her lap.

“oh shit…” Yoohyeon whispered as she watched Siyeon with wide eyes.

“Yoo, what's wrong? Why is she so upset?” Minji asked as she looked at the two worriedly.

Bora's expression had turned dark and cold. It looked like her soul had disappeared as memories flowed back, and it seemed to infuriate Siyeon more.

“I need some air…” Siyeon said as she walked out the back door to calm down. She didn’t like watching Bora seem so empty. All the light and life in her eyes vanished at those memories, and it made Siyeon’s chest ache. She felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest.

Siyeon took slow and steady breaths as she let the moonlight wash over her. She felt an instant calm wash over her, but that soon ended when she heard a twig snap. Her eyes whirled around to spot a wolf way in the distance, watching her.

“shit!” Siyeon cursed in panic alerting Yoohyeon, and Bora. Bora could feel the panic, and the need to run to Siyeon, and it didn’t help that Yoohyeon was hauling ass while stripping towards the back door.

That meant only one thing. Someone had spotted Siyeon.

Bora looked at Minji in panic before becoming a blur as she dashed out of the door to back up Yoohyeon, and her girlfriend.

“shit! What is a wolf doing on our property!” Minji shouted as she and Handong rushed outside as well.


	9. Chapter 9

-Spotted-

Yoohyeon burst out the door, shifting mid-leap landing beside Siyeon as she let out a loud growl. Soon Bora was as Siyeon’s side with her arms wrapped around her possessively.

Yoohyeon’s omega energy disappeared, and a wave of pure alpha energy washed over the field. They could tell when it hit the wolf in the distance because he hunkered down with his ears flat.

 _‘Yoo! He's going to bolt! Catch him!_ ’ Siyeon said mind to mind, and Yoohyeon nodded.

 _‘he won't get away from me…_ ’ Yoohyeon said as another low growl emitted deep from her chest.

Minji and Handong were now on either side of the girls in a protective stance. 

At the sight of the two new vampires just like Siyeon and Yoohyeon expected, he bolted.

Before Minji could say anything, Yoohyeon was gone in a flash. She halfway across the field and gaining on him rapidly. Soon there was a pounce and a yelp, and everything grew still.

“Yoo!” Minji screamed when she saw no movement.

“Relax, she's ok. She just feels horrible. It's her first kill…” Siyeon said as she looked at the ground. “I can't believe I made her do something like that. She wouldn’t have had to do that if it weren’t for me…” Siyeon said as she looked at the ground.

Bora, and Minji both wrapped their arms around Siyeon to comfort her when Yoohyeon let out a heartbreaking howl. She held it as long as she could before it trailed off softly.

Everyone could feel Yoohyeon’s sadness. Minji slowly made her way across the field toward her grief-stricken girlfriend.

After several minutes Minji walked back with a naked Yoohyeon in her arms. Her head was rested in the crook of Minji’s neck, and she refused to look at anyone.

Minji took Yoohyeon up to their room, and settled her in her bed, and went to get a washcloth to clean the blood from around Yoohyeon’s mouth and chest. As she wiped the blood from her girlfriend, Yoohyeon started to sob.

“it’s ok, baby…” she said softly as she stroked her hair. “I'm here for you… you did it to protect your friend, your family.” She said as Yoohyeon started to relax slightly.

“he was so young and terrified…” Yoohyeon said as another sob erupted from her. Minji started to tear up watching her girlfriend so heartbroken.

“he knew that coming here was dangerous and did it anyway. This happened because of his stupidity. It's not your fault, baby…” Minji said as she snuggled against Yoohyeon. The wolf sighed as Minji snuggled to her and finally started to calm down. After a while, Yoohyeon finally fell asleep, and Minji quietly snuck out of her room to give the others an update.

“How is she?” Bora asked as Siyeon slept with her head in Bora's lap on the couch, and Bora was stroking siyeon’s hair as she slept.

“still upset but finally fell asleep. Did anyone clean up the body yet?” Minji asked, and Bora nodded.

“You won't believe whose pack that kid was from…” Bora said darkly.

“who?” Minji asked as she watched Bora's eyes go red with rage.

“remember that wolf we dealt with a few years ago? The one that planned to grab Siyeon on the first day of high school?” Bora asked, and Minji’s expression darkened at the mention of that incident.

“no… didn’t he learn?” Minji asked as she looked at Bora with the same blood-red eyes.

“Obviously not, he seemed to have put his packmates to stalking her…” Bora said darkly.

“Does that mean he knows?” Minji asked as she started to panic.

“I don’t know, but one thing is sure, we have to protect both Siyeon and Gahyeon. I wouldn’t put it past him to use Gahyeon to get to her…” Bora said, and waves of rage were rolling off of her.

“This is bad, but we will deal with it, just like last time. What about Siyeon’s pack? Does she have one?” Minji asked as she looked at the sleeping wolf on Bora's lap.

“I don’t think so. She has never mentioned a pack, has Yoohyeon?” Bora asked as she looked at Minji, and Minji had to think about it. “no… I have never heard her mention a pack…” Minji said as she thought to herself.

“what if she forms a pack with Yoohyeon Gahyeon and Dami? Her powers would strengthen, and so would theirs.” Bora said as she thought about her plan. “Siyeon said a packmate knows the position of all of its members. Even thoughts. It may help us keep better tabs on her. One of them will be near us at all times, right?” she said as Minji nodded.

“Plus, it allows us to keep tabs on Gahyeon in case the bastard makes a go at her…” Minji said as she nodded in agreement.

“There is more…” Handong said as she walked closer with what looked like a very old book. It seemed to be written in Chinese. Very old Chinese.

“What is that?” Bora asked as Handong turned the brittle pages gently.

“a way for us all to communicate with each other even when they are in wolf form…” Handong said as she looked for the right page.

“ah! Here it is! It says there was a wolf pack that grew rapidly. Their strength was greater than normal wolves. The great strength seemed to come when a new alpha female joined the pack…” Handong said as she read and turned the pages gently.

“ok, so she was like Siyeon, what about it?” Bora asked curiously.

“This is the important part, their pack went up against another from a neighboring land, and even though they were strong, the other pack had better numbers. They were killing wolves, humans, and vampires alike. Soon leader of the vampires in the area met up with the pack ant the alpha female did something that had never happened before in history…” Handong said as she glanced up with s strange expression.

“what?” Minji and Bora chorused.

“she bit them and made them a part of their pack. They gained the speed, hearing, and sight of a wolf, and seemed to understand them while they were in wolf form…” Handong said as she looked at the others.

“that’s not possible, right?” Bora asked as she looked at Handong and Minji.

“i-I don’t know…” Minji said as she shook her head. “how reliable is that book?” Minji asked as she looked at Handong.

“one of the vampires that joined the pack wrote this, and he was a relative of my father. Everything in this book is true. My mother and father were actually killed because of this book. Someone wanted the book and killed them for it. But I ran away with it like they told me to and found you two.” Handong said as she looked at the two with a serious expression.

Handong had never opened up about how her parents died. So, for her to tell them this, she must be serious.

“How would she do it?” Bora asked as she glanced at the book.

“it said that the alpha female bit them on the neck in human form just enough to draw blood, and then shifted into wolf form, and cleaned the wound and by doing that ingested the vampire's blood. It created a bridge to have the vampire join their pack. When she did this, he could suddenly hear her thoughts and the thoughts of her pack as well as share their strengths.” Handong said as she red from the book slowly with her brows scrunched together.

“It may take a couple of tries until Siyeon can do it successfully, but we can heal with drinking a little blood. I say we try it in the morning if she is ok with it.” Handong said as she gently closed the book and looked at the two.

“why don’t you just ask her now?” Bora asked as she looked down at her lap with a smirk. “I know you're awake…” Bora said as she poked her cheek. Siyeon peeked a green eye at her and sighed, and sat up.

“I was comfortable…” Siyeon grumbled as she leaned her head against Bora's shoulder and pouted sleepily.

“I don’t have a pack, and I wasn’t trying to form one any time soon. As you know, I don’t like groups of people. And people knowing the inner workings of my mind kinda creeps me out.” Siyeon said as she leaned back against the couch to look at Handong. 

“I'm ok with my parents Gahyeon and Yoohyeon, but with a pack comes a hierarchy and territory disputes. I didn't want to put Yoohyeon or Gahyeon in that kind of position.” Siyeon said as she shook her head.

“I’ll do it…” Yoohyeon said as everyone jumped. They were too focused on their conversation to realize Yoohyeon was there.

“no, Yoohyeon, I couldn’t ask you to do that…” Siyeon said as she looked at the girl apologetically. “I shouldn’t have asked you to go after that boy, I'm sorry,” Siyeon said as she looked down at her hands.

“no, you made the right choice. I heard your thoughts, remember? Just like you thought we didn’t know if there were others in the forest. If you ran off to get him, you could have been lured into a trap. I agreed with this thought, and that’s why I went after him. I'm the fastest, after all.” Yoohyeon said as she shrugged.

“plus, Gahyeon and Dami are starting their change. If they are members of your pack, you can control their mood swings. Remember, Dami isn’t from your family. She may go wild. You could snap her out of it quickly. And in a year when it's my turn to shed this puppy fur, you can help me through mine.” Yoohyeon said reasonably.

Siyeon had to admit everything Yoohyeon made sense. She had forgotten how smart the girl was after acting like a puppy for so long with Minji. Yoohyeon was born a true alpha, after all, even though she was a complete dork at times.

“Plus, it will be nice to know Minji’s thoughts too. I always wonder what she's thinking. And I want her to know just how much I love her…” Yoohyeon said as she gave a goofy lovestruck grin to Minji, who returned it with an equally goofy grin.

“you know I love you, babe!” Minji said as she walked over and hugged Yoohyeon. The taller girl snuggled against Minji’s neck and sighed happily before taking a quick nip at Minji’s neck, making her giggle in shock.

“I know, but it’s always good to know how much. I always worry I'm annoying you…” Yoohyeon said as she continued to snuggle her girlfriend.

“Sorry to interrupt, but are you all sure about this? Once it's done, I don’t know if I can undo it…” Siyeon said as she looked at the others. They all nodded in agreement, and she sighed.

“ok, we will do it in the mornin-…” Siyeon and Yoohyeon turned and looked at each other, and their eyes widened as they sniffed the air.

“what's wrong now!” Minji asked as the two suddenly ran up to each other and hugged while jumping up and down and giggling.

“ok, what the hell is going on, and why are our girlfriends hugging each other?” Bora asked with a very annoyed tone.

“You can't smell that?” Yoohyeon asked Minji and Bora. They sniffed the air and shook their heads.

“someone found their mate…” Siyeon said as she made eye contact with Minji and smirked.

“It seems like your plan worked!” Yoohyeon shouted as she jumped into Minji’s arms and ended up tipping the vampire over, and the two thudded onto the floor.

“Seriously?” Minji asked as she looked up from the ground at Handong and smiled.

“aww! Our baby is growing up!” Minji said cutely as she got up and hugged Handong, leaving Yoohyeon to pout on the floor by herself.

“let's go see!” Minji said, and Yoohyeon and Siyeon made a dive to grab both vampires. Only Bora remained sitting while smiling.

“I wouldn’t do that Minji, I don’t know about you, but when we found out we were mates, we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other. I don’t think you want to walk in on that now, do you?” Bora said as Minji’s face changed into a look of horror.

“oh, god! I just imagined it! I’m blind! My poor baby is getting violated by your baby!” Minji shouted dramatically while gripping her hair. Everyone laughed at her pain and planned for the morning.

“it's not like they are children anyway. We all are adults.” Yoohyeon said as she looked at Minji, but she was ignored as Handong and Bora comforted her.

Once the sun rose, everyone got up showered and gathered to let out the two girls from the basement.

The group quietly entered the library and propped the door open so they wouldn’t be locked in and went looking for the two girls.

Soon they heard the sounds of soft breathing and found the two girls sound asleep in each other's arms.

“maybe they didn’t do it?” Yoohyeon whispered as she looked at them fully clothed.

“I think you're wrong. Look at Gahyeon’s neck.” Siyeon said as she saw the hickeys and bite marks on her sister's neck.

“Hmm, those look familiar…” Bora teased as she nudged Siyeon, causing her to blush. “and Dami has even more than Gahyeon! I'm impressed! She must be feisty!” Bora teased as the two girls stirred, and Dami shot the group a VERY angry look.

“I don’t know. You cant see what is under Gahyeon’s clothes. I bet Dami is a freak!” Yoohyeon said and earned a smack from both Minji and Siyeon, as well as a very dirty look from Dami.

“what took you so long!” Dami shouted, causing Gahyeon to whine, and Dami gently covered her ears to whisper aggressively at Minji.

“You left us down here on purpose, didn’t you!” she whispered as she glared at Minji, who only grinned.

“well, it worked, didn’t it? Plus, it looks like you had fun!” Minji said as she pointed at Dami’s neck, making the younger girl go bright red, and start to stammer nervously.

“aww, cute!” Handong teased, causing Dami to glare at her.

“How could you leave us down here?” the asked as she glared at Handong.

“well, we had… some issues we had to deal with…” Handong said, and everyone's expressions darkened. The change in the room caused Dami to sit up straighter, and wake Gahyeon up gently.

“Gahyeon, wake up. I think somethings wrong…” Dami said as the youngest girl stirred and looked at the group. Siyeon wouldn’t look Gahyeon in the eyes, and she knew it wasn’t just because she found her mate.

“what's wrong?” Gahyeon asked groggily as she rubbed her eyes.

The group filled the two in on the events of last night, including the fact that an alpha from some pack had his eye on Siyeon and had been having her followed. They also told her that they have no idea if he was aware of what Siyeon was, and Gahyeon and Dami paled at the news.

“don’t worry, though, Handong seems to have an idea that will help us out!” Yoohyeon said happily.

“what plan?” Dami asked worriedly.

“will you two form a pack with me as your alpha?” Siyeon asked, causing the two girls to look at her in confusion.

“wait seriously?” Dami asked as she looked at Siyeon. “but I'm just a hybrid, and I don’t have any training yet.” Dami said as she looked at Siyeon.

“So is my sister, if you two become part of my pack, both of you will grow stronger. Not just because you join a pack, but also because I will amplify your powers. We also will know where each other is at all times, so if something happens to me, you can find me right away.” Siyeon said as Dami listened patiently.

Dami looked at Minji with a questioning look. “should I?” she asked, and Minji shrugged. “it's up to you, but I know I will be joining, and so will Handong, and Bora…” Minji said, and Gahyeon and Dami gave her a look like she sprouted an extra head.

“but your vampires…” Gahyeon said as she looked at them, and they nodded.

“It seems this has happened in the past. To Handong’s ancestor to be specific. And he luckily wrote down how it happened. So, after breakfast, we were going to start trying.” Siyeon said as she looked at the two.

“who will you have to join first?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at her sister. The order of the first couple members affects their power.

“Yoohyeon, she earned it last night. Then you, and then Dami. After that, it’s the vampires. Bora first then either Minji or Handong. Whichever wants to go first.” Siyeon said as she shrugged.

“will Minji be ok with being near the last? Should she, and I switch?” Dami asked as she looked at Minji.

“no, we talked about this, and as hybrids, you two need all the strength you can get. Once people find out you two are hybrids, they may try to challenge you to see your strength. Handong and I agreed on this. After all, we are the strongest vampires in the area. No vampires will challenge us, and we will grow even stronger with Siyeon’s help, so the order stays.” Minji said, and the others nodded in agreement.

Then of the two of you, how will you decide who goes first?” Dami asked as she looked at Minji and Handong.

“believe it or not, we are going with Yoohyeon’s idea. Rock paper scissors…” Minji said as she rolled her eyes, and Yoohyeon smiled.

“You can't be serious, right?” Dami asked, and Minji just smiled apologetically.

“why wouldn’t you change Bora first? She's your mate, after all?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at her sister.

“because I don’t know if I can without a small pack of my own first. It may need greater power than I have right now. So, it seemed safer to have the wolves and hybrids join first.” Siyeon said, and Gahyeon nodded in understanding.

“ok, well, let's go do this…” Gahyeon said as she stood and followed Dami as the group walked back upstairs.


	10. Chapter 10

-The Pack-

“ok, Yoohyeon, your first!” Siyeon said as she, and the taller girl walked outside. “nervous?” Siyeon asked, and Yoohyeon nodded.

“Relax, you’ve got this. You're my best friend, after all.” Siyeon said as she smiled at the girl. Having Yoohyeon join her pack would be risky because she is also an alpha, but with Minji joining, and being the last to join as well (she lost the rock paper scissors to Handong) it would keep Yoohyeon in check. Minji had talked to Siyeon about this, and Siyeon agreed with Minji’s plan.

Siyeon would be able to run the pack properly, and Minji would be keeping her mate safe by stopping Yoohyeon from challenging Siyeon for rank. Even though neither girl really believed Yoohyeon would even try, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Yoohyeon and Siyeon stood in front of each other naked, and Yoohyeon tilted her head to the side, allowing Siyeon to bite her. There was another way in wolf form, but everyone, including Siyeon, agreed on not humping the girls to show dominance.

Bora and Minji watched everything with worried expressions.

Siyeon gently rested her hands on either shoulder and asked if Yoohyeon was ready, and the taller girl nodded.

Siyeon gently leaned in, and let her fangs come out, and bit Yoohyeon where her neck and shoulder met.

Minji watched Yoohyeon shudder. “I hope she isn’t enjoying herself…” Minji said with a scowl as she watched her girlfriend get bitten on her neck by her best friend's girlfriend.

Soon Siyeon backed up and shifted. Gently she cleaned the wound, and as soon as she was finished, Yoohyeon shifted.

Yoohyeon gently licked under Siyeon’s chin, and flopped over, showing her belly in a goofy puppy wallow as she got dirt all in her fur.

“Kim Yoohyeon! Stop wallowing this instant! You know it takes forever to get you clean!” Minji shouted across the field, and Yoohyeon popped up like a pop-tart and sulked slowly over to Minji.

‘ _great… now I have to get a bath…_ ’ Yoohyeon said as she sulked to a very angry Minji.

Siyeon shifted back and chuckled while shaking her head at her friend.

“Gahyeon!” Siyeon called to her sister, who nervously walked out to meet her.

“This will be your first time showing others your wolf form, right?” Siyeon asked as Gahyeon nodded nervously.

“relax, your wolf form Is beautiful. Dami will be impressed.” Siyeon said as she ruffled her sister's hair. Gahyeon was wearing a robe, and Siyeon nodded to her, and she let it fall as she waited for her sister.

“damn! SHE REALLY MARKED YOU EVERYWHERE!” Siyeon shouted as she looked at her sister, who blushed and looked down.

Minji was also giving a strange look to Dami, who wouldn’t make eye contact with her and then rolled her eyes. Minji couldn’t really say anything to Dami about it. After all, Minji was even worse in the beginning.

Just as before, Siyeon gently rested her hands on Gahyeon’s shoulder and bit at the same spot.

Just like Yoohyeon, Gahyeon shuddered. Minji turned to a human form, and wet Yoohyeon (Minji used a garden hose on her to wash off the dirt), and asked her, “why did you shudder when she bit you?”

Yoohyeon just looked at her while shivering and shrugged. “It was like I got a jolt of power that ran down my spine as soon as she bit me. It's hard to explain it.” Yoohyeon said as she watched Gahyeon suddenly shift.

“Woah!” Yoohyeon said as she looked at Gahyeon in shock.

Gahyeon was just shorter than Siyeon’s wolf form, but where Siyeon’s fur was black, Gahyeon’s was snow white with a light silver color that dusted her muzzle tail, and paws making her look somewhat like a fox. She was also fluffy like Yoohyeon but had Siyeon’s muscular build. It was very impressive, especially with her green eyes glowing against her white fur.

Dami stepped forward and looked at Gahyeon in the distance with wide eyes. After Gahyeon licked under Siyeon’s chin, she loped over to Dami and looked at the girl nervously. Dami threaded her fingers through Gahyeon’s silky fur and was amazed at how soft it was. “hey guys, feel this…” she said, and everyone felt Gahyeon’s coat as she stood there nervously.

“Woah!” Yoohyeon breathed as she ran her fingers through Gahyeon’s mane. 

Minji and Handong were completely speechless. Even Yoohyeon’s coat wasn’t this soft. Bora also admired the softness as she scratched behind Gahyeon’s ear as the wolf lowered her head for the girl.

“how come you don’t have any puppy fur?” Handong asked as she looked at Gahyeon, who shifted back now that Siyeon walked over with her robe.

“I do, just not like before. Once we start going through the changes, it means we lose our puppy fur, and are becoming adults. I still have some, it’s just not as noticeable. It's my first shift without a lot of puppy fur…” Gahyeon said nervously.

“How did she look with puppy fur?” Yoohyeon asked Siyeon curiously.

Siyeon just laughed, and Gahyeon sulked.

“think giant fuzzball! Her fur was fluffy like a Pomeranian!” Siyeon said, leading Gahyeon to chase her sister around the yard. Everyone laughed at the sister's banter.

“Dami? Have you ever shifted into wolf form?” Yoohyeon asked, causing the two sisters to pause in their roughhousing.

“no, I don’t know how to. Does it hurt?” Dami asked as Yoohyeon smiled.

“no, it doesn’t hurt, it just feels… weird?” Siyeon said, and Gahyeon nodded in agreement.

“But how will I do this if I can’t shift?” Dami asked worriedly.

“you don’t have to worry after she licks the wound your kinda just forced into your form. And once you shift once, you can do it any time you need to.” Gahyeon said, and Yoohyeon nodded in agreement.

“ready?” Siyeon asked as she held out her hand for Dami. Dami gulped, and took her hand, and was led out into the field.

Everything went smoothly, unlike how Dami expected it. Finally, it was time for Siyeon to lick the wound, and Dami flinched.

Suddenly everything shifted, and her body tingled. Dami was now looking down at Siyeon’s wolf form. _‘wait, why am I looking down at you?’_ Dami asked as she looked at Siyeon. Siyeon did a wolf laugh and answered Dami.

‘ _you’re a very large wolf, Dami. You must have alpha blood in you.’_ It sounded like Siyeon was smiling as she looked at her.

‘ _wait, what do I look like?_ ’ Dami asked, and Siyeon chuckled and led her over to Gahyeon. _‘Gahyeon take a picture of Dami so she can see what she looks like!_ ’ Siyeon said, and Gahyeon ran into the house for her cell.

After a quick picture and video where Gahyeon walked around her, Dami licked Siyeon’s chin and shifted back to look at the pictures with Gahyeon.

Dami was stunned at the photos she looked at. Half of her was white, and the other half was black, and the two colors blended together to a grey down her face and back, but her tail was all black, but for a white tip at the end. She also still had some puppy fur, but barely any. Her build was lean, but unlike Yoohyeon, she was sleek, and not lanky. She may give Yoohyeon a run for her money on speed. And her eyes were a golden color with a red ring around it. The red was a lot more noticeable in her wolf form than human form. There would be no hiding her being a hybrid. Minji was glad that Siyeon had her join. She would need the protection that a pack provided.

“well, you definitely look like a hybrid. Half and half.” Minji said as she looked at the photos. “you were also just as soft as Gahyeon.” She said as she looked at Dami, who still looked shocked.

“that’s really me?” Dami said as she looked at the photos in disbelief.

“yes, that’s you,” Siyeon said as she laughed at her reaction.

“You ready, Bora?” Siyeon asked nervously as she held out a hand for her girlfriend.

“I don’t need to be naked, do I?” Bora asked nervously, and Siyeon laughed.

“Not that I know of, but if you still want to, I'm down for it!” she teased, and Bora elbowed her girlfriend, but finally smiled as she walked with her to the middle of the field.

“Now, I don’t know if this will work right away. So, bear with me. I haven't done this before with a vampire.” Siyeon said as she smirked. “but I have done a couple other things with one…” she said as she winked, and Bora rolled her eyes.

“well, let's get this over with…” Bora said as she sighed.

Just with the wolves, Siyeon bit Bora, but power wasn’t the only thing Bora felt. Because Siyeon was Boras mate when Siyeon bit her, Bora felt a surge of immense pleasure, and let out a soft moan somewhat startling Siyeon. After Bora had her composure back, Siyeon shifted and cleaned the wound.

Bora suddenly collapsed onto the ground, causing Siyeon to shriek in panic as she shifted back, and screamed Bora's name.

The others bolted toward the two, and once they arrived, they saw Bora was stirring.

“damn! That’s one hell of a wave of power! Knocked me on my ass!” Bora said as she struggled to stand up.

Siyeon was crying, and clinging to Bora, who was laughing.

“relax! I’m ok! I promise! Look, see? Perfectly fine! Just a little dizzy from the power, that’s all!” Bora reassured her girlfriend, who was now covering her in apologies and kisses. This continued until Siyeon felt better, and that was a while.

“better?” Bora asked, and Siyeon finally nodded.

Handong and Minji’s initiation went just like Boras minus the moaning, of course, and Yoohyeon caught Minji while Dami caught Handong.

“Alright, ready to test this?” Yoohyeon asked Minji, who nodded. Suddenly Yoohyeon shifted and looked at Minji.

‘ _can you hear me?’_ Yoohyeon asked, and Minji’s eyes went wide as she looked at her girlfriend and nodded.

‘ _great!_ ’ Yoohyeon said as she gave a goofy wolf smile. 

‘ _I want to show you something…_ ’ Yoohyeon said nervously as she looked at Minji. ‘ _ready?_ ’ the young wolf asked, and Minji nodded.

Suddenly Minji’s mind was flooded with Yoohyeon’s memories, and she even could feel the taller girl's emotions. Minji had never felt anything like it, and tears welled in her eyes as she felt just how much Yoohyeon loved her.

Yoohyeon had shown Minji how she felt when she had first seen her, how the vampire took her breath away. How she would ask Siyeon for advice on how to approach Minji and the anxiety and nervousness she felt every time the vampire was near. She even showed Minji their first kiss and how it felt to Yoohyeon when she knew that Minji was her mate.

There was no question about Yoohyeon’s love. She even gave up being an alpha for the girl causing her to be outcast from her family. But Minji could feel that Yoohyeon never regretted it even once.

‘ _I love you. So much. I just wanted you to know how much…’_ Yoohyeon said as she looked at Minji.

“how do I show you too?” Minji asked.

‘ _Just think of memories of us. The emotions of the time will come with it.’_ Yoohyeon said, and Minji did as she was told. Suddenly Yoohyeon was flooded with memories of their first kiss. Their first night together, and the first time she told Yoohyeon she loved her. She felt all the love Minji felt and started to cry. Tears welled in her big eyes, and she started to whine.

“come here, baby!” Minji said as she held her arms wide, and Yoohyeon shifted back and flung herself into Minji’s arms.

“You really do love me!” Yoohyeon cried as she held her girlfriend.

“of course, I do! Why would I lie?” Minji said as she looked at her girlfriend with a surprised look.

“I just always worried I annoyed you or that you just put up with me because I was so persistent!” Yoohyeon cried as she snuggled into Minji’s chest, which meant she had to slightly crouch to do so.

“aww, my little puppy!” Minji said affectionately as she cradled Yoohyeon’s head and gently kissed the top of her head.

“But you know you smell like wet dog, right?” Minji teased, causing Yoohyeon to whine.

“now, just so you know, the power you felt? That wasn’t all. It will get stronger over the next 24 hours.” Siyeon said as she looked at everyone.

“well, it’s a good thing we all already planned to skip tomorrow…” Minji said as she looked around at everyone.

“Right now, though, I think we all need some rest. I don’t know about Dami and Gahyeon, but we all got almost no sleep…” Minji said as she looked at everyone, but she wasn’t fooling anybody. It was Handong that called her out.

“you just want to fool around with your girlfriend.” Handong said with a smirk as she walked inside the house. “well, night then!” she said as she waved and walked off with a smirk on her face. Everyone broke off and went to ‘rest’ for a bit before dinner, even though it wasn’t even lunchtime.

Several hours later, Siyeon and Bora were woken up by shrieks coming from Minji’s room.

“girls! Get the hell in here! What's happening to me?!?” Minji shrieked as she looked in the mirror. Siyeon and Bora burst through the door, expecting something terrible to be happening, but instead, Minji looked over to them, and her eyes startled the two girls. Minji’s eyes were glowing red, which was normal, except a gold ring surrounded the red. It made Minji look somewhat mad, which fit her freak-out right now.

“what the hell!?” Bora shouted as she looked at Siyeon. “are mine like that too?” Bora asked as her eyes flashed red and showed the same ring around it. Siyeon blinked and rubbed her eyes as she looked at her girlfriend and nodded.

“Handong!” Siyeon shouted as she turned around and looked for her. “bring that damn book with you!” she shouted as she heard Handong start to rush towards them.

“what's wrong?” Handong asked as the two vampires looked at her, pointing at their eyes, and whined.

“what?” Handong asked as she looked between the two.

“our eyes are changing!” Minji shouted as she looked at Handong, who seemed unconcerned.

“well, what did you think would happen? Some things were bound to change in us. We did just join a wolf pack after all…” Handong said as she shrugged.

“don’t tell me I will sprout hair all over me when I'm angry!” Minji said as she and Bora looked at each other, horrified.

“wait, what happens when a wolf shaves their legs? Are their legs bald when they shift?” Bora asked as she looked at Siyeon, completely catching her off guard. Causing Siyeon and Yoohyeon to erupt into fits of laughter.

“no, we can shave our legs in human form, and shift without being bald. Didn’t you notice that earlier? You felt up my legs for like an hour, and I looked completely normal as a wolf.” Siyeon said as she laughed at Bora, who just nodded in realization. “ok, that makes sense…” Bora said as Yoohyeon just shook her head at her.

“what? I've never dated a wolf before!” Bora said as she pouted at Yoohyeon.

“hey? Over here, guys?” Minji said as she tried to refocus the conversation.

“How will we be at the end of this? Will we turn into wolves too?” Minji asked as Handong gently searched through pages until she hesitated and looked up with a guilty grin.

“oh god… what now…” Bora said as she and Minji braced themselves for whatever news Handong was about to drop on them.

“well, it says that the closer to the original pack, the more wolf characteristics they show. The pack in the story has over a hundred strong before they relied on the vampires, but we are rather close to Siyeon, seeing as we are only seven…” Handong said as her voice trailed off as her two very angry sisters glared at her.

“what! I didn’t get that far in the book yet!” Handong said in her defense, causing the other two to groan and roll their eyes.

“if I start sprouting hair all over my face, it’s all your fault, Handong!” Minji shouted as she stomped past her and down the stairs to the kitchen.

“I'm kinda excited to see how they will change!” Yoohyeon said excitedly.

“Kim Yoohyeon!” Minji shouted, causing the wolf to jump. “I can hear you now! I can hear everything!” she shouted, and Yoohyeon paled as she looked at Siyeon.

“oh damn, I'm going to be getting into so much more trouble now…” Yoohyeon said as she pouted as slowly sulked down the stairs toward her girlfriend.

“you know, now that Minji mentions it, I do hear a lot more. Even my sense of smell is stronger…” Bora said as she leaned in against Siyeon and breathed in slowly. “god… you smell good too…” Bora whispered in almost a moan when they heard a shout from downstairs.

“don’t you two even THINK of doing it in my room!” Minji shouted, causing Siyeon, and Bora to giggle as they walked downstairs.

“well, this is going to be interesting…” Bora said as she thought about school.

Minji fixed dinner for everyone, which actually just meant that she ordered takeout when the vampires made a realization. They were hungry. Really hungry. Not thirsty, well, not really. And looked at each other as they smelled the food.

“I don’t know what to think about this…” Bora said as she stared at the fried chicken that sat in front of her. “yeah…” Minji said as she stared at the chicken with a hungry stare.

“what's wrong, babe?” Yoohyeon asked as she had a mouth full of chicken. Minji just glanced at her lips, and suddenly found herself kissing Yoohyeon.

“hey! You stole my chicken!” Yoohyeon shouted in surprise as Minji chewed, seeming very satisfied. After Minji finally swallowed the chicken, the others watched her eyes flash red, but the gold ring seemed bigger.

“That was amazing!” Minji said as she reached for a piece of chicken for herself and started to eat happily.

“you're not feeling sick?” Bora asked curiously, and Minji just shook her head. “I feel completely fine! In fact, better than fine! I'm not thirsty all the time!” Minji said cheerfully as she spoke around a chicken leg.

“want to try one?” Siyeon asked as she held up a drumstick for her girlfriend. It did smell amazing, but Bora was nervous. She had once been forced to eat food at school to hide who she was when she was younger and was sick for a week. But as Siyeon looked at her with those intense eyes that Bora loved, she decided to just try it and bit into it while Siyeon still held it, causing her to giggle.

“is it good?” Siyeon asked as Bora's eyes opened wide, and she just nodded her head vigorously as she enjoyed the taste.

“here, have another bite,” Siyeon said after Bora had finished, and Siyeon fed her girlfriend as the others rolled their eyes at the lovey-dovey behavior.

“Should we go wake up the babies?” Handong asked as she nibbled on a chicken leg daintily. “They haven’t eaten either, and the chicken is going way faster than we planned.” She said as she watched the chicken disappearing in front of her.

“yes, let's go wake them up, and I will order more chicken!” Minji said as everyone stood.

“oh! And tteokbokki too, please?” Yoohyeon begged, and Minji chuckled, and agreed as the two wolves’ fist-bumped, and ran to wake up Gahyeon, and Dami.


	11. Chapter 11

-Changing-

“Which way is it?” Siyeon asked as they went into the basement to wake up her sister and her mate.

“it's across from Dami's library. Minji and Handong had the library built specifically for Dami when she was younger.” Yoohyeon said casually as she walked with Siyeon towards Dami’s room.

“When Minji, Handong, and Bora found Dami, she didn’t even know how to read. But Dami desperately wanted to learn. So, Minji, Bora, and Handong taught her, and she learned very fast, according to Minji. Soon she was reading any book she found. So, as Dami's first birthday present that they gave her, Minji had the library built and filled it with books for her.” Yoohyeon said as they walked in the dark towards Dami's room.

“That was really sweet of them,” Siyeon said as she smiled. She realized right away once she talked to Minji that she was kind and caring, and this just proved it.

“yeah, Minji is always like that. Ouch! Damn it!” Yoohyeon said as she accidentally kicked something barefoot, and hopped, causing Siyeon to laugh at her.

“How could you not see that there?” Siyeon said as she looked at Yoohyeon, who only pouted.

“Hello? I haven’t started to change yet. No night vision!” Yoohyeon said as she pouted and rubbed her injured foot.

“oh, right! Sorry, I forgot. Both Gahyeon, and I were already going through ours and didn’t even notice we could see in the dark. We only noticed when we started hearing everything…” Siyeon said as she talked with her new packmate, who just nodded.

As they approached the door that led to Dami's room, they froze as a sound came from the room in front of them.

“did you just hear growling?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked at her friend, and Siyeon nodded as they looked back at the door. The two girls were suddenly very nervous.

Soon they heard soft whimpers, and Siyeon looked at Yoohyeon.

“that’s Gahyeon!” she shouted as they ran into the room.

‘ _thank god you’re here! Dami shifted in her sleep! I think she's having a nightmare! She doesn’t recognize me!_ ’ Gahyeon shouted to Siyeon as they walked into the room.

“that’s not what this is, Gahyeon.” Yoohyeon said as she cautiously looked at Dami. “unlike your family when we first shift into our adult wolf form, we don’t have control of it, and we don’t recognize anyone until our alpha calls us back or if we are not in a pack when we finally become exhausted and fall asleep.” Yoohyeon said as she looked to Siyeon.

“can you do it?” Yoohyeon asked, and Siyeon looked from Dami to Gahyeon and Yoohyeon.

“well, I'm going to try,” Siyeon said as she walked over to Dami, who just growled and tried to back up closer into the corner that she was now trapped in.

“Dami!” Siyeon called, putting her strength behind it. Siyeon hoped that this would work because she had never really tried to use her alpha powers before. Dami hesitated for a second. ‘ _good, I don’t have to shift then if she can hear me,’_ Siyeon thought to herself as she walked closer.

“Dami! Snap out of it. Now!” Siyeon said, and Dami’s legs seemed to shake from siyeon’s will when suddenly Dami was on the ground in her human form.

“what the hell happened?” she asked as she looked around the room and finally spotted Gahyeon in her wolf from across from her. There were spots of red on her white fur. Dami's eyes went wide as she ran over to Gahyeon.

“Please tell me I didn’t hurt you!” she said as she felt for injuries but felt none. ‘ _I’m ok, but are you? I had to bite you to stop you from freaking out and trashing your room. Is your shoulder ok?_ ’ Gahyeon asked as she whined and licked Dami's shoulder. Dami winced at the injury she hadn't noticed before, but it only stung a bit.

“I think I’m ok,” Dami said as she rolled her shoulder to test if it was indeed ok. Soon she looked at Yoohyeon and Siyeon, who stood aside and watched the two younger girls.

“will this happen again?” Dami asked, and Siyeon, and Yoohyeon both shook their heads.

“no, that was your final shift. You lost all of your puppy fur. Or you will on your next transformation. And that was one of the fastest changes I've ever seen. You started after Siyeon, and Gahyeon, and finished before them both!” Yoohyeon said as she looked at Siyeon.

“maybe it’s a hybrid thing? Their survival rate is usually very low. Like, hybrids are more in danger of being attacked or killed, so they change sooner, and faster as a safety mechanism?” Siyeon said, slightly unsure as she looked at Dami.

“it would make sense for why Dami shifted first then. She wasn’t around wolves like Gahyeon was. She was only around me, and Minji even kept me away from her for the longest time.” Yoohyeon said as she looked at Dami thoughtfully.

“So, she shifted when more wolves approached her?” Siyeon asked, and Yoohyeon nodded. “at least that’s what I think. I'm not sure about it, but it kinda fits, doesn’t it?” she asked, and Gahyeon and Siyeon nodded in agreement.

“oh! Minji ordered fried chicken and tteokbokki! It should arrive soon!” Yoohyeon said as she smacked her forehead. She had just remembered why they came down there in the first place. “and get this, Minji Bora, and Handong can eat solid food!” Yoohyeon shouted as Gahyeon now in human form, and Dami looked at her with shocked expressions.

“no way…” Dami said, and Yoohyeon nodded.

“Minji stole the bite of chicken I had right out of my mouth! They all could eat without getting sick. They ate so much Minji had to order more chicken so you two could eat some!” Yoohyeon said, and they looked to Siyeon for confirmation.

“it's true. I fed Bora some myself.” Siyeon said as she smiled and nodded.

“oh, I gotta see this…” Dami said as she and Gahyeon quickly got dressed. “she always said fried chicken smelled disgusting whenever I asked her to order it for me. I'm never going to let her live this down!” Dami said excitedly as she went upstairs.

“um, is it just me, or is Dami taller?” Gahyeon asked as she followed her mate.

“well, of course, she’s the first one to shift into adulthood!” Yoohyeon said as she and Siyeon followed the two girls.

-Upstairs-

When Dami and Gahyeon got upstairs, the food had already arrived, so everyone sat around the table and ate while joking back and forth. The vampires loved fried chicken, and after several minutes of coaxing, Yoohyeon and Siyeon finally talked Minji into trying the tteokbokki.

“look, babe! It's even red too! Just like blood! I think you will love it if you try it!” Yoohyeon said as she gave her excited puppy smile that she knew Minji couldn’t resist while holding some in her chopsticks.

“fine! Ahh!” Minji said as she rolled her eyes, and opened her mouth while Yoohyeon gently fed her, and waited for her reaction. Minji chewed gently for a few seconds while thinking to decide if she liked it before her reaction changed very quickly.

“oh my god! What the hell is this? Lava? It burns! Are you trying to kill me!?!” she said as she fanned her mouth with her hands and made several gagging noises causing laughter to erupt from the wolves.

“it cants possibly be that bad…” Bora teased when Minji speared a rice cake and quickly shoved it in Bora's mouth.

Slowly Bora chewed it and shrugged like it was nothing. Everyone seemed disappointed at her reaction when suddenly her eyes went wide after swallowing her bite.

“water! Something! Shit!” Bora shouted as she looked for something to drink while sticking her tongue out. Siyeon had a cup of milk ready for her girlfriend, who gulped it down quickly and sighed in relief.

“ahh! That's better!” Bora said as she leaned against Siyeon’s shoulder, exhausted from the spice attack. Siyeon just giggled and kissed the top of Bora's head as she wrapped an arm around the smaller girl to comfort her.

Handong had decided to try it too and chewed a rice cake with a hand in front of her mouth, and suddenly her eyes went wide as she started waving her hand and coughing. “oh, no! oh, no, no, no!” Handong said as she reached for something to drink and coughed. Dami passed Handong milk, and she sighed in relief as the burning stopped.

“what the hell? Milk helps?” Minji asked as she watched the two fanning their tongues and reaching for more fried chicken.

“Yeah, why?” Yoohyeon asked as Minji slapped her shoulder. “ouch! What?” Yoohyeon asked as she rubbed her now sore arm and looked at her girlfriend.

“Why didn’t you offer me any milk then?” Minji asked as she glared at Yoohyeon, who just rolled her eyes.

“remember? You said milk was disgusting when we first started dating? You said you wouldn’t drink anything that was squeezed from a cow?” Yoohyeon said as Minji remembered the conversation in question but tried to play dumb.

“remember? You told me to never let it near you when I was drinking banana milk? You wouldn’t even let me kiss you for thirty minutes! Yoohyeon pouted as Minji remembered.

“um, I may vaguely remember said conversation…” Minji trails off as everyone laughs at the couple.

-Later-

Everyone was sitting in the living room and joking with one another when Dami spoke.

“So, what do we do now?” Dami asked as she looked at everyone. “we don’t know how strong we have become, and I know nothing about becoming a wolf. Should we practice to see what we can do or something?” Dami asked as everyone looked at each other, and then to Siyeon.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Siyeon said as she rested her head on Bora's lap. “we just can't do it at night for obvious reasons. I fear our teachers are going to hate us for skipping school so much…” Siyeon trailed off as everyone laughed.

“who cares?” Minji asked as she looked at everyone.

“it's not like we have to work for a living. School is just something we do to fit in.” Minji said casually as she looked around.

“what?” Minji asked as Siyeon and Yoohyeon just shook their heads at her.

“Not everyone lives in a mansion Minji,” Siyeon said as she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“says the girlfriend of a billionaire…” Minji said as she rolled her eyes back.

“huh?” Siyeon said as she looked from Minji and looked up at Bora.

“billionaire?” she repeated as she sat up and looked at Bora.

“Thanks for dropping that bomb, Minji…” Bora said as she rolled her eyes and pouted at Siyeon, leaving her lap. “Handong Minji, and I both come from old vampire families. Rich vampire families to be more specific. And when our parents died, their fortunes went to us. All of us are kinda rich…” Bora said, slightly embarrassed.

“holy shit!” Siyeon said as she stood and looked at Bora. “so, you like never have to work a day in your life?” Siyeon gasped rather impressed.

“well seeing as wolves and vampires live rather long lives, I don’t know if it will last that long, so we all have invested some of our money into stocks, and various other things to make a profit. We are living off of the profit from that alone right now. We don’t want to tap into anything yet. The only ones that really splurge are Dami and Handong. They like expensive cars…” Bora said as Gahyeon scoffed.

“I've noticed…” the younger girl said as she shuddered, and Dami chuckled as she put her arm around the smaller girl and kissed the top of her head gently.

“so, wait, Dami has money too? I thought you three adopted her?” Yoohyeon asked, and Minji just nodded.

“The three of us all took some of our money and put it in a savings account for her. She also is playing in stocks and does quite well for herself. Her money is quickly catching up to ours!” Minji said like a proud parent.

Dami just blushed as Minji looked at her adoringly.

“it’s nothing…” Dami said as she waved it off and looked down, embarrassed.

“it's nothing? Even Handong is impressed, and remember her family raised her teaching her about money!” Minji said as Handong nodded in agreement.

“Really, it’s nothing. I’m just going through a lucky streak…” Dami said as her face flushed red.

“lucky streak, my ass!” Bora shouted as she broke out in laughter. “I've never seen someone learn so fast as you, Dami! We are all so proud of you. You basically taught yourself to read on your own. We only helped to guide you. You also have your own library where I bet you have read every book in there at least once! Maybe twice!” Bora said as she gave a smug smirk.

“well, that’s all good, and all, but WE aren't rich, so we still have to work for a living!” Siyeon said as she pointed her thumbs at Yoohyeon and Gahyeon, who nodded in agreement.

Minji just rolled her eyes as she looked at the wolves. “you do realize that as soon as you saved Bora and became her mate, you became our family, right? You too, Gahyeon.” Minji said with a brow raised. Siyeon and Gahyeon just looked at each other with confused expressions.

“ok…, and?” Gahyeon said as Bora, and Handong shook their heads. Suddenly Gahyeon’s eyes went wide in realization.

“no, you didn’t…” Gahyeon mumbled as Siyeon looked at her, confused, and Minji nodded. “yep!” Minji said as Gahyeon’s jaw dropped.

“holy shit! Were rich?” Gahyeon shouted, causing a “hey! Language!” from Siyeon before Gahyeon’s words sunk in. Siyeon’s head snapped around, and she looked at the vampires with wide eyes.

“seriously?” she asked, and the three vampires and Dami nodded.

“even Yoohyeon has had an account as soon as I started dating her,” Minji said casually, causing Yoohyeon to jump at the mention of her name.

“me? wait, I have what?” she said as she looked at Minji. “how come you never told me about it?” Yoohyeon asked as Minji gave an apologetic smile.

“well babe, because I was worried you would blow it all right away. You are a really impulsive buyer…” she said as Yoohyeon nodded in agreement.

“ok, I do admit to that.” Yoohyeon said as she nodded. “but in my defense, you said that you liked blue roses!” Yoohyeon said as Minji held her head in her hands at the memory.

“huh?” Siyeon asked, and Minji just shook her head. “I will explain THAT later…” Minji said, and Siyeon just nodded, sensing a long story ahead.

“let's just say I woke up surrounded by blue roses in bed, on the floor, everywhere! Never give Yoohyeon a credit card…” Minji said as she shook her head, and Siyeon giggled. That sounded so like something Yoohyeon would do.

“so, like we don’t have to worry about working?” Siyeon asked, and everyone nodded.

“so how much do we all have?” Yoohyeon asked curiously.

“Yoohyeon, you have more than Gahyeon and Siyeon because your account was opened first, but the sisters have a couple million in their accounts. It’s nothing big, but Dami has been playing with stocks, and it’s building quickly…” Minji said, and the wolves looked at each other with wide eyes.

Siyeon finally got control of her facial expressions and stepped forward. “well, to hell with school then.” She said calmly as she looked at the others.

“it only puts us at risk right now anyway. I say we start training right away and seeing what we can do, just like Dami suggested earlier. And once all this is done, and no one is at risk, we can go back to school. Sound good?” Siyeon asked as she looked around at everyone. They all nodded in agreement.

“We will also have to train both Gahyeon and Dami how to fight in wolf form as well as in human form. Just in case they have to fight in tight spaces where they can’t shift. Especially with Dami being so big. And I’m sure you three will like to learn that just in case we actually get challenged by a rival pack?” Siyeon asked, and the three vampires nodded.

“oh! Speaking about Dami being big, did we tell you Dami finished her change into adult wolfhood?” Yoohyeon asked as the vampires looked at her like she sprouted another head.

“that’s impossible, right?” Bora asked as she looked at Siyeon. “She was the last one to start hers and the last one to shift as well. right?” Bora asked, but Siyeon just shrugged.

“it's true. When we went to wake Dami and Gahyeon up, we found them both shifted, and Gahyeon was trying to calm Dami down in wolf form. Unlike Gahyeon or I, when Dami shifted, she lost control and was panicking. Yoohyeon told me to command her out of it as the alpha, and it worked. Didn’t you notice that Dami is slightly taller now too?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the vampires who all walked over to Dami and made her stand.

“well damn…” Minji whispered, shocked. Bora walked over and looked up with a pout.

“what the hell! Am I the shortest member in this household now?” Bora shrieked as she pouted and crossed her arms. Siyeon chuckled as she looked at her. “well technically, I believe you and Gahyeon are the same height right now… so you’re not the shortest, yet…” Siyeon teased as Bora's eyes went wide.

“damn! When she finally shifts, I really WILL be the shortest in the family…” Bora said as she pouted, and she looked at Dami.

“well, can we see what your adult wolf form looks like at least?” Bora asked, still slightly pouting, causing Dami to giggle and nod.

“not outside, though! We learned not to go out at night last night…” Yoohyeon said darkly, and the vampires were soon moving the living room furniture.

“you know it’s a good thing you really DO live in a mansion. The tall ceilings will really help with this…” Siyeon said as she looked up.

“well, thank you, but that’s not why I bought the place.” Minji teased as she smiled.

“Dami, you ready?” Siyeon asked as Dami walked forward and nodded. She was now completely naked as she walked toward Siyeon.

“now, I know you have shifted once before, and you should be able to do it fine by yourself now. but if you have any issues, I will help you, ok?” Siyeon said kindly as she looked at Dami, who nodded.

Siyeon’s comment seemed to relieve some tension that Dami had been hiding because her shoulders seemed to relax at her words, and Dami finally smiled.

“ok, I’m ready…” Dami said as she rubbed her hands together nervously. Suddenly her form rippled, and there stood an even taller hybrid wolf than the last time they had seen her with Gahyeon in Dami’s room.

“damn… your HUGE!” Siyeon said as she looked at her. “you’re the size of a fucking HORSE!” she said as she walked around and looked at the black and white wolf in front of her.

“Woah…” Yoohyeon said as she looked at Dami’s eyes with a stunned expression.

‘ _what?_ ’ Dami asked mind to mind as everyone gathered around to look at her eyes. ‘ _guys, you're making me nervous…_ ’ she said as they looked on with jaws dropped.

“Are we going to look like that?” Bora asked as she looked at Dami’s eyes.

_‘Hello? Can you hear me?_ ’ Dami asked as the others seemed to ignore her.

“I don’t know, we have never had vampires join, I don’t even know if Gahyeon’s eyes are going to be like that…” Siyeon said as she looked at Dami, who whimpered nervously.

‘ _what's wrong with me?_ ’ she asked softly as Siyeon just chuckled.

“nothing’s wrong with you, Dami. Your eyes are just now half gold and half red. You used to have the gold with the red ring, remember?” Siyeon asked, and Dami nodded her giant wolf head.

“well now, your white side has a gold eye, and your black side has a red eye. I don’t know how to explain it. You truly look like a hybrid. Also, the grey that went down your back seems to have been your puppy hair. You now have a crisp but jagged line between the two colors. No more grey.” Siyeon said, and she felt Dami’s curiosity and pulled out her cell and snapped a picture for her, and showed the wolf.

‘ _holy shit! I look like something out of a horror movie!_ ’ Dami whined as Gahyeon walked over and whispered something into her giant wolf ear while snuggling into her silky fur.

“let’s all pretend we didn’t hear that…” Minji said as she shook her head, earning a raspberry from Gahyeon.

“yes, let’s do that… I didn’t need to know about my little sister…” Siyeon said as she shook her head, and stepped back while dragging Gahyeon away, leaving only the vampires around Dami to admire her form. Finally, Dami shifted back and earned several vampire hugs, and kisses from Handong, and Minji, but strangely, Dami noticed that Bora just stood there with an odd expression.

“oh, no… don’t…” Dami said as Bora ran over and started kissing the younger girl who whined and struggled. All that was heard were complaints to stop, and “oh my baby! Your growing up!” it would have been a cute scene except for Dami still being completely naked and the lee sisters watching their mates. Both of their mates were getting extremely close, and one was even naked. It made them nervous and triggered some severe anxiety and jealousy.

Minji and Handong just looked on with smiles when Yoohyeon nudged the two.

“um, you might want to stop them like… now!” Yoohyeon said as she looked into Minji's eyes with a very serious look.

“why?” Minji asked, confused until Yoohyeon flicked her head toward the two sisters. Minji looked over and saw the two girls looking on with jaws clenched, and eyes burning green.

“what's wrong with them?” Minji asked as she looked at the two.

“well, think about it, babe, their mates are getting cozy with each other. Or, more specifically, our alphas mate is kissing all over another member, while she’s naked…” Yoohyeon said, and finally, Minji understood.

“oh…” Minji said as she looked at the two. Soon a faint growl was heard as it rumbled from deep within Siyeon’s chest. Her eyes also seemed to glow the brightest she has ever seen, and soon the members felt a wave of something they couldn’t explain wash over them.

Suddenly Bora and Dami stopped and looked over to their mates with shocked expressions.

Gahyeon didn’t look much better. Her fangs were out, and her jaw was clenched with eyes that burned green with the ring of red around them. Once Dami made eye contact with Gahyeon, she seemed to shrink back slightly.

Suddenly Gahyeon spun around on her heel and walked out of the room. They could almost see the anger rippling off of Gahyeon as she stomped out of the room.

“oh shit…” Dami mumbled as she broke out of boras hold and chased her mate out of the room while forgetting the fact that she was still naked.

“Siyeon? What's wrong?” Bora asked as she felt the waves of anger radiating off of her girlfriend.

“Bora, she’s jealous. You were just kissing all over someone else's mate while they were naked no less…” Yoohyeon said as Bora’s eyes opened wide in realization.

“I told you that as new mates, Siyeon was going to be very protective and emotional for a while…” Yoohyeon said softly.

“but Dami is like our baby. It's not like that, Siyeon!” Bora said as she tried to calm down her furious girlfriend.

“she’s no longer a baby, Bora. She's an adult…, and she’s not even related to you by blood…” Siyeon said while slightly growling. Siyeon was shaking while trying to get ahold of her emotions. They had never gotten away from her before like this, and it kind of scared her. She would never forgive herself if she ever hurt Bora or anyone of her new family. Siyeon struggled to breathe slowly, trying to regain her composure when Bora approached her.

“don’t,” Siyeon said as she backed up. “I've never been this emotional before. Wait until I calm down…” she said as she took more deep breaths, and finally sighed.

“ok, I think I’m a little better now…” Siyeon said after a couple minutes of Bora looking at her worriedly. Siyeon’s head drooped, and she couldn’t look at Bora. She was embarrassed that she lost control of herself and couldn’t look Bora in the eyes.

“Baby, look at me…” Bora pleaded sadly as she looked at her girlfriend, but Siyeon turned her head away. With Bora's new strengthened hearing, she could hear Siyeon’s slight sniffles.

“lee Siyeon!” Bora shouted as she grabbed Siyeon’s face and made her look at her.

Siyeon’s eyes were red as tears silently ran down her face.

“Baby, what's wrong?” Bora asked as she hugged Siyeon to her.

“That scared me. I've never almost lost control before! I have never felt so many emotions. I will never forgive myself if I hurt any of you…” Siyeon said as she tried to break out of Bora's hold.

“dude, you are going through your change, just found your mate, and just became alpha of a pack that has only seven members, but I’m sure we are the strongest pack in the area. You're bound to get emotional. It's ok. Plus remember? We are all going through some odd changes right now.” Yoohyeon said as she walked up to Siyeon and patted her on the back awkwardly.

“what changes are YOU going through?” Siyeon teased the taller girl as Yoohyeon rolled her eyes.

“Well, for one, I can smell blood now and can tell whose blood it is. And I’m not even going through the change yet, so having such a strong sense of smell kinda scares me…” Yoohyeon said as Siyeon looked at her with wide eyes.

“is it because we have vampire members now?” Siyeon asked, and Yoohyeon just shrugged.

“Probably, but that’s not what I’m worried about…” Yoohyeon said as she looked at Minji apologetically.

“what then?” Siyeon asked, and Yoohyeon hesitated before speaking.

“not meaning to piss anyone off, but… have you ever smelled a vampire fart? It's horrible! Now I will smell it like super strong!” Yoohyeon said and bolted quickly to dodge Minji's grasp as she ran around the room.

“v-vampires don’t fart you little brat!” Minji said as she chased her girlfriend with a lamp, she must have grabbed somewhere along the way.

“yes, we do, and I do admit Minji’s are pretty bad. It’s because she likes drinking weird blood that causes it, though.” Bora said as she whispered to Siyeon, who was now finally smiling as she watched the two.

“I know I haven’t smelled it, but I have heard her in school…” Siyeon said as she looked at Minji. Luckily, she hadn't heard that because she was still yelling at Yoohyeon, who was hiding behind the couch, and feinting from side to side as Minji threatened to just chuck the lamp at her.

“well, that’s embarrassing…have you ever heard me?” Bora asked, but Siyeon shook her head.

“my hearing didn’t get stronger until after you went missing. Honestly, the first time I heard something…” Siyeon trailed off, and her face went red as she pouted.

“what?” Bora asked as she grabbed both of Siyeon’s hands in her own.

“well… don’t get mad or embarrassed alright?” Siyeon asked, and Bora agreed but was suddenly feeling very nervous.

“the first time I heard something was when I walked by that house. I, I heard you, and that human… you seemed very…pleased.” Siyeon said as she looked away, but it took a couple seconds for Bora to process the information.

“wait… you heard us having sex!?!” Bora shouted, causing everyone to stop and turn around and look at the couple.

“wait, what's going on?” Minji asked as she walked away from a knocked out Yoohyeon on the floor.

“You didn’t kill her, did you?” Siyeon asked as she looked at a clearly knocked out Yoohyeon, and Minji shook her head.

“she went to bolt out of the room, and tripped over her own feet, and knocked herself out. It happens a lot. Don’t worry.” Minji said as she shrugged.

“Now, back to what you two were talking about?” Minji said as she looked at the two with a curious look.

“well, the first time I realized that I was starting the change, I heard Bora and that human…” Siyeon said and looked away.

“didn’t you have a crush on her at the time still?” Handong asked as she walked over, and Siyeon just nodded.

“poor thing, that must have been very traumatizing…” Minji said as she hugged Siyeon. “see! I told you it was a bad idea to date that human! You should have just found the courage and talked to Siyeon instead of chickening out all of the time!” Minji said as Bora looked at the ground.

“I know… it was stupid. I shouldn’t have used that human to try to get over Siyeon. Look where it got me. I trusted that girl, and she almost killed me. If it weren’t for Siyeon, I would be dead right now…” Bora said as Siyeon looked at her, confused.

“What?” Siyeon said as she looked at Bora. “tried to get over who?” she asked as Bora was now refusing to look at Siyeon, and the wolf's eyes widened in realization.

“I even hurt Siyeon. I never wanted to hurt her… I didn’t know she felt the same, or I never would have done that. I’m so sorry you heard that…” Bora said. It was now Bora’s turn to cry as she sniffed and looked down.

“hey,” Siyeon said as she took Bora’s chin and tilted her head up until she could see Bora's eyes.

“it's not your fault. And if I didn’t hear that, I wouldn’t have been able to save you… that is even more upsetting in my book, ok?” Siyeon said as she gently kissed Bora's lips.

“I don’t know what I would do without you…” Siyeon said, and Bora could feel the deep emotions behind it. She could feel Siyeon’s sincerity. Bora could feel how much Siyeon loved her, and it was overwhelming, and she hadn't even shown Bora her memories in wolf form yet. Soon Bora was holding Siyeon while sobbing as they kissed each other aggressively.

“so, what did I miss?” Yoohyeon asked as she staggered over to Minji, who rolled her eyes at her clumsy girlfriend and wrapped an arm around Yoohyeon’s waist as she pulled the girl closer.

“I will explain it later. Right now, I think we need to find Gahyeon and Dami while the lovebirds continue to make out…” Minji said as she let go of Yoohyeon and walked out of the room where Dami and Gahyeon left from. Yoohyeon bounced along happily as she followed her girlfriend.

“but making out seems like a good idea too…” Yoohyeon said as she trailed off.

“Kim Yoohyeon!” Minji shouted, and Yoohyeon pouted.

“Sorry,” she said as she pouted at Minji.

“later!” Minji said in false anger as she looked at Yoohyeon and winked.

“sweet!” Yoohyeon shouted as she jumped in the air, and put an arm around Minji, and went with her to find their youngest packmates.


	12. Chapter 12

-Gahyeon and Dami-

“Gahyeon! Wait!” Dami shouted as she chased after her girlfriend and mate. Gahyeon had fled outside to try to avoid Dami, but it didn’t work. Gahyeon had hoped that because Dami was naked, she wouldn’t follow her outside, but Gahyeon was wrong. Dami continued to chase her, and call after her.

“Just leave me alone right now!” Gahyeon shouted as she turned around. Dami froze in her tracks as she looked at Gahyeon. Tears were running down her face as she looked pleadingly at Dami.

“Gahyeon…” Dami whispered. She wasn’t sure of what to do to help her. And it made Dami’s chest ache as she took a couple small steps forward and stopped.

“I'm sorry, please don’t cry… You know that she’s like my mother, right? Nothing would ever happen between us!” Dami said as she looked at Gahyeon pleadingly.

“it's easy to say that Dami, but it’s not so easy to see you NAKED while another girl hugs and kisses all over you!” Gahyeon’s voice cracked as she looked down and rubbed her eyes.

“you know I would never do anything to hurt you…” Dami said as she looked at Gahyeon, who was still crying. “and one thing I would NEVER do is cheat on you. You know that!” Dami said as tears started to come to her eyes. She didn’t like to see Gahyeon so upset because it hurt her too.

“I know, I do know that... But it's just so hard while watching you be so close to everyone. I still feel like I don’t know much about you, and I'm afraid to push you. I can't even call you Yubin yet!” Gahyeon said as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

“I told you before, you can call me Yubin any time you want. Why are you afraid to call me by my name?” Dami asked as she looked at Gahyeon with a confused expression.

“because what if I get used to saying it and call you Yubin at school? Or, Am I allowed to say it in front of my sister or Yoohyeon? And if I DO accidentally call you Yubin at school, people may start calling you by it too…” Gahyeon said as she finally let out the things that had been bothering her.

“ I know you go by Dami because you don’t like strangers calling you by a name that to you is very precious, and I don’t want to be the one to ruin that…” Gahyeon said as she shook her head sadly and continued to look at the ground.

“of course, you can call me Yubin in front of your sister,” Dami said as she looked at Gahyeon with a shocked expression. She didn’t know that Gahyeon had been so torn mentally and felt bad for causing this.

“And Yoohyeon already knows my real name because she’s dating Minji. Plus, who cares if someone at school hears you calling me by my real name? The most important thing to me is my family, and that includes you. You all mean the world to me. I guess it was stupid to hide my real name. Even the ones I care about call me Dami now just to make me happy. And the whole point was to have only the ones I cared about calling my name. I'm so stupid…” Dami said as she shook her head and started to cry.

“you're not stupid. In fact, you’re the smartest person I know!” Gahyeon said as she looked at Dami, who was still crying. The sight made Gahyeon’s chest hurt.

“I'm sorry, ok? Please don’t cry…” Gahyeon said softly. Dami’s crying had triggered Gahyeon’s crying to come back at full force, and now the two girls were crying in the middle of a field in the middle of the night.

Dami looked up at Gahyeon and wanted to stop her girlfriend from crying when something caught her eye. It looked like something moved behind Gahyeon, but the longer Dami stared, nothing happened. _‘it must be nothing, I must be seeing things…_ ’ Dami thought to her self as she sniffed her runny nose due to all the crying.

No movement. Dami sighed in relief when it seemed she was just seeing things and decided to apologize to Gahyeon and stop smaller girls crying and started to walk towards the still crying girl.

“Gahyeon? Please look at me?” Dami pleaded as she slowly walked closer. Finally, the younger girl met her eyes with her own red and tear-filled ones.

“I'm sorry, ok?” Dami said, and she swore she saw the same movement again.

“No!” Dami shouted as she lunged toward Gahyeon at an extreme speed that startled Gahyeon as Dami shifted and leaped toward the girl.

Gahyeon’s eyes went wide as she watched her mate run at her at full speed fangs bared and growling. It happened so fast, but it was like she was watching it all in slow motion.

_‘DUCK!_ ’ Dami shouted clearly in a panic, and Gahyeon dropped to the ground automatically at Dami’s order. If she were in the right state of mind, she would wonder why her body followed Dami’s order automatically, but as soon as Gahyeon ducked, she watched as Dami flew over where Gahyeon was once standing and slammed into a wolf that had just lunged at Gahyeon.

Gahyeon turned around when she heard a yelp and noticed Dami fighting with a small brown wolf that was at least half her size. She was having some difficulty because of her large size, and he was able to dance underneath her.

“behind you!” Gahyeon shouted as she noticed a second wolf trying to gain the element of surprise on Dami. He was stalking low to the ground like a cat through the tall grass as he quietly approached Dami.

Gahyeon leapt toward the other wolf and rapidly shifted into her wolf form, causing her clothes to shred apart and fly in the air like confetti as she was suddenly on the second wolf. It would have looked very pretty if it weren't a life-threatening situation.

The fight was disorganized and fast. Both girls had their own fight going on. Dami had never fought in wolf form before. She was quickly learning the other wolf's moves, but he danced underneath her so easily that her fangs were always just out of reach of him. She did land some bites, but it was rare. Gahyeon, on the other hand, was a natural fighter, her moves were quick, and she seemed to have a slight upper hand as she leapt around and took bites out of the strange wolf in front of her. Gahyeon had received a couple bites of her own that stained her white fur a vivid red, but it was nothing compared to the other wolf.

After a couple of minutes, the two groups split off and squared off against each other. They tried to regroup and gain some of their energy back and proceeded to have a stare-down.

Dami stood beside Gahyeon protectively. The taller wolf was slightly limping, but Gahyeon was completely unhurt except for a couple of mild bitemarks from the male.

_‘what are you doing here!?!_ ’ Dami growled at the two who looked at her nervously. Just like Dami had thought, her appearance in this form seemed to scare the two wolves in front of them.

‘ _where’s our brother!?!_ ’ the first wolf snapped as he bared his fangs. ‘ _our alpha said he was sent to watch after that loner bitch, and now he's missing! Where is he?_ ’ he said as he took a slow step forward.

_‘I don’t know about your brother, but if you talk about our alpha like that one more time, you won’t make it out of here alive…_ ’ Dami growled as she took a slow step forward with her teeth bared and looked from one wolf to the other. The threat seemed to have her desired effect.

_‘she has a pack now? When did this happen? Fuck! We're so screwed! Jackson is going to kill us!_ ’ the second wolf said as his eyes flicked to the first wolf.

‘ _maybe that’s why your brother went missing, your alpha got mad, or he knew he would get mad, and fled. Did you ever think of that?_ ’ Gahyeon said as she leaned against Dami to check on her.

‘ _our brother would never run! And we smell him in this field, then his scent just disappears. Someone's scent doesn’t just vanish! You have to have done something to him!_ ’ the first wolf snapped back at Gahyeon.

Without warning, the two lunged at Dami and Gahyeon as another fight ensued.

This time though, the fight was a little different. Dami knew that she was hurt, and at a disadvantage. ‘ _Gahyeon, we are part vampire, remember? If we bite them while fighting and drink some of their blood, do we heal?_ ’ Dami asked to Gahyeon alone.

_‘I don’t know, should we try it? Your limping really bad._ ’ Gahyeon asked, and Dami nodded.

‘ _we only need to grab one. It shouldn't take long…_ ’ Dami said, and they suddenly turned on the first wolf. They both were on him, and Gahyeon held him while Dami bit into his shoulder and drank as his blood ran from the wound. As quickly as it happened, the girls broke off of him to focus on the other wolf.

‘ _did it work?_ ’ Gahyeon asked as she had her back to Dami.

‘ _yes, it did! I’m no longer limping!_ ’ Dami said as she checked her leg when a third wolf flew out of nowhere and latched onto the back of Dami’s neck. Dami let out a loud yelp of pain as the wolf hung on to the back of her neck. Dami panicked and tried to fling the wolf off, which only caused the wounds he was inflicting to become much worse.

‘ _Dami!_ ’ Gahyeon shouted mentally as she took her eyes from the second wolf to look at her mate, and Suddenly he was on top of her.

Dami heard Gahyeon yelp and tried to struggle frantically to free the wolf from her and get to Gahyeon when the one she originally was fighting lunged and latched onto Dami’s throat.

Gahyeon had a wolf dangling from her throat. Luckily due to her larger size, his jaws couldn't put enough force behind the bite to do serious damage, but she was starting to panic. Dami was no different. The third wolf was still swinging from the back of her neck, and the first wolf was trying to rip out her throat. Her flailing to fling them off was causing her injuries to become worse, but all she felt now was pure panic, and she couldn’t think straight anymore.

Yoohyeon and Minji were slowly walking towards the open back door when they suddenly felt waves of panic coming from both Gahyeon and Dami. As the two girls exchanged a quick look at each other, the sounds of a fight and Gahyeon and Dami’s cries reached their ears. Suddenly the two girls bolted toward the back door.

“get away from my family!” Minji shrieked as she and Yoohyeon, who was now shifted, bolted towards their packmates. With the two new members, the three strange wolves didn’t have a chance.

‘ _don’t kill them all yet! We can drain one to heal!_ ’ Dami mentally shouted to Yoohyeon and Minji as they finally reached the fight and tore into one of the wolves.

‘ _I need to heal really bad…’_ Dami said as blood poured from the open wounds in her neck. _‘and so does Gahyeon…_ ’ Dami said as she looked at the blood on Gahyeon's neck, painting her fur bright red. Dami was starting to stagger, and her vision was starting to blur, but luckily, the others were too focused on the fight to notice.

Minji and Yoohyeon seemed to fight together like they were born to do so. They reacted to each other without thinking, and Minji's new powers showed rather quickly. She was lightning fast, and her strength was insane as she fought the wolves. Yoohyeon had always wondered why the girls had long nails, and now she knew. The wolves couldn’t touch Minji, but she left slashes all over them while Yoohyeon used her size and speed to keep the wolves focused on her. Soon there was only one wolf left. It was the second wolf. The one that Gahyeon had been fighting.

_‘what the hell are you monsters!?!_ ’ the wolf shrieked as he looked from Dami to Gahyeon to Minji.

‘ _We are a pack! We protect our members with our life! Unlike your alpha, we don’t send little BOYS to stalk girls!’_ Yoohyeon snapped as she growled at the only wolf left.

‘ _guys, my sister has realized we are fighting. Bora is holding her but doesn’t know how long she can hold her. We need to end this NOW!_ ’ Gahyeon said to her pack, and Minji nodded. ‘ _look away, Yoohyeon…_ ’ Minji's mind spoke to Yoohyeon, who obeyed and slowly turned around.

In a flash, Minji was on the wolf, and Dami and Gahyeon lunged in to drink and heal. It was done in seconds, but Yoohyeon felt like it took hours.

_‘don’t look!_ ’ Gahyeon shouted when Yoohyeon went to turn around and see the damage that her packmates had done. ‘ _you don’t need to see this, Yoohyeon. Please go inside and reassure Siyeon that we are ok._ ’ Dami said coolly as she released the wolf from her mouth, and Gahyeon did the same. The wolfs now limp body hit the ground with a dull thud. Dami and Gahyeon exchanged a look at each other. It was their first kill, and they both didn’t know how to feel about it.

‘ _we will take care of this. I just hope they didn’t leave one in the distance as a watcher…_ ’ Minji said mentally so that just in case someone was listening, they wouldn’t know that the pack had something to hide.

‘ _ok, I will go to Siyeon…_ ’ Yoohyeon said sadly as she slowly walked toward the house and saw Bora and now Handong struggling to hold a very worked up Siyeon. Panic was all over siyeon’s face, and tears ran down her face as she struggled to go to her sister and Dami. Siyeon could smell a lot of blood in the air. The smell of the blood of her sister and Dami saturated the field.

It was also a strain on Bora and Handong to smell the blood of Dami and Gahyeon so strong, but they knew that if Siyeon walked out that door, everyone would be in danger. That was the only thing stopping the two vampires from running outside with Siyeon to protect their babies.

Minji turned to look at Dami and Gahyeon. Even with the blood that they drank from the last wolf, it wasn’t enough to heal all of their wounds or stop their bleeding. The wounds on their necks were severe, and Minji gently touched Dami’s neck, causing the younger girl whimpered in pain and staggered slightly. She still was off-balance from bloodloss and felt like she could blackout at any moment. Soon she couldn’t hold her wolf form, and Minji had to catch her and help to keep her standing.

“come here. You need to drink. I know it's not as good when they go cold, but you need to drink…” Minji said as she led a dizzy Dami to one of the two bodies that Yoohyeon and Minji had finished off.

Dami groaned at the thought of drinking from a dead body, but if Siyeon saw them like this, she would freak and go on a rampage. Dami had no other choice.

Dami staggered forward and knelt beside the wolf's body with Minji’s help and drank. She sighed as she felt the pain start to dull, and her bleeding stop. But as soon as she was done, she was spitting fur out of her mouth. “ugh! I wish they would have shifted back to human forms. No fur…” Dami said as she gagged and pulled a long hair from her mouth.

While Dami was drinking, Minji had walked Gahyeon over to the other wolf, and Gahyeon started to drink as well. Once she was done, she gagged and agreed with her mate.

“ugh! So true! I felt like I ate more hair than I drank blood!” Gahyeon said and noticed Minji heaving every time they talked about hairs in their mouth.

“uh, what's wrong with Minji?” Gahyeon asked, and Dami answered with a small smirk. She has a phobia about hairs in her mouth. You should see her after she kisses Handong’s cat and pulls a hair out of her mouth. she heaves for at least fifteen minutes.” Dami said, and Gahyeon gave her a curious look.

“Handong has a cat?” Gahyeon asked, and Dami nodded. “of course, she loves cats.” Dami said like it was completely obvious.

“well, why does it gross Minji out so much?” Gahyeon asked, and Dami giggled.

“she says you don’t know where the hair came from. For all she knows, it could have come from his butt.” Dami said, and Minji groaned at the comment. The two hybrids chuckled before Dami continued.

“one time, she watched him grooming and kissed his head because she thought it was adorable. She felt that he had just groomed where she had kissed, and right as she went to say something about it to Handong, he started grooming his butt. Minji gagged, and Handong looked up…” Dami was starting to have a hard time keeping a straight face as she continued.

“Handong had said, ‘why are you always cleaning your butt? You just did that like five minutes ago!’ and that’s when Minji realized that she may have kissed fur that was groomed by the same tongue that had just cleaned his butt. She was heaving for almost an hour!” Dami said as her mate tried to fight the giggles that were fighting to come out.

“Yeah yeah… laugh it up… laugh at my pain…” Minji groaned as she heaved again at the memory. After a minute or two, Minji had them help her get rid of the bodies, and soon they had to go inside to show Siyeon that they were indeed alive so she would stop panicking.

‘ _looks like I will finally get to see what your sister looks like in the moonlight!’_ Minji said as she looked at Dami and Gahyeon. The two looked worriedly back at the house, but Minji shook her head. ‘ _in Handong’s room.’_ Minji said, and Dami nodded in understanding.

“Handong’s room?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at her mate, and Dami just grinned.

“you will see, I think you will really love her room!” Dami said as they followed Minji towards the house while holding hands. They were feeling much better, but Dami was determined to never let her mate be in harm's way with her defenseless ever again.

_‘I need to learn how to fight as a wolf. I won't let Gahyeon get hurt because I'm unable to protect her ever again…’_ Dami thought to herself as she walked with her back to the house. Dami couldn’t help but notice the scars on Gahyeon’s neck from their fight, and guilt was gnawing at her for it.

Yes, the scars would vanish in a month or two, but Gahyeon got them because of her. Because she was unable to protect her. This triggered a very protective side in Dami that Gahyeon hadn't experienced yet. But the younger girl would find out later that night that she liked the new protective side of her mate very much. VERY VERY much…


	13. Chapter 13

-Inside-

‘ _were ok Siyeon. You can calm down. Minji will clean it up for us…_ ’ Yoohyeon said, and Siyeon finally started to relax.

“you’re sure they are ok?” Siyeon asked worriedly as she watched Yoohyeon approach. Handong and Bora still held both of her arms tightly. They didn’t trust her to not try and make another break towards her sister.

“yes, they were slightly injured, but they were able to drink the blood from one wolf, and they are good as new. You know how it works, they are part vampire after all. Don’t worry, you can see for yourself in a couple minutes…” Yoohyeon said now in human form as she walked into the house.

Siyeon noticed some wounds on Yoohyeon’s body, but it was only minor scratches, and Siyeon relaxed slightly. Even though Yoohyeon could be annoying at times, she was one of Siyeon’s closest friends, and Siyeon was really worried about her.

Siyeon sighed and collapsed onto the ground in relief. Bora and Handong were somewhat dragged down with her because they still hadn’t let go of Siyeon. “thank god…” Siyeon said as she sat on the ground, shaking. “i-i thought I had lost both of them when I heard Gahyeon and Dami yelping…” Siyeon said as tears started to flow. “I could smell so much blood in the air. The smell of Dami and Gahyeon’s blood was everywhere… I thought the worst…” Bora and Handong wrapped their arms around Siyeon, trying to comfort her.

“Gahyeon and Dami are fine! Take a deep breath and try to think. If you had taken a step out of that door, you know that they would have seen what you are right away, and that would have put us all in danger…” Handong whispered to Siyeon as she tried to calm the older girl. Handong was gently petting the alphas hair to calm her. It was working, but Siyeon would never admit it, pets were her weakness.

“do you glow in your wolf form too, Siyeon?” Bora asked, and Siyeon looked at her with a shocked look.

“I don’t know, as soon as I realized what I was, I avoided going outside for obvious reasons…” Siyeon said as she pointed outside.

“but if your wolf form doesn’t show what you are, you would be ok as long as you’re in your wolf form… right?” Bora asked as she looked at Handong. “can we borrow your room for a couple minutes?” she asked, and Handong nodded as the two vampires helped Siyeon up.

‘ _can you wait for me? I want to see what Siyeon looks like in the moonlight._ ’ Minji asked, and everyone agreed to wait for her.

“Why are we going to do in Handong’s room anyway?” Siyeon asked as she looked over her shoulder to Bora.

“Handong has some claustrophobia issues, so we had a glass ceiling installed so that she could stare out at the night sky, and wouldn’t feel so trapped at night,” Bora said, and Handong nodded as Siyeon looked at her.

“I'm ok with people around, but I can't stand being alone in a dark room… one time I had to hide in a closet when I was younger while people were after me, and after that, I couldn’t stand small or dark spaces. It triggers bad memories.” Handong said as she smiled weakly. “I guess I should thank you, I now have selective night vision, so I don’t have to be in the dark anymore…” Handong said as she smiled sweetly at Siyeon, who just nodded unsure of what to say in response. It was the first time Handong had opened up to Siyeon, and she didn’t want to say something wrong to mess it up.

Handong’s room was upstairs and in a wing of the house that only she lived in. The others liked to be close, but Handong liked how quiet it was. Mainly so that she wouldn’t keep hearing Minji and Yoohyeon having sex. They both were very loud, and it made Handong miss someone greatly. She didn’t like feeling lonely, so living as far away from the lovebirds was her best option. Soon the group was at Handong’s door. Or doors.

Handong had very old and large double doors that looked very old and Maybe antique that led into her room. Once inside, it looked like a scene from a movie. The ceiling looked like a glass ceiling from one of those old indoor gardens. There was wrought iron that was in the shape of delicate roses around the edges where the glass met the roof. It was absolutely beautiful, and Siyeon looked up in wonder.

But that wasn’t the only thing that amazed Siyeon. The room looked like a split between a VERY old library with bookshelves so high you needed a rolling ladder and all of the old wooden panels and trim, and a more modern living room. Siyeon could see no bed, but instead, she noticed a very modern-looking chaise lounge that had a thin blanket draped across it.

“This must be where Dami got her love of books…” Siyeon said as she looked around at the tall shelves filled with what looked like very old books and curiosity got the better of her.

“Do you sleep, Handong?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the chair.

“yes. Of course! Why?” Handong asked softly as she looked at Siyeon.

“because I don’t see a bed…” Siyeon said as she waved an arm around the room. Handong chuckled once she realized what Siyeon meant, and walked over to the chaise and grabbed a remote. Soon the chase was flat, and Handong sat on it and patted it with a gentle hand.

“I like things that have more than one use. I don’t like regular beds because they are so big, and we only use them for short periods. It just seems like a waste of space, in my opinion. This way, I can relax, and read a book, and change it’s position any time I want.” Handong said as she shrugged and smiled. “I have a habit of falling asleep while reading, so it works the best.” She said as she walked back to the group.

“you know you can come in, right?” Handong teased in her gentle voice as she looked at Siyeon. The alpha was still outside the door, hesitant to intrude knowing that Handong liked to keep to herself sometimes, and this was the first time she had ever seen the girl's room.

“yeah, I know, but Minji wants me to wait for her, and I don’t feel like hearing her nagging…” Siyeon said as she rolled her eyes.

“hey! I heard that!” Minji said as she walked into the room with her arms around Gahyeon, and Dami. They were now fully healed, but Minji still wanted to help give them support just in case they still felt weak.

“rude much?” she teased as she fluffed Gahyeon’s hair. The youngest let out a sound of disgust as she tried to fix her now mussed hair.

“she’s like a cat, you know?” Minji teased as she got a glare from Gahyeon. “what? It's true! You look kinda catlike in your wolf form, and you hate your hair being messed with!” Minji said as she looked at Gahyeon, who just rolled her eyes.

“EVERYONE hates their hair being messed with!” Gahyeon said as she pouted, causing a laugh around the room.

“Plus, I think she looks more like a fox than a cat…” Yoohyeon said as she looked at Gahyeon thoughtfully. Gahyeon rolled her eyes and let out a sound of disgust as Yoohyeon laughed.

“and foxes are very vain too, so it fit’s,” Minji said as she shrugged and looked forward. Gahyeon scoffed and muttered a ‘look whos talking…’ under her breath with another eye roll as she huffed and snuggled into Dami’s side.

“Everyone ready?” Handong asked as she slid some furniture away from the center of the room. Everyone nodded, and Siyeon slowly walked into the center of the room.

Everyone, but Gahyeon gasped at the sight. Even Bora gasped. She forgot how beautiful Siyeon was in the moonlight.

Siyeon was glowing as faint silver light seemed to be reflected from her pale skin. Or was her body emitting the light? Bora wasn't sure. But one thing she was sure of was that Siyeon looked perfect in the moonlight.

Siyeon’s eyes closed as she lifted her face toward the moonlight, and Bora watched as the light reflected off of Siyeon’s jawline. It reminded her of how someone would close their eyes and tilt their face towards the sun to feel the warm sunlight on their face. It was actually stunning and left Bora breathless. It also seemed like it wasn’t just Bora that was stunned into silence. Even Yoohyeon was actually silent for once, and Minji just looked at Siyeon with her mouth open in surprise.

“wow…” was all Minji could get out as she looked at Siyeon. Yoohyeon just nodded along as she gulped. “they would see her a mile away if she goes outside like this…” Yoohyeon said as she looked at her alpha nervously.

“ready to shift?” Bora asked now that she had stopped drooling and looked at Siyeon wistfully. Siyeon nodded and started to strip.

“uh, guys? Can you not stare so hard? I’m usually ok with being naked, but this kinda feels creepy…” Siyeon said as Minji, Handong, Dami, and Yoohyeon stared at Siyeon’s naked form. Bora was staring too, but Siyeon was ok with that.

The moonlight highlighted every curve of Siyeon’s body, and it left them all breathless. Bora loved the way the moonlight accentuated Siyeon’s breasts and stomach. It made her want to touch them so badly. Siyeon giggled as she looked at her girlfriend.

“You remember that sometimes your mate can feel what your feeling, right?” Siyeon teased as Bora realized her mind was going to a very dirty place, and Siyeon knew it.

“sorry…” Bora said as Siyeon smirked. Shew most definitely was NOT sorry. In fact, she had some new ideas on what to do tonight.

“later, babe, I promise!” Siyeon said as she blew a kiss at her mate and suddenly shifted.

There in the center of Handong’s room stood wolf Siyeon. Her black and white coat seemed to look extra shiny in the moonlight, but other than that, she looked like a normal wolf to the relief of the others.

“what about her belly?” Bora asked as she looked at Siyeon. “if you get knocked over or goof off like Yoohyeon does, and your stomach shows in the moonlight, will it give you away?” Bora asked, truly curious.

‘ _let’s find out…_ ’ Siyeon said as she flopped on her side. She refused to lay on her back with Yoohyeon there. It may be too much for her alpha side to take and cause Yoohyeon to challenge her, so her side was the best choice. 

No glow. However, Bora was giving severe tummy rubs to Siyeon, which caused the room to laugh as Siyeon laughed and wiggled from side to side in wolf form, begging Bora to stop. Siyeon was EXTREMELY ticklish.

Soon Siyeon was laughing so hard she couldn’t hold her wolf form and was forced to shift back. Now a naked Siyeon was laughing hysterically while trying to gasp for air. Finally, Bora stopped so that Siyeon could breathe again. She was looking a little pale and slightly dizzy from lack of oxygen.

“thank god you didn’t make her pee. You would be cleaning that up!” Handong said as Bora laughed and helped a dazed Siyeon sit up and get dressed again.

“Well, that solves one problem. If there is another late-night visitor, Siyeon can finally make her appearance as our alpha. Seeing her may put a stop to some of this mess.” Minji said as she nodded to herself.

“oh, I have meant to ask you three something…” Siyeon said as she looked at the vampires.

“what?” Minji asked as Siyeon looked at her with a serious expression.

“Remember when you were talking about if I should form a pack?” Siyeon asked, and the others nodded.

“I remember you talking about some alpha that was after me? I have never heard of this. Can you explain it, please?” Siyeon asked, and suddenly the three looked very nervous.

“ok, but don’t get mad at us for butting in. please?” Bora pleaded, and Siyeon nodded and urged her to continue.

“well, you see… when we all first entered high school, a new alpha that was from china was making a name for himself among the second years. He came to the school as a freshman and pretty much took over the school's packs in only a year. He used fear and pain instead of leading properly. Well, on our first day of school, we were running late because Minji forgot something, so we happened to be walking behind you as you walked into school…” Bora said as she looked at Siyeon.

“yeah, and after you walked through the front gates, that bastard was making comments like ‘id mount that one!’, and ‘she would be whimpering beneath me,’ and shit like that. Bora almost charged at him right there. We grabbed her and dragged her around the corner But we were still in earshot. The bastard made plans with his packmates to snag you right before lunch, and “play with you” because he was bored.” Minji said through clenched teeth.

“I mean really, who talks like that? I know you all are wolves too, and I have never heard you all talk like that!” Minji said, and Siyeon nodded.

“some males like to truly act like animals. Unlike regular wolves where the alpha male rules, our kind tend to have a matriarchial leadership. Some males think that’s wrong and unnatural ant d that men should dominate and take who they want. It doesn’t matter if the girl is willing or not. That mentality is really bad in small towns.” Siyeon said as she looked at Handong and bora.

“in this town, you could say we act more human than wolf and tend to be called city wolves as insults because we don’t act more on instinct. We don’t act like animals and use our brains instead…” Siyeon said as she rolled her eyes. She had met some wolves from out of town and experienced first hand the bullshit they would say. They regretted it later when they were running away with broken noses and jaws. They always underestimated her, and she always made them regret that.

“But what happened next?” Siyeon asked as she felt tense. This alpha defiantly didn’t seem like a person she would want to interact with. When Minji continued, she had siyeon’s full attention.

“well, we decided to intervene. I know that wolves, just like vampires, prefer to leave their problems to just wolves. But we didn’t care if you were human, wolf, or vampire at that point. What he was planning was wrong, and We knew that Bora wouldn’t leave it alone. She had liked you for a couple years at this point, so we knew that she would get herself in trouble, so we planned a little surprise to keep him from being bored…” Handong said as she smirked evilly.

“what did you do?” Gahyeon asked as she wrapped her arms around Dami. The two had been very clingy after the fight.

“We would take bathroom breaks and pick off some of his packmates one or two at a time. By the time it came for him to start his plan to get you, none of his pack were able to show up. That’s when we came in…” Minji said as she shared the same grin as Handong.

“he didn’t seem to expect us there or for his entire pack to be taken out by three freshman vampires. We calmly explained why we were there, and then kicked his ass and said if he ever tried to approach you, he would lose a limb or two. Or maybe a body part he was even more protective of… he got the message and was quiet till graduation. He seemed like he wanted to go out in a bang. Remember the fights our junior year?” Bora asked, and Siyeon nodded.

“I wondered why the wolves and vampires seemed so at odds that year…” Siyeon said and looked at Bora.

“those fights were because of me?” Siyeon asked, and Bora shook her head.

“no, the first fight was. Everything after that was due to his pride being hurt.” Bora said, and Siyeon nodded in relief.

“yeah, but if he shows his face here, he will die by my hands!” Minji shouted as she shook with rage. The rage was so strong it was radiating around her, and everyone could feel it. Yoohyeon was cuddling against Minji, trying to calm her girlfriend when Minji looked at her with an extremely sad expression and wrapped her arms around Yoohyeon tightly as she snuggled into the wolf's neck and tried to slow her breathing. Yoohyeons scent always helped to calm her.

“they kidnapped Yoohyeon on the last week of school that year,” Handong whispered to Siyeon.

Siyeon’s eyes went wide as she looked at Handong in disbelief. The blonde just nodded, telling her it was true. Siyeon turned to Bora, and she looked away sadly as she watched Minji trying to calm herself in Yoohyeon’s arms.

“We still don’t know if he did anything to her, and Yoohyeon won’t tell us. But she seems afraid of him now. He had to do something to her…” Handong whispered, and Siyeon looked to Bora for conformation. Bora nodded sadly as she looked at the couple. Her mouth was pressed together in a straight line as she watched the two. Bora still didn’t know what to do to help the couple, and it still bothers her.

“Their bond wasn’t broken, so we know he didn’t rape her, but something just doesn’t seem right with the way she acted after we rescued her… she had a hard time letting anyone touch her for a week or two…” bora said as she looked at Yoohyeon with a sad expression.

“that doesn’t mean he didn’t do something to her just because he didn’t break her bond, there are other ways wolves like him can play with a girl without breaking their bond. Some wolves like to do it to see the mate of the victim's reaction when they find out, remember my father is a police officer. I've heard stories, and it's really bad…” Siyeon said as she looked at Yoohyeon. Her heart ached at the thought of what she might have gone through.

“let's not think the worst. Maybe we are wrong, and she just was freaked out by being kidnapped…” Siyeon said trying to lift the mood, but she didn't believe what she said either.

“Something definitely happened to Yoohyeon. She wasn’t the same for a couple weeks after that. But she won’t tell us because she knows we won’t let it be…” Bora said sadly. “we are all she has left after her family turned their back on her…” Bora said as she looked at Yoohyeon, who was still trying to calm Minji.

“what do you mean, her family turned their back on her?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the couple.

“Yoohyeon was the first alpha in their family in generations. Her family is known for betas, and mainly omegas. When she gave up being an alpha for Minji, her family took it as a personal insult. She was their pride and joy. They must have felt embarrassed that the one they bragged about CHOSE to be an omega for love. And to a vampire no less. She still lives there, but no one will talk to her. She's like a ghost in her own house.” Bora said, and Siyeon clenched her fists.

“that’s not how a family should behave. She found her mate and is happy. They shouldn’t hold it against her. They know what it’s like when you finally find your mate. That’s just wrong!” Siyeon quietly yelled so that only they could hear.

“that’s probably why she never told you. She knew you would be upset and maybe try to confront her family…” bora whispered to warn Siyeon against doing anything stupid.

“But yes, I agree. But we couldn’t do anything. She even refused to move in with us any time we offered. She said even though they don’t love her anymore. They are still her family, and she still loves them.” Bora said and looked at Siyeon.

“I don’t even know if they noticed she went missing. And if they did, they didn’t seem to care. No one was looking for her but us.” Handong said as she shook her head.

“I can't believe I didn’t notice! I mean, I know that junior year Yoohyeon always ditched me to hang out with Minji. Maybe I thought she was just with you all, but I should have noticed something was up…” Siyeon said, but Handong and Bora shook their heads.

“We had a girl ask you if you had seen Yoohyeon. You had said someone had told you that she was going on a family trip for a week. We believed it at first and waited longer than we should have before starting to hunt for her.” Handong said as she looked sad.

“I remember that. I ran into Yoohyeon’s cousin and asked him where she was. He told me that she was on a family vacation and that her mom had taken her phone. He said for me to stop calling her because it was making her mom mad…” Siyeon said, and the three girls' eyes went wide in shock.

“her own family?” Bora asked in shock. “her own family let that happen to her?” Bora was shaking slightly.

“The fact that she agreed so eagerly to move in with us now tells us she was either extremely lonely, they are treating her even worse, or she now views us more as her family, and not them. Either way, we will always be here for her.” Handong said. Bora held Siyeon’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“if this is true and her own family turned on her…” siyeon’s voice was dangerously low as she looked at Yoohyeon. Someone had hurt her friend and packmate. And the one that helped them was part of her own family.

Did they all know about it, or was it just him? Did Yoohyeon know? Did her own family lure her into the trap that the alpha made? Could they really care so little for their own family now? Questions kept flowing through her head, and there was one thing she was sure of. Whoever this alpha was, she was going to rip him apart for hurting her family. For hurting Yoohyeon.

“So, who is this alpha that’s after me and hurt Yoohyeon?” Siyeon asked with a very forced casual tone as she looked at Bora. Her eyes were still blazing a vivid green, but she controlled her expression, and Bora luckily didn’t know what Siyeon was planning.

“his name is Jackson. Don’t let his friendly smile fool you. He acts kindly in front of strangers and is a maniac behind closed doors. I have even heard he forces the youngest packmates to fight each other for his entertainment. Like a wolf version of a fight club. Some of them have even died, and he didn’t seem to care. They seem expendable to him…” Handong said as she looked coldly out the window.

“Well, look what we have here…We have a watcher…” Handong said just loud enough for everyone to hear, and they quietly snuck over to look for themselves.

There, just in the tree lines, was a small light-colored wolf slowly walking into the field while sniffing the air. It slowly walked over until it was now standing where the fight took place, and slowly circled while sniffing the ground. His search pattern showed that he was tracking the missing members' scent, and when he arrived at the area of the fight, the scent of so much blood seemed to make the small wolf nervous. His tail was tucked slightly, and his ears were flicking widely as he listened for any sounds of a potential threat.

“he obviously didn’t witness the fight…” Bora said as she watched him search for his missing packmates.

“I think it’s time for our alpha to make an appearance…” Minji said as she looked to Siyeon. Siyeon just nodded, and everyone slowly walked toward the backyard. It was going to be an interesting night…

  
  



	14. Chapter 14

-Outside-

Bora and Handong quickly threw open the back door as Siyeon leapt out in wolf form to land powerfully with her head high and teeth bared as she looked at the strange wolf in her territory.

‘ _you're in the wrong place, little wolf…_ ’ Siyeon growled as she emitted her alpha aura, and slowly stepped closer to the wolf, who now spotted her.

His ears flicked back, and his tail went between his legs as he nervously backed up towards the tree line.

‘ _I’m just looking for some of my pack that went missing! I don’t mean to intrude!_ ’ the young wolf said nervously as he hunkered down in fear.

‘ _You’re missing three packmates attacked our youngest members, unprovoked. They accused us of doing something to their brother and attacked my little sisters. I’m sure you can guess what happened when they didn’t listen to reason…_ ’ Siyeon growled as she looked at the terrified wolf in front of her.

‘ _Go and tell whoever your alpha is that we will not stand for our packmates to be attacked unprovoked on our OWN land!’_ Siyeon said strongly, but the wolf turned his head, looking confused.

_‘I thought this was vampire land?_ ’ he asked out of confusion when Minji Handong and Bora walked out to greet him.

“it is. And this vampire here is her mate.” Minji said flatly as she pointed at Bora, who was getting nuzzled by Siyeon.

_‘she found her mate?_ ’ the wolf asked worriedly, and both Siyeon and Bora nodded.

“so, this land is ours, and hers. She is a part of our family now, as we are a part of hers. Mess with her, and mess with us. Tell that to whoever sent you…” Minji said coldly.

The wolf just nodded when suddenly he froze. ‘ _how can you understand wolves?_ ’ he asked curiously.

‘ _shit!_ ’ Minji said to her pack as she tried not to flinch at the question.

“We are the strongest vampires around and are from three of the strongest vampire families. You think we can’t understand a couple wolves?” Minji said, trying to act calm and cold. Luckily the wolf bought it as he nodded and slowly slunk away to report the news.

“well, that couldn’t have gone better!” Yoohyeon said as she hunkered behind Siyeon.

‘ _Yoohyeon, what the hell are you doing under my tail?_ ’ Siyeon asked as she felt Yoohyeon’s nervousness. She quickly realized why the tall girl was hiding behind her. She was terrified and obviously recognized that wolf.

‘ _everyone, leave me alone with Yoohyeon for a moment_.’ Siyeon ordered, and everyone obeyed. However, Minji was not very happy.

Yoohyeon squirmed under Siyeon’s intense stare. For the first time, she actually felt like an omega to Siyeon, and she didn’t know how to feel about it.

‘ _Yoohyeon, show me what happened to you the night that alpha kidnapped you. That’s an order…_ ’ Siyeon said as she put a tiny bit of her will behind it.

“oh, god! Please, Siyeon, no! Don’t make me show you that! I’m begging you!” Yoohyeon pleaded and started to cry. It caught Siyeon completely off-guard.

_‘Yoohyeon…_ ’ Siyeon said softly as the girl finally looked at her. _‘I need to know what you went through so that I can know if you can fight against them if he shows up. I don’t want to lose you, and I also don’t want to put you through something like that again._ ’ she said as gently as possible _. ‘plus, what If you hesitate when we are relying on you, you can get us killed, Minji killed…_ ’ Siyeon said, and Yoohyeon’s shoulders slumped. She knew Siyeon had a point.

Soon Yoohyeon sighed and opened her memories to Siyeon.

Minji was holding onto Handong and Bora for support, she was very worried for Yoohyeon when they heard Siyeon’s howl. They could feel both the anger and complete sadness as Siyeon held the note impossibly long.

Minji started to sob as she held onto the two girls. Siyeon’s cry confirmed their worst fears. He had hurt Yoohyeon. Minji just didn’t know how.

Soon Siyeon walked in looking rather coldly as she looked at the members while Yoohyeon stood shyly behind her and refused to look anyone in the eyes.

“We train tomorrow. Everyone. We will also train to strengthen our bond. We will practice until we can feel where our packmates are at all times. This rival pack outnumbers us, but I believe we are stronger. If we can hone our skills, we can get that bastard!” Siyeon growled as she looked at her members. The growl emanated from deep within siyeon’s chest, and everyone could feel siyeon’s rage. They all nodded in agreement. Their faces were set with determination. Siyeon’s howl triggered something in them. They harmed one of their pack, and they wouldn’t let that pass. Siyeon wrapped her arm around Yoohyeon and made her look at her.

“it's ok, it’s not your fault. You know that, right?” Siyeon asked, and Yoohyeon nodded but didn’t seem to believe it.

“I mean it! And you know we will ALWAYS be here for you. You are a part of my pack, and I will always protect you. It's my job. Unlike that bastard that thinks his pack should keep HIM safe while he stays back at home safe and sound while his packmates go missing and are dying.” Siyeon said, and everyone gathered around Yoohyeon and hugged her supportively.

“Everyone! Remember, we start training in the morning. Minji, is there a way out of the house that can keep us hidden from our watchers?” Siyeon asked, and Minji grinned widely.

“Oh, hell yeah there is!” Minji said as she held a goofy smile.

“good, then everyone gets some sleep. You will need your strength. And Dami? Gahyeon? How are you two?” Siyeon asked as she noticed some scrapes, and bitemarks still visible on the two.

“we will be ok as soon as we drink some blood, and We will drink right before we go to sleep. By the way, we found out that because we are vampire hybrids, we can heal on the battlefield. If we bite and hold onto another wolf, we can get enough blood to heal minor wounds. I thought we should tell you that before you start our training…” Dami said nervously as she looked at Gahyeon.

“well… that’s very convenient!” Siyeon said as she nodded to herself.

“ok, I will plan on how to start our training. Everyone go to sleep! Now!” she said as she waved everyone away and walked with Bora to their room.

“so…” Bora said with a hint of playfulness. “you DID promise me something earlier…” Bora hinted while trying to lighten siyeon’s mood and succeeded as Siyeon laughed.

“yes, and I didn’t forget it either. Ready to have some fun? I think we both need it after tonight…” Siyeon teased as she kissed Bora and picked the smaller girl up, causing Bora to wrap her legs around Siyeon’s waist. Siyeon grinned as she kissed Bora, and the couple disappeared into Bora's room.

# Yoohyeon and Minji

That night Minji was glued to Yoohyeon. She wouldn’t let her out of her arms. “Minji! I'm hot!” Yoohyeon whined as Minji clung to her with a huge comforter over the two.

“yes, you are. And it feels a little warm here too…” Minji said, and Yoohyeon cringed at the bad joke.

“oh, don’t even try to hide it. You know you love it!” Minji said as she snuggled into Yoohyeon’s neck as she left kisses all over Yoohyeon. The wolf stopped struggling to get out of the bed and sighed happily.

“you know my weaknesses, don’t you?” Yoohyeon teased as Minji continued to kiss down her neck. The stress from earlier evaporated, and soon Yoohyeon was only focused on Minji. Her girlfriend always knew how to calm her down, and it always led to a fun time, which was a bonus in Yoohyeon’s book.

The kissing quickly went from calming to passionate as Minji went lower and would gently nip Yoohyeon’s skin with her fangs sending cold chills down the wolf's body as the waves of pleasure washed over her.

The more into it the two got, the harder the bites got. Soon Minji was biting Yoohyeon’s neck, and for the first time, she drank from Yoohyeon.

Yoohyeon’s mind went blank as she felt Minji’s fangs puncture her sensitive spot on her neck. Shivers ran down her entire body, and soon, all she could feel was an intense pleasure. Yoohyeon had always wanted to experience the pleasure and relaxation she was told a vampire bite could bring, but Minji had never allowed it before.

Yoohyeon gasped in surprise at the feeling and let it flow through her as chills of pleasure ran down her body. Minji was gently drinking while being extremely careful not to hurt the girl she loved as she gently rubbed her thumb against Yoohyeons cheek as she softly held Yoohyeon still. She wanted Yoohyeon to forget about everything just for tonight. To just feel pleasure for a night where everything in the past didn’t matter. So Minji decided to drink from her for the first time.

Minji had refused before when Yoohyeon offered. She didn’t want their relationship to just turn into blood and sex, and biting can get addicting. She cared too much for Yoohyeon to do that to her. But Minji could feel the anxiety radiating off of her mate and had to do something.

Tonight, Minji would do EVERYTHING in her power to make sure Yoohyeon knew she was loved and only feel pleasure and happiness tonight. She wanted Yoohyeon to know just how much Minji cared. Sleep would probably not be something that would happen tonight, at least not for this couple. And they couldn’t care less.

They spent all night in each other's arms while whispering sweet ‘I love you’s and making love to each other until falling asleep in each other's arms in the morning.

# Morning

The next morning the members slowly woke up and came into the kitchen for breakfast. Everyone was quiet. They seemed nervous and didn’t want to show it. Everyone sat around the table quietly while waiting for the two youngest to wake up and come upstairs.

“finally! You sleepyheads!” Minji teased to lighten the mood as the two girls walked in, looking very sleepy still though Minji didn’t look much better. The vampire and her mate only got two hours of sleep, but they both seemed rather relaxed and happy anyway.

“Sorry, we had a hard time falling asleep last night, and kind of overslept…” Dami said as she rubbed her face while trying to wake up.

“oh, really? What were you doing if you weren't sleeping?” Bora teased and got an elbow from Siyeon.

“I don’t need to know about my little sister's sex life, please!” Siyeon shouted as everyone, including Gahyeon, giggled.

“it wasn’t like that, ok, well it kinda was… Dami was really worried after the fight and wouldn’t leave my side. She kept waking me up to see if I was breathing and kept kissing and nuzzling me…, and one thing led to another…” Gahyeon said as she shrugged.

“well, when I saw him grab you by the neck, and heard you yelp, I panicked!” Dami said as she looked at Gahyeon worriedly. The image was still burned into Dami’s memory, and her heart rate would rise, and her chest aches at the sound of her mate in pain every time the image crossed the hybrid's mind.

“says the one that had blood pouring from her neck! I looked over and saw you staggering, and I thought I had lost you. I just got to be close to you, I don’t want to lose you…” Gahyeon said as she sniffed, and Dami gave her a hug to calm her.

“let me see your wounds…” Siyeon said as she looked at the two girls. It wasn’t a question, it was an order, and the girls moved the collars of their shirts to show the scars. Bora hissed as she looked at the scars and looked at Minji.

“were they as bad as I think they were?” Bora asked, and Minji nodded.

“luckily, while the girls were fighting, they had the idea to try to drink one of the wolves' blood. They found out that they could heal rapidly while fighting, and it's probably the only thing that saved them. It also seems that wolf blood heals them faster than human blood. So, if we incorporate that into their training, they may be some of our best fighters.” Minji said as she looked at Siyeon.

“it also means that if need be, we can lend them some blood to heal quickly,” Siyeon said, and the others nodded in agreement. “I wonder if it works the same with vampire blood?” Siyeon asked, and Bora shrugged.

“I don’t know what works faster than wolf blood, but at one time, Dami was injured when she was younger and needed to feed. I let her drink from me, and she healed rapidly.” Bora said, and Dami nodded.

“I wonder if that could also be a cause of Dami’s appearance. She drank from vampires but no wolves, maybe even felt slightly threatened by wolves, so the sides of her were a clearer split.” Handong thought aloud as she looked at Dami, and the younger girl shrugged.

“Well, last night, Dami obviously didn’t know what she was doing, and was just desperately trying to protect Gahyeon, but Gahyeon seemed to know what she was doing. She was fast, and the wolf she was fighting had way more wounds than she did.” Minji said as Yoohyeon nodded in agreement.

“she’s a natural. And Dami wasn’t that bad for just shifting. Plus, Minji was a BEAST! She tore into them, and none of them could touch her! We defiantly have a chance at winning!” Yoohyeon said as she looked at Siyeon seriously.

“what weapons did Minji use?” Siyeon asked, and Minji held up her hands to show off her nails. They were always painted and long. Siyeon just looked at the girl confused, and soon Bora and Handong held up their hands as well.

“I don’t get it…” Siyeon said as she looked at the girls. “you fought them with fake nails?” Siyeon asked, and the three giggled.

Bora walked over and sat on siyeon’s lap and held her hand in front of siyeon’s face. Soon boras nails looked like claws. Or to be more specific, claws seemed to come from under the fake nails. They looked almost like cat claws, and Bora looked at them with a confused look. “uh, girls?” Bora called, and the two other vampires walked over and gasped in surprise.

“what?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the wickedly deadly-looking claws.

“they usually don’t look like this. Usually, it's like our nails just grow longer and pointy. They also get extremely strong, but I look like a cat!” Bora said in a panic. She quickly looked to Minji and Handong. They looked at their nails, and they looked the same.

“This must be a part of the changes we will go through…” Minji said as she groaned and retracted her claws. They were indeed like a cat. The three vampires just groaned and looked at Siyeon for directions.

“Well, first things first, we need to get out of here without getting noticed. There are several wolves outside. I can smell them…” Dami said as she looked at Siyeon.

“we seemed to anger them last night…” Handong said as she looked at Siyeon and Minji.

“How well do you smell them, Dami?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked at her curiously.

“I can smell that there are six of them out there and that they are all males. Also, one of them seems nervous, and I smelled that wolf last night. The one you let get away to spread the message.” Dami said as she looked at Siyeon.

“um, Siyeon, how many adult wolves have you been around?” Yoohyeon asked as Siyeon thought to herself.

“well, not many. Mainly my parents. They refused to start a pack, so I was only around them, and Gahyeon for most of my life. Why?” Siyeon asked, and Yoohyeon nodded.

“well, I guess I really CAN help. Siyeon, Dami’s sense of smell is stronger than normal. She also may be faster than I am. Some wolves develop stronger abilities than others. My mother's pack has someone who is like Dami. His sense of smell is so strong that he is used as their scout. He can also remember a scent he has smelled only once. if Dami is the same, we can have a severe advantage.” Yoohyeon said as she looked at Dami.

“your size and appearance will also help you. You seem to scare other wolves.” Yoohyeon said, and Dami nodded.

“I noticed. As soon as they looked into my eyes, I could smell fear from them.” Dami said, and the group looked at Dami proudly. She was learning quickly.

“So, how are we going to get out of here?” Gahyeon asked curiously as she looked at Minji. Minji let a goofy smile cross her face and stood.

“well, let’s just show you…” Minji said as she skipped along toward the basement, and Dami looked at Minji, confused.

“Why are we down here?” Yoohyeon asked as she walked behind her and into the library.

“well, I decided to build Dami’s library down here for a reason…” Minji said as she walked over to a bookshelf and started sliding her hand along it until she felt what she was looking for.

“aha!” Minji shouted as she pressed something. Everyone heard a click, and the bookshelf swung out gently, leaving the girls to look at Minji with stunned expressions.

“what? I wanted a way out just in case the humans found out what we are and try to do something… it happened with my parents. I don’t want to lose anyone again.” Minji said as she shrugged, but everyone could see the sadness hidden in her eyes.

Yoohyeon gently put an arm around Minji, and Minji smiled in appreciation at her girlfriend as she signaled the others to follow.

As the group followed Minji, they realized that they were walking down, not straight. Where were they going?

“hey Minji, are we going deeper? Are we not trying to escape the house, not go deeper?” Siyeon asked, and Minji just laughed at Siyeon.

“You will see when we get there. We are really close…” Minji said as they finally saw a metal door in front of them.

“ah! Were here!” Minji shouted as she typed a passcode into the door, and it beeped and swung open.

“holy shit! Minji, your batman!” Siyeon said as she looked into the room, and Minji just chuckled.

“exaggerating much?” Minji teased as she walked into the underground garage.

“hey, I don’t even know some of the brands of cars here! And you have motorcycles, and four-wheelers too?” Siyeon looked around, very impressed.

“hold up, is that a fucking boat?” Yoohyeon said as she pointed to indeed a boat that floated gently in what looked like a mix of a man-made path and a natural cave for it to escape.

“you even added a boat? When did you do that?” Handong asked, and Minji shrugged.

“about a year or two ago? Maybe three?” she said as she shrugged. “I'm not sure honestly. I just wanted to make sure we have everything we need if we ever need to escape.” Minji said as she looked at everyone.

“I'm surprised you don’t have a plane…” Gahyeon teased, but Dami burst into laughter, causing Minji to frown.

“what! It was a good investment!” Minji said as she looked at the still laughing Dami. Bora and Handong just shook their heads at the memories.

“she purchased a helicopter last year. It led to a huge fight with Bora and Handong. They panicked when they heard a helicopter land on our roof and ran up there only to find Minji grinning like an idiot. It was a very interesting sight…” Dami said as Handong, and Bora shook their heads.

“interesting is not how I would describe that event…” Handong said as she rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

“well, at least one of you knows how to fly it, right?” Gahyeon asked, and everyone nodded and pointed to Dami.

“Seriously?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at her girlfriend.

“well, Minji would kill us if she tried to learn to fly it, and Handong would try to do stunts in it. I’m the safest choice.” Dami said as she shrugged.

“I ask one time if it can do a flip, and I'm banned from flying…” Handong said as she rolled her eyes.

“what about Bora?” Siyeon asked as she wondered why Bora was left out.

“You couldn’t PAY me to get into that deathtrap!” Bora shouted as she shivered.

“fear of heights…” Dami said, and everyone nodded in understanding.

“ugh…” Bora groaned as she shivered, and Siyeon put an arm around her small shoulders to comfort her. Bora leaned into the embrace and sighed happily.

“Alright, ready to get out of here?” Minji asked as she walked over to three cars that looked exactly like the one Dami drove a couple of days ago.

“nope! Nope! Nope!” Gahyeon said as she went to turn back around and head inside when Dami caught her and chuckled.

“Relax, you don’t have to ride with me. You can ride with Yoohyeon and Minji. She drives like a grandma anyways.” Dami said, and Minji shot her a glare. “Handong, am I wrong?” Dami asked, and Handong shook her head.

“she is the slowest driver we know…” Handong teased, causing Minji to huff in annoyance.

“fine then! We will take baby Gahyeon, you speed demons!” Minji shouted as she wheeled Gahyeon towards her bright pink sportscar.

“Actually, how many cars are we taking?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked around.

“I was thinking three, mine, Handong’s, and Dami’s. Bora doesn’t like this type of car, so it makes the most sense.” Minji said, and Bora nodded.

“damn straight! You pay that much money for it, and it shakes when you go too fast! I thought the car would shake apart!” Bora shouted as the three rolled their eyes at her.

“so, who is riding with who? I know I’m riding with Minji and Yoohyeon, right?” Gahyeon asked curiously as everyone looked around.

“Actually, I want to ride with Handong!” Yoohyeon said excitedly. “it’s always fun when she drives!” Yoohyeon said as Handong smiled, and Minji just rolled her eyes and unlocked her car.

“you two are such bad influences on each other while driving…” Minji said as she rolled her eyes. The two don’t usually ride together because Yoohyeon gets Handong to do more dangerous stunts than Minji would like.

“well, I guess it’s just you and I, Gahyeon!” Minji said as she opened the passenger door and helped Gahyeon get buckled in. Gahyeon was right last time. Dami purposely went slow when buckling Gahyeon in.

_‘I knew it!_ ’ Gahyeon said to Dami. Gahyeon turned to glare at Dami, but she was looking away while grinning.

‘ _oh, we will so talk about this later…_ ’ Gahyeon said to Dami, and she just snickered and walked toward her car.

“is something wrong?” Minji asked as she sat in the driver's seat and watched Gahyeon glare at Dami.

“no, I just remembered something that she did last time she was driving…” Gahyeon said as she still glared out the window at Dami.

“Should I worry?” Minji asked as she looked at Gahyeon, but Gahyeon shook her head.

“no, she was just toying with me a bit when she buckled me in last time…” Gahyeon said, and Minji laughed.

“wow! I didn’t know Dami had it in her!” Minji said as she started the engine.

The seating arrangements went as follows. Bora was going to ride with Handong and Yoohyeon, and Bora would regret that decision by the end of the trip. While Siyeon was going to experience Dami’s driving for the first time.

Siyeon thought that Gahyeon was exaggerating on Dami’s driving and wanted to see for herself if it was really as scary as her sister made it out to be. There would be a lot of screaming on this trip, and Gahyeon was happy that she wasn’t going to be one of the screaming girls this time.

Minji messaged Handong and Dami the address to key into the GPS, and soon the sportscars started revving their engines. Minji rolled her eyes at the two who were obviously planning to race.

“aren’t you glad you’re riding with me and not those fools?” Minji joked as Gahyeon nodded vigorously.

“I don’t like feeling like my stomach is in my throat, and that’s how it feels when Dami drives…” Gahyeon said as a shiver ran down her body at the memory.

“I understand completely…” Minji said as she nodded. “my poor baby is probably going to be deaf by the end of this ride…” Minji pouted as she watched the two cars lurch forward with a screeching of tires as they flew down the tunnel towards the outside.

“why?” Gahyeon asked as Minji started driving. The vampire did drive fast compared to humans, but it was a speed that Gahyeon was ok with, and they enjoyed the drive as they chatted with each other.

“you know how loud bora can be. She is going to be screaming at the top of her lungs in a small closed-in space…” Minji said, and Gahyeon’s eyes went wide.

“I feel sorry for Yoohyeon and Handong…” Gahyeon said as she shook her head while imagining it.

“Hey, at least you don’t have to worry about it. But Siyeon is probably experiencing what you did the first time, so I can’t wait to see our alphas reaction when we get to our destination…” Minji teased, and Gahyeon giggled, imagining her sister freaking out.

“where are we going anyway?” Gahyeon asked, and the vampire smiled.

“my safe place. A place that only me and one other person know about. I guess you all will meet her soon…” Minji said as she smiled, and Gahyeon wasn’t sure how to think about that.

“will Yoohyeon be jealous?” Gahyeon teased, and Minji burst out in laughter.

“God, I hope not! She's like a second mother to me!” Minji said as she giggled and drove down a small road that looked like it hasn’t been traveled on in years. The path was only big enough for one car to travel at a time, and trees were creating what looked like a tunnel that the cars traveled through.

“you’re sure that there will be no wolves in this area?” Gahyeon asked, and Minji nodded confidently.

“This path is in the ‘cursed zone’ that wolves won't travel on. It's completely safe. They wouldn’t dare to travel here.” Minji said, and Gahyeon felt her fur raise.

“Please tell me you're not saying what I think you are…” Gahyeon said, and Minji chuckled.

“I will explain everything when we get there, ok? Don’t worry. You're completely safe. I promise. You don’t think I would take my family somewhere dangerous, do you?” Minji asked, and Gahyeon relaxed slightly.

“We are almost there!” Minji said as she looked ahead of her. All the two could see that there was light up ahead that looked like the signs of a clearing up ahead as the path widened up, letting in light to the dark tree-covered path, and Gahyeon started feeling nervous again.

“well, let's see how this goes…” Gahyeon said as she took a deep breath and looked at the group waiting for them.


	15. Chapter 15

-Training Grounds-

“holy shit!” Siyeon said as she kissed the ground after splatting out of the car in a rather undignified way. Dami just rolled her eyes as she turned around and looked at Handong’s car flying towards them.

“watch out!” Dami yelled as Siyeon looked up to see a car drifting towards her. Siyeon could hear Bora’s shrieking and see her holding onto the handle as the car drifted to a stop inches from Siyeon.

“holy shit!” Siyeon shouted again as she fell backward.

“I can't believe you beat me!” Handong shouted as she huffed in disappointment and got out of the car. Dami laughed at Handong’s annoyed expression.

“well, there's always the drive home!” Dami said as Yoohyeon crawled out of the back seat.

“I THINK I’M DEAF!” Yoohyeon shouted as she massaged her tender ears. “BORA WAS SHOUTING THE ENTIRE RIDE!” Yoohyeon shouted, and the others chuckled at her antics.

About fifteen minutes later, Minji and Gahyeon arrived, and Handong and Dami groaned “finally!” as she pulled up.

Gahyeon and Minji got out and walked over to everyone, and Minji signaled them to follow her.

Minji walked up to Siyeon and whispered something into her ear. “so… how did you like Dami’s driving?” Minji asked with a hint of laughter in her voice, and the alpha rolled her eyes.

“terrifying, but after I was out of the car and done panicking, I kinda wanted to go again. don’t tell her, though.” Siyeon said, and Minji laughed as she turned to the whole group.

“well, here we are!” Minji Said as she looked around at everyone.

“So, where are we?” Siyeon asked as she looked up at a path that didn’t seem to be used for a long time. It looked like a small game trail except for the fact that it had gravel lining the path.

“well, you know that mountain that wolves say is cursed, and don’t come to?” Minji asked, and Siyeon looked at her suspiciously.

“yes…” she said as she raised a brow at Minji.

“well, ta-da! That’s where we are!” Minji said as she smiled brightly.

“seriously?! Wolves disappear from this mountain! There is a reason that no one goes here!” Siyeon yelled as she looked at Minji.

“nonsense! My family started that rumor years ago! It was my father's idea to create a safe place just in case we stopped getting along with the wolves in the area. And look! It came in handy!” Minji said as she walked down the trail.

“that still doesn’t explain all of the wolves disappearing…” Siyeon grumbled, and Minji decided to ignore it and keep going.

“you coming?” she said as she looked over her shoulder briefly before turning around again and walking down the path. Mist covered the land all around them, and they could only see a couple feet in front of them as they followed the trail.

The trail looked like something that you would see in a horror movie with a serial killer or witches. The path was dark, and a thick mist swirled around them, making everything look and feel eerie. There were also no sounds of animals in the forest or if there was the mist silenced the sounds, and it made the wolves feel like their senses were severely dulled and put everyone on edge.

‘i _t's just ahead!_ ’ Minji's mind spoke to everyone, and everyone mentally sighed in relief. The trail was giving everyone the creeps. To say the wolves really didn’t like it because they couldn’t smell anything very well in the mist was an understatement. It felt like their senses were dull, and it started to stress everyone out, even the vampires were starting to feel more anxious.

Soon everyone was standing in front of a large and old looking metal gate. It seemed to have been painted white at one time, but now it was peeling and rusting. Minji carefully unlocked the gate and swung it open, admitting everyone.

Everyone gasped as they looked at the area in front of them. There was a huge grey house in front of them with tons of windows that had grey and white shutters and a courtyard.

The courtyard must have been beautiful at one point in time, but now it was overgrown, and the bushes that were once trimmed beautifully grew wild as they pleased. The mansion looked very old, and obviously, no one had been there to take care of it in ages. Or so they thought.

“it’s like a scene from an old movie…” Gahyeon said as she looked at the house in wonder.

“yes, it was my mother’s. She didn’t want to stay here because she said it was too remote, and swore it was haunted.” Minji said, and Bora looked at Minji in a panic.

“seriously, Bora, you’re a vampire, but your terrified of ghosts?” Minji teased as Bora shivered and went over to snuggle against Siyeon.

“We can stay here for a few days. It will also give those wolves enough time to realize that we gave them the slip. Hopefully, when we do go back home, they will be gone…” Minji said, and Dami grabbed her arm.

“who is in the house?” Dami asked as her eyes glowed. It caught Minji off guard. She was so used to her gold eyes and thought the different colored eyes were because of her wolf form, but there it was, one gold eye, and one red eye staring at Minji.

“wh-what?” Minji asked as she tried to gather her thoughts.

“I asked who is in the house right now? I smell someone, and it’s not a scent o recognize. Not wolf, not vampire or human…” Dami said as she looked at Minji seriously.

“my aunt takes care of the place for me. Well, she was my mother's best friend. We are not actually related. But why do you ask?” Minji asked, and Dami looked at her nervously.

“because I don’t know what she is…” Dami said nervously, and Minji chuckled.

“well, let’s go meet her, and you can find out, ok?” Minji asked as Dami grabbed Minji’s hand nervously and nodded.

“well! Look what we have here! A musical voice called as it drifted across the courtyard. Minji smiled as she held her arms wide.

“Auntie!” Minji cried as she ran up, and a body appeared from the mist to hug the girl. Dami’s instincts were on alert as she looked at the person hugging Minji.

“and who are they?” the woman asked as she smiled sweetly at everyone.

“my family. We need to train, so I thought papa's old training grounds out back would be perfect.” Minji said as the woman held her at arm’s length to look at her.

“You have gotten so big!” she said as she hugged Minji again. “your mother and father would be so proud. And of course! That’s a perfect idea. Come inside, everyone!” the woman invited sweetly as she walked toward the house.

“I still don’t know what she is, and her eyes are purple. I haven’t even read about anything like her…” Dami said nervously as everyone quietly walked into the house.

“you have never heard of my kind because I am the last as far as I know.” The woman said as she smiled sadly.

“like you wolves, there are others that shift, and I am one of them. My animal is a fox.” The woman said as she looked at everyone.

“wait, a nine-tailed fox?” Dami asked, and the woman nodded.

“what's your name?” Siyeon asked politely as she looked at the fox in front of her.

“oh! Sorry! I’m not used to people anymore! Sunmi. My name is Sunmi.” The fox said as she smiled.

“is it true you eat livers?” Dami asked curiously, and Sunmi giggled.

“no, we don’t eat livers. In fact, most of the rumors about us are false. Including our number of tails.” Sunmi said as she looked at Dami kindly. “our tails are slightly longer than normal, but we only have one tail. That rumor comes from a trick we can play on the mind to make ourselves look bigger and fiercer, but it’s all an illusion.” Sunmi said, and Dami nodded in understanding.

“so that’s why there are a lot of conflicting stories about your kind…” Dami said to herself, and Sunmi nodded.

“well, let’s get everyone situated before continuing this conversation,” Sunmi said as she ushered everyone deeper into the house.

As everyone walked inside, Minji held back to walk beside Yoohyeon. Her mate kept looking at Sunmi with a strange look.

“babe? What's wrong?” Minji asked, and Yoohyeon shook her head.

“why is it that everyone around you is hot?” Yoohyeon said as she looked between Sunmi and Minji.

“I mean, she's not as beautiful as you are after all no one is, but damn! My family looks like trash compared to yours!” Yoohyeon said as she looked deeply into Minji’s eyes with a cute pout on her lips.

“Kim Yoohyeon!” Minji shouted jokingly as she smiled and wrapped her arms around the wolf.

“I don’t know about your family because they hate me, but you’re the hottest person I know. You also have a body to die for. In my eyes, your hotter than anyone else. But if I catch you giving Sunmi the eye, you will lose yours…” Minji teased as she looked at her mate, who gulped nervously.

Minji could be very dominant when she felt jealous, sometimes it was really fun, but everything's good in moderation. Yoohyeon would remember that warning.

# Training

Sunmi had shown everyone where they would be staying, and as everyone got situated, Sunmi started cooking. The fox didn’t like to cook at first, but when you’re the last of your kind, you start picking up hobbies to fight the loneliness.

“hey, auntie? We’re going out back to train ok?” Minji called, and Sunmi acknowledged her and continued cooking.

Soon everyone was outside, and except for the vampires, completely naked.

‘ _well, I was right…_ ’ Minji's mind spoke to Handong and Bora. _‘Gahyeon and Dami seem completely fine with being naked now, huh?_ ’ she said as the others fought to hide their snickering.

‘ _well, Gahyeon takes after her sister, but Dami definitely takes after you Minji!_ ’ Bora teased, and Handong nodded in agreement.

_‘not true!’_ Minji said as she pouted.

‘ _so true. You're always naked in your room!_ ’ Handong teased as she looked at Minji and stuck her tongue out.

_‘yeah, but I never leave my room naked!_ ’ Minji said in her defense.

‘ _I thought Yoohyeon said that one day, you chased her around completely naked when she did something wrong?_ ’ Siyeon mind spoke to the three catching them all off guard.

_‘I thought we were only talking amongst ourselves!_ ’ Handong said, shocked, and Siyeon nodded.

‘ _I think I’m coming into my alpha abilities. I can now sometimes hear your private conversations._ ’ Siyeon said as she shrugged.

‘ _does that mean we are running out of time?_ ’ Bora asked, and Siyeon looked her in the eyes.

“I’m not sure, Bora. I just hope we all learn fast…” Siyeon said aloud, startling Gahyeon and Dami.

Soon they walked into a very battle-scarred field. Long grass blew in the breeze, but deep and dark gouges were taken out of the ground randomly. It looked like a big battle had happened here.

“What happened here?” Siyeon asked as she looked around. Minji looked around and smiled.

“my parents would train with Sunmi here. The burnt holes in the ground are from her. Foxes can throw an orb that is like a mix of lightning and fire. That is what caused the marks you see.” Minji said as she smiled at the memories.

“wait, if they were that strong, how did they ever get killed in the first place?” Yoohyeon asked as she put an arm around her girlfriend. Minji smiled sadly as she looked at her.

“let’s just say my parents were too trusting of humans. It led to their death and almost mine too.” Minji said, and Yoohyeon hugged her tightly.

“I'm sorry for asking…” Yoohyeon said sadly, but Minji just shook her head.

“It taught me a valuable lesson. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have had a way out of the house for today.” Minji said as she smiled and looked around.

“well, are we ready? What do we do first, Siyeon?” Minji asked as she looked to Siyeon.

“Well, first, we need to shift. Then we will explain wolf body language to you and Dami. From the look of it, none of that alphas pack is well trained. That may change as we get closer to his inner pack, but I think you need to learn the basics.” Siyeon said, and everyone nodded.

“Gahyeon, I know you used to watch me training with mom and dad. But it has been a while. So I want you watching a bit before you join, ok?” Siyeon asked, and Gahyeon nodded and walked over to Bora, who had a spare blanket that she brought, and draped it over the naked girl.

“Thanks,” Gahyeon said as she smiled at Bora.

“no problem!” Bora said as she smiled back at Gahyeon. Siyeon watched the interaction between her sister and Bora and smiled. She could tell that Bora truly cared about her little sister, and that made Siyeon feel extremely happy that the two people she cared about most could get so close so soon.

“ready?” Yoohyeon asked as Siyeon snapped out of her daydream.

“huh? Oh yeah. Let's go!” Siyeon said as she shifted quickly, followed by Yoohyeon. The two large wolves squared off against each other. Suddenly Bora and Minji felt extremely nervous.

‘ _ready Yoohyeon? We haven’t done this in forever!_ ’ Siyeon said as she started to feel excited.

‘ _yeah, just remember you’re an alpha of a pack now. You’re a lot stronger than before. Go easy on me, ok?_ ’ Yoohyeon teased as they circled each other.

‘ _watch our paws and chest. Muscles flex right before we move. If you learn those, it can give you an early warning unless they have learned to hide their movements. Ok?_ ’ Siyeon said, and everyone agreed and watched nervously.

Soon Yoohyeon lunged in and snapped at Siyeon’s neck, but Siyeon was already gone. Siyeon had seen her attack, and within seconds was on top of Yoohyeon. The lanky wolf quickly rolled flinging Siyeon off, and they both were back on their feet, looking at each other.

‘ _getting slower?_ ’ Siyeon asked as she looked at Yoohyeon.

‘ _more like you’re getting faster!’_ Yoohyeon said, now slightly more cautious. This time Yoohyeon tested Siyeon’s reaction speed by taking nips at her legs or side while dancing around the alpha. This continued for a minute or two when finally, Yoohyeon felt confident enough to try to challenge Siyeon again.

This time Yoohyeon went low. She lunged in, and Siyeon expected another neck attack, but instead, Yoohyeon lunged for a leg to slow Siyeon down. Yoohyeon’s attack succeeded somewhat. She managed to injure Siyeon, but the older wolf's reactions saved her from a nastier bite.

Bora clenched her fists as she watched nervously.

‘ _you learned some new tricks!_ ’ Siyeon said as she looked at Yoohyeon, impressed.

‘ _well, my family may not acknowledge me anymore, but they still train out front, so I watch them and learn what I can when they don’t know I’m watching!_ ’ Yoohyeon said, and Siyeon tried to hide her feelings of sadness from Yoohyeon.

‘ _well, let’s show them that your even better than them, then shall we? We are your family too. And we will never ignore you. Let's see what we can do!’_ Siyeon said as they started to get serious.

Everyone watched as the two wolves whirled around, feinting and snapping at each other. Occasionally there would be a yip where someone made contact, but that was now rare. They learned each other's moves and tried new techniques, and learned what works, and what didn’t.

Dami watched very intently. She was determined not to be a burden like in their last fight. Though Dami had helped, Gahyeon was the better fighter that night. And Dami’s inexperience could have gotten Gahyeon killed. She wouldn’t let herself be unprepared ever again.

Soon the fight stopped as the two both panted, and they flopped on their sides out of breath. Luckily for wolves, their stamina builds quickly while in wolf form, so in a couple of minutes, they were ready again.

‘ _Gahyeon, you ready to try,_ ’ Siyeon asked, but Dami stepped forward.

“can I try? I want to try what I saw before I forget it.” Dami said, and Siyeon nodded.

‘who do you want to pair against?’ Siyeon asked, and Dami thought about her answer.

“Yoohyeon, the wolf I fought also fought similar to her. If that’s alright?” Dami asked nervously, and Siyeon nodded.

_‘you didn’t like feeling defenseless, did you?’_ Siyeon asked, and Dami looked down.

_‘it's alright. Let's see what you learned!_ ’ Siyeon said as she walked over to Bora and Gahyeon, and shifted back to snuggle Bora, who was extremely worried.

“I'm alright! baby, I promise!” Siyeon said as she showed Bora her body. The wounds were already healed.

“how?” Bora asked as she gently touched the new scars on Siyeon’s body. “will they stay here?” Bora asked, and Siyeon shook her head.

“just like with vampires, the scars will fade away completely in a couple of weeks,” Siyeon said, and Bora nodded in relief. She didn’t like the idea of her beautiful Siyeon’s body being marred by scars by the end of this.

“here they go!” Siyeon said as they looked at the two wolves in front of them.

Dami wasted no time. Soon she was whirling around like she had observed. The footwork was slightly difficult, but she learned quickly, and it left Yoohyeon flustered. She couldn’t land a bite while Dami was on the defensive.

‘ _try attacking too.’_ Yoohyeon said, and Dami complied. It turned out Dami was faster than Yoohyeon, and the older girl was having a hard time keeping out of reach of the bigger wolf's fangs. Soon Yoohyeon had to use more skilled techniques to try to gain the upper hand, but Dami learned them right away and was able to implement them perfectly.

_‘what the hell! You’re a BEAST Dami!’_ Yoohyeon said as she ran out of steam. She flopped over and panted as she glanced at Siyeon. Dami wasn’t out of steam yet, so she sat and waited quietly.

_‘how did I do?’_ Dami asked, and everyone looked at her with a shocked expression. All Minji could do was clap as she looked at Dami all grown up.

The only one that wasn’t looking was Gahyeon.

‘ _Gahyeon?’_ Dami asked, but the younger girl wasn’t listening. Something seemed wrong.

‘ _Siyeon!_ ’ Dami shouted as she looked at Gahyeon, who stumbled away from Bora.

“Gahyeon, what's wrong?” Siyeon asked as she reached for her sister, but Gahyeon pulled her arm away and walked farther away. Soon everyone knew why when she fell forward into her wolf form.

“Is this her change?” Bora asked, and Siyeon just nodded.

“looks like it. I don’t think Gahyeon is aware of her surroundings yet. Give her a moment.” Siyeon said, and soon Gahyeon was shaking her wolf head as she looked around.

_‘what happened?_ ’ Gahyeon asked as she looked at the others. Dami walked over to her still in wolf form and nuzzled her mate to comfort her. She could feel Gahyeon’s confusion and worry.

_‘you just finished your transformation. That’s all.’_ Dami said softly as she rubbed against Gahyeon.

‘ _Seriously?’_ Gahyeon asked, and everyone nodded.

“Welcome to adulthood. You beat me to it, little sis!” Siyeon said as she laughed and hugged her sister.

“now shift back, and then shift into your adult form. Let's see what you look like!” Siyeon said as she smiled, and Gahyeon obeyed.

Gahyeon’s body was very muscular, just like her sister, and to Siyeon’s horror, Gahyeon was taller than her older sister now. Her fur looked extremely silky and was slightly longer. The white fur shined beautifully in the sunlight. The silver fur on her paws muzzle and tail were now a darker blue-silver, and even more beautiful, but now the tips of her ears were silver as well. It wasn’t as drastic a change as Dami, but the last of her puppy fur was gone, and she was indeed taller and more muscular. It would take a strong wolf to overpower Gahyeon now.

Gahyeon seemed to look more like a wolf-fox mix in her form than just a wolf due to her markings, and unlike Dami’s wolf form, Gahyeon’s eyes were still bright green. The ring around them was still red, and slightly more noticeable than before.

“I wonder why Dami’s wolf form looks to different from Gahyeon’s. They are both hybrids, right?” Minji asked as she looked at Gahyeon.

“I have given this a lot of thought, and I think I know why…” Yoohyeon said as she walked over and hugged Minji.

“think about it like this. Unlike Gahyeon, where she knew some deal about both sides of her, Dami’s halves are completely separate. What I mean is, Gahyeon had already talked about trying to tap into her vampire side when her wolf senses weren't developed yet. She TRIED to use both. Dami didn’t know how to be a wolf and has always been around vampires. Minus me, of course. And you never let me be a wolf around her either. So, she really kept both sides of herself separate without trying. At least that’s what I think…” Yoohyeon said as she shrugged while still holding Minji.

“It does make some sense shockingly…” Handong teased, and Yoohyeon stuck her tongue out at her.

“So, because she didn’t try to tap into both sides, they show in her wolf form?” Bora asked, and Gahyeon nodded in agreement with Yoohyeon's statement.

‘ _It makes sense, but also, Dami sometimes acts differently as well. Sometimes she’s extremely cute and girly, and other times, she’s quieter and always looks after me. I wonder if it could also be showing her personality?_ ’ Gahyeon asked, and everyone looked at Dami, who was still in wolf form and wouldn’t make eye contact.

“what do you mean, like two personalities?” Minji asked worriedly. She worried that there may be something wrong with their baby.

_‘not in like a bad way, sometimes she is just as girly and goofy as me, and then other times it’s like she’s prince charming, and she treats me like I’m a princess._ ’ Gahyeon said, and Handong nodded.

“that sounds about right. Dami always did like fairytales. It was one of the first books she read from my room.” Handong said as she nodded. “I guess it left a great impression on her when she was young,” Handong said, and Minji nodded.

“oh, ok. I was worried we would need to take Dami in for counseling…” Minji said as she sighed in relief.

“Why can't I be both girly and tomboyish at times?” Dami asked as she shrugged and looked around. “I just act how I feel like at the time,” Dami said as she walked back to the group now in human form.

“not trying to change the subject, but how did I do?” Dami asked as she looked at the group nervously. They had almost forgotten Dami’s first practice session with Yoohyeon and quickly reassured Dami that she was amazing.

“seriously, Dami, you’re a beast! I tried more and more difficult techniques that I learned from watching my family. You learned them and could even use them against me! If our pack has a secret weapon, it’s defiantly you!” Yoohyeon said as she smiled proudly at Dami, who now was a bright shade of red.

“I shouldn’t have gotten out of my wolf form…” Dami whispered as she covered her face, embarrassed. Everyone chuckled, and Siyeon looked around the group. Their progress or at least Dami’s was encouraging. ‘ _please tell me this means we have a chance…_ ’ Siyeon thought to herself as she sighed nervously.

“ok, Gahyeon, you ready to try?” Siyeon said as she walked over to the middle of the field towards her sister. Siyeon was now in wolf form and looked at her sister. Gahyeon nodded and shook and stretched to get rid of her nervous energy.

‘ _Damn it!_ ’ Siyeon said as she looked up to her sister. ‘ _I need to finish this damn transformation! How can my baby sister be taller than me!’_ Siyeon said, and everyone laughed at how cute she sounded. Siyeon was defiantly pouting.

‘ _ready?_ ’ Siyeon asked once the laughter stopped, and Gahyeon nodded in response.

‘ _go!’_ Siyeon shouted, and Gahyeon lunged in swiftly startling Siyeon. She knew her sister was fast, but she had never sparred against her, so she was caught off guard. But she wouldn’t let that happen again. They were very evenly matched. Both feinted and circled. It was a whirl of fur and fangs, and everyone had a hard time keeping track of everything that was happening.

“she’s faster than I am! They both are!” Yoohyeon said, impressed. Yoohyeon was the fastest in her family, and fastest among the wolves in school. Or so she thought. ‘ _she must have been holding back with me, right?’_ Yoohyeon asked Minji, and her girlfriend shrugged.

_‘I think it’s just different. You both were holding back because you didn’t want to hurt each other. You are faster, too, you just didn’t show it. Plus, maybe it’s an alpha thing. Their family is known for alphas, and strong wolves in general, right?’_ Minji asked, and Yoohyeon nodded.

“Woah!” Bora shouted, and Minji and Yoohyeon’s attention snapped back to the fight.

Both wolves were now rolling around, fighting for the upper hand. Both were leaving bites on the other, and Bora was getting worried that they were going too far.

“Should we stop them!?!” Bora shouted, and Yoohyeon just shook her head.

“This is normal. Don’t worry. Siyeon and Gahyeon are testing their strength against each other, and besides, they were raised as siblings. Sibling rivalry in a pack is rather common when they are in their wolf forms. Woah!” Yoohyeon was talking calmly until Siyeon went flying through the air. Gahyeon had used her new strength, and, while on the ground, kicked up with all four legs, and sent Siyeon flying. Siyeon landed several feet away gracefully and charged back at full speed, and soon the fight continued.

“ugh, I have a feeling this is going to last a while…” Yoohyeon said as she flopped down just to yelp and jump back up while rubbing her butt.

“ouch! Fuck! I sat on a stick!” she said as she pouted at her girlfriend that was laughing hysterically at her.

“Serves you right for forgetting you are naked!” Minji teased as Yoohyeon continued to pout. But while the two joked, Handong and Dami watched the two sisters fight very carefully. The two were analyzing everything that happened and logged it away to remember later.

“do you think you can do that?” Handong asked as she still watched the fight in front of them, and Dami shrugged.

“I'm not sure I would have to try, but I’m not sure. They both are so fast, and I can't predict their moves like I could with Yoohyeon…” Dami said as she watched worriedly.

“hey! Are you calling me predictable?!” Yoohyeon shouted at Dami, and Dami ignored her to continue watching the fight.

“come here, baby, I don’t find you predictable!” Minji said cutely, and Yoohyeon ran into her arms and snuggled into her sweetly. She wasn’t really upset, but she would never pass up a Minji hug, and Minji knew it. The vampire gently kissed the top of Yoohyeon’s head and smiled as she wrapped her arms tightly around her cute pouty girlfriend.

A loud yip finally stopped their fight. Gahyeon was on the ground while Siyeon was on top of her snapping at her face and neck when Gahyeon did another powerful kick flinging Siyeon off, but this time, Siyeon stumbled while landing and smacked into a stump that ripped out of the ground at the impact.

Soon Siyeon was laying there in human form groaning.

‘ _You ok?’_ Gahyeon asked as Siyeon groaned.

Siyeon was rolling on the ground, groaning, but held up a thumbs up.

“knocked my breath out for a second. Nice one sis!” Siyeon said after she stopped groaning, and Gahyeon helped her sister stand, and the two walked back to the group in their human forms.

“I would offer to carry you closer, but you are naked, and I don’t want you riding on my back without pants…” Gahyeon teased, and her sister only laughed and smacked her shoulder.

“you and Dami definitely have more stamina now that you two have both become adults. I feel exhausted, and you two seem completely unbothered!” Siyeon said as they walked up to their group.

Bora gasped as she looked at Siyeon’s side now that they were closer. A big bruise wrapped from her right side to the middle of her back, where she collided with the tree. It looked extremely painful, but Siyeon acted like it was nothing. Bora went to walk up and check on her, but Siyeon flashed her a look of warning.

‘ _don’t make a big deal of it. You know how sensitive Gahyeon is…’_ Siyeon said to everyone, but Gahyeon and they each gave small signs they agreed.

“hope I’m not interrupting you…” a voice said from the direction of the house. Minji looked around and finally spotted Sunmi.

“Auntie!” Minji shouted as she waived. “what are you doing all the way out here?” Minji asked as she smiled brightly.

“Just wanted to let you all know that lunch is ready! That is… if you all are hungry?” Sunmi asked, and everyone cheered.

Sunmi waited for everyone to walk ahead of her and followed behind Bora and Siyeon. The fox had witnessed siyeon’s impact and knew that the alpha was hurt and acting like nothing happened. Once she was behind the wolf, she was able to get a better view of her injury and winced.

“allow me…” Sunmi said as she gently touched the tips of her fingers to the center of her bruise, and a faint blue light flowed from her fingertips to the bruise, and within seconds, the bruise was gone.

Siyeon and Bora looked at Sunmi in surprise as they watched the bruise disappear, and Siyeon smiled. “Well, that feels MUCH better now, ouch!” Siyeon looked relieved until several ribs popped back into place. The impact had broken several of her ribs, but once it was fixed, the pain went away automatically. Siyeon said as she smiled gratefully to the fox, but Sunmi seemed slightly nervous.

“I'm sorry I didn’t ask permission first. I'm afraid my manners have disappeared due to living alone for so long.” Sunmi said as she looked down as they walked inside.

“don’t be, thank you for helping Siyeon.” Bora said sweetly to Sunmi, and the fox relaxed slightly as she looked up to see the couple smiling in thanks.

“well, I guess you may want to shower before eating, everything is in your room, and I will have the table ready once you're done.” Sunmi said, and everyone nodded as they went upstairs to wash and change.


	16. Chapter 16

-Lunch-

“thank you for the food!” everyone shouted as they all dug into the food. Sunmi was known for cooking way too much food, and that was a good thing because Minji forgot to tell her that she and the others now could eat solid food.

“Should I be worried?” Sunmi asked as Minji tried the boiled chicken that Sunmi cooked. “should I prepare a bucket and sickbed?” she teased as Minji giggled.

“oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you. We uh, we kinda joined Siyeon’s pack. A side effect is we now don’t have to live solely on blood.” Minji said, and Sunmi nodded.

“I will ask more about you joining a wolf pack later, but for now, what are your favorite foods?” Sunmi asked as she looked at the vampires.

“well, we only recently joined, so we only have experienced fried chicken and tteokbokki. Oh, and pizza!” Bora said, and the others nodded.

“my favorite so far is fried chicken! But this boiled chicken tastes amazing too!” Minji said as she smiled and took another bite.

“Mine too.” Handong agreed as she remembered the fried chicken.

“and you?” Sunmi asked Bora, and Bora thought about it for a second. I think I’m the same. I really like chicken. But whatever that orange thing is there, I don’t like it.” Bora said as she poked at a carrot, and Sunmi laughed softly.

“not a fan of carrots, are we?” Sunmi teased, and Bora shook her head while making a disgusted face.

“I guess I’m a picky eater. Who knew?” she joked as she grabbed more chicken.

“And what about you girls?” Sunmi asked as she looked at the others. Everyone looked deep in thought when Siyeon responded.

“Tteokbokki! I really like tteokbokki, and chicken also things with onions in them.” Siyeon said, and the others started telling their favorite foods while Sunmi listened.

“it sounds like you order out a lot…” Sunmi said as she looked at Minji, and they all nodded.

“We obviously don’t cook. We didn’t need to know until a couple of days ago. And when we adopted Dami, we didn’t know what to do, so we started ordering takeout.” Minji said, and Handong nodded.

“you do know that Bora cooks for me when you two are not around, right?” Dami said, and the two girls looked at Bora in shock.

“what? I watched a video that said that fast-food is bad for growing kids, and I started to worry about Dami. So, I watched some videos on how to cook.” Bora said as she shrugged.

“But why didn’t you just tell us? Why do you wait until we aren’t there?” Minji asked, and Bora looked at the table.

“because I thought you two would tease me for wanting to learn, and for babying Dami…” Bora said, and Dami scoffed.

“bullshit!” Dami coughed, causing everyone to gasp at her swearing.

“she did it because her crush was talking about food she liked, and how the way to her heart was through her stomach…” Dami said as she rolled her eyes.

“who?” Sunmi asked as Bora flushed a vivid red, and Yoohyeon laughed, remembering the conversation. Soon Yoohyeon fell backward in her chair with an ‘oof!’ and continued to laugh.

“what's so funny?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Yoohyeon on the floor. She was kind of sulky, thinking that Bora was talking about her human ex.

“she’s talking about you! You goof!” Gahyeon said as Yoohyeon nodded as Siyeon looked at her with wide eyes, and pointed a finger at herself with an expression that said ‘who, me? Really?’ and everyone laughed while Bora held Dami in a chokehold for spilling her secret.

Soon Siyeon was sitting there with a happy and smug smile as she watched bora choke Dami jokingly. Bora was still a vivid shade of red, and Siyeon found it absolutely adorable.

Sunmi chuckled and smiled as she watched the group joke back and forth. Obviously, they were very close, and it warmed Sunmi's heart to see Minji happy and smiling again.

Sunmi didn’t know what her father would think if he found out that his daughter is the mate of a female wolf (he always wanted grandkids), but she was sure that he would be happy to see her smiling again.

“so, why did you all have to join a wolf pack? And why do you have to practice fighting so seriously?” Sunmi asked, and she noticed everyone's expressions get darker.

They spent the next hour to hour and a half explaining what Siyeon was, and everything that had happened to them. Sunmi was very shocked to find out what Siyeon was, and that she had found her mate in Bora. So many vampire and wolf pairings were abnormal, especially in such a small area. Finally, Sunmi spoke.

“well, hopefully, another chosen was found out, and they can focus on them for a while…” Sunmi said to herself, and everyone looked at her, surprised.

“huh?” everyone chorused as they looked at her.

“well, you see… one is chosen like Siyeon for a specific area or region. Meaning that every couple of years, several are chosen around the world. Only one in the world would make them too sought after, right?” Sunmi said, and everyone looked around the table, shocked.

“plus, with people able to travel freely compared to when I was growing up, sometimes two chosen can actually meet,” Sunmi said and noticed Bora’s worried look.

“oh, don’t worry, Bora! They have never ended up as mates! There was one time where two were in the same pack, though. It was an interesting sight.” Sunmi said as she thought back.

“was it in China?” Handong asked, and Sunmi nodded. When I was younger, my family, and I had to flee Korea for a bit when they started hunting our kind. A wolf pack let us join them unofficially for a time. That was when I witnessed it. Two packs, one from china that we stayed with, and one from somewhere far away started to clash” sunmi said as everyone listened intently.

“Our side was losing, and that was when the alphas of the pack we stayed with accepted some unlikely help. They accepted the help of vampires in the area. The rival wolf pack was vicious and attacked and killed everything. One day the alpha's child who was around age seventeen or eighteen was kidnaped by the rival pack…” Sunmi said as she watched everyone leaning forward and listening to each and every word.

“their child was a very strong fighter, but she was very shy, so the rival pack thought that she would be an easy target. They didn’t know that she went along with it to learn about this new and strange pack…” Sunmi said, and her face changed as she remembered everything.

“the girl witnessed the alpha male of the back beating a girl right around her age that was locked in a cage while everyone laughed. She felt sorry for the girl, and soon found out she was to be put in the same cage.

She tried talking to the girl, but she was terrified that this strange girl would hit her just like the alpha did. Finally, after I believe it was three days, she made progress with her. It turned out that the girl was indeed forced into the pack, but she hadn't gone through her adult transformation yet. That was why the alpha kept her in a cage. To keep tabs on her and keep her under control until he could truly force her to obey.” Sunmi said with a scowl.

“what he didn’t expect was that the girl he locked in there happened to be her mate, and that night the girl went through her transformation early while everyone was asleep. As you know, the rules you know what happened that night when I say he woke up to find out his pack was suddenly severely weakened, and the cage was open with no one inside. In fact, it was the first time there was a mate that was of same-gender at the time. They suspected it was because there were too many wolves in the area, and it was a form of natural population control. But honestly, she had never been interested in guys before the other pack attacked anyway.” Sunmi said as she rolled her eyes, remembering the debate on the subject.

“the pack I stayed with ended up chasing them out of their land with the added power of a second chosen, and everything was great for a couple hundred years until the other pack came back to try it again. I believe they tried to take over three times and were defeated three times. But on the last attack, my parents died fighting to help them. After that, I left and wandered and gradually met Minji’s family, well, their ancestors…” she said as she laughed.

Everyone didn’t know what to say, they now had someone from the time of Handong’s book that could possibly give them some info on what was happening to Minji, Handong, and Bora. And they had so many questions to ask.

“wait, so right now, I'm not the only chosen one?” Siyeon asked, and Sunmi nodded as Siyeon sat back in her chair in both relief and shock.

“so wait… how old ARE you, sunmi?” Yoohyeon asked and got an elbow from Minji, and sunmi smirked.

“I will never tell, let's just say I have lived a very long time…” sunmi teased, and Yoohyeon pouted. Everyone found Yoohyeons pout adorable and teased the wolf as Minji hugged her pouting mate, but their joking was cut short when Handong looked at her phone and abruptly stood up.

“I, I need to get some air…” Handong said as she looked at her phone and walked out quickly.

“what's wrong with her?” Gahyeon asked worriedly. Minji just looked at Handong as she walked out of the room and smiled sadly.

“Only one person could get that reaction from Handong…” Minji said, and Bora nodded. Siyeon looked at her girlfriend with a confused look, but Siyeon shook her head, and gave a ‘not now, later.’ Look, and Siyeon nodded.

“I'm so lost…” Yoohyeon said, and suddenly her eyes went wide. “you mean Elkie?” Yoohyeon said, and Minji shook her head at her blabbermouth girlfriend.

“yes, you goof now be quiet. She may be able to hear you!” Minji said as she smacked Yoohyeon’s shoulder.

“yes, it was her…” Handong said, appearing behind Minji, and Yoohyeon causing them to yelp in surprise.

“You can tell them, I don’t mind, but I just need to be alone for a bit. Is there a room I can use?” Handong asked sadly, and Sunmi jumped up to show her a place to rest. And quickly came back, looking worried.

“do you mind if I hear it? Her aura worries me…” Sunmi said, and Handong smiled and signaled her to sit again.


	17. Chapter 17

-Handong and Elkie-

“At least you got permission from Handong to tell it,” Bora said as she looked at Minji. She could tell Minji was debating on if she should tell the story or not and finally sighed at Bora's words.

“all right…” Minji said as she flopped back into her chair at the table.

“I'm sure you have probably noticed that Handong isn’t dating anyone, right?” Minji said, and Siyeon nodded.

“Have you ever seen or heard of her dating anyone?” Minji asked, and everyone thought for a second before they shook their head no. “that’s because Handong found her soulmate before she even came here to Korea.” Minji said, and Siyeon looked at her, surprised. Minji just gave a sad smile and continued.

“She was very young, but when she was walking home one day with friends from school, she noticed a girl that had fallen off of her bike. She sent to help the girl up when her friends teased her that she would be helping a mutt. Vampires and wolves didn’t get along well in her hometown. But Handong is always kind and caring, and she ignored her friends and offered the girl her hand. And that’s when it happened.” Minji said, and everyone but Sunmi looked confused.

“when what happened?” Yoohyeon asked, and Minji shook her head at her girlfriend.

“And you call yourself a wolf…” Minji teased before continuing. “when the girl took her hand, they knew right away what they were to each other. Everything was fine except for the fact that both girl's friends avoided them because they became close. That is until their parents found out. Or specifically, Elkie’s parents found out.” Minji said, and everyone could feel where this was going.

“Elkie’s parents refused to allow it even though they knew that they were mates. Obviously, they were too young to do anything together, but they even called Handong names like slut, and it put their family at odds with Elkie’s. Then when Handong’s parents died, she managed to make it here with her book and her cat. It took several years before Elkie tracked Handong’s number down, and they occasionally message when Elkie can steal a phone. Her parents are very controlling and still refuse to let them see each other.” Minji said sadly as she shook her head.

“that’s not all…” Handong said as everyone jumped.

“I thought you were going to lay down?” Bora asked softly, and Handong shook her head.

“I think it’s time I told you all about the whole story…” Handong said as she drooped back into her empty chair with a heavy sigh.

“it was Elkie’s parents that killed mine. And it was all my fault…” Handong said as she looked at the table, she looked completely heartbroken. Everyone looked at each other. They were unsure of what to do or say, and Bora’s calming energy never worked well on Handong.

“what do you mean, it’s all your fault?” Siyeon asked as she reached her hand out to rest it on Handong’s arm.

“it's my fault because I told Elkie about the book, and we were young and didn’t know better at the time, and when Elkie’s parents tried to argue with her about why she and I couldn’t be together they told her that vampires could never join their pack,” Handong said, and everyone groaned.

“Elkie didn’t know any better and said that that wasn’t true because my parents have a book that talks about vampires joining a pack and chasing out a rival pack that was stronger than them. Her parents accused her of lying, but when she swore that she was telling the truth and that she had seen the book, her parents got greedy.” Handong said as she clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms and bled.

“they killed your family to get the book? But they don’t even like vampires! What good would it do them to have it? Plus, wouldn’t it have just been easier to let you two together, and then she could have learned how to have you join in time?” Dami asked, and Handong smiled bitterly.

“You would think that, but I suspect that her father is crazy. No one could ever rationalize anything with him. He actually wasn’t Elkie’s real father. He killed her real father in combat and took her mother as a trophy. She was always too terrified to do anything to stop him. Even if it meant hurting Elkie or my parents…” Handong said sadly, and everyone looked around, shocked.

“How can you still talk to her? Do you blame her for your parents?” Gahyeon asked, and Handong shook her head as she smiled sadly.

“We were both very young. Both of us knew nothing about how dangerous knowledge could be. How could I blame her for that? She only tried to talk her parents into letting us be together. If anything, it’s my fault for telling her. My parents had told me never to tell anyone, and I didn’t listen…” Handong said, and Gahyeon got up, and hugged the vampire in one of Siyeon’s famous big wolfy hugs, which involved squeezing the vampire, and lifting her up, and gently rocking her back, and forth like a baby.

“hey! You can finally do it!” Siyeon said as she looked at Gahyeon, rocking Handong back and forth.

“well, whatever this is, can you put me down now? You're stronger than you think now, Gahyeon!” Handong squeaked out, and Gahyeon set her down apologetically.

“Sorry! Still getting used to my new strength…” Gahyeon said, and Handong giggled.

“it's ok, and thank you I needed to see a chiropractor, but you fixed it with one hug!” Handong teased before continuing.

“so, what did she want?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Handong with worried eyes. The vampire frowned as she looked at her phone.

“she said she’s coming to me. Something happened back home, and she’s running. She pleaded with me to see her. She seemed terrified…” Handong said as she looked at the phone with worry.

“wait, when does she get here?” Minji asked, and Handong looked at the text. “In one week. She couldn’t tell me the exact date because it ‘wasn’t safe’ I don’t know what to do or think…” Handong said as she looked up at the others.

“what we do is we train like hell, and head back home in time for you to meet your mate!” Siyeon said as she stood up. “we train now! That’s if you're up for it, that is?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Handong sympathetically.

“I'm ready, I think I need to take my mind off of it anyway. Maybe it will help me relieve some stress too…” Handong said as she smiled and stood. “shall we?” she asked, and Siyeon nodded, and everyone walked out of the kitchen.

“oh, auntie? We will clean up the leftovers and dishes when we come back inside. Do you want to watch?” Minji asked, and Sunmi smiled.

“I wouldn’t be distracting, would I?” Sunmi asked, and Siyeon poked her head back into the room.

“not at all. In fact, maybe you could help give us some pointers? You have probably seen way more battles than we have.” Siyeon said as she looked at Sunmi with a hopeful expression.

Sunmi giggled as she nodded, and both Minji and Siyeon cheered as she followed them outside.

# Rematch

Once they all gathered in the clearing that would be their battleground, Siyeon looked around.

“We have shown you how wolves fight, and we will be sparring with each other again soon, but can you show me what you vampires can do?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Bora and Minji curiously.

“of course! You always know I'm up for a fight!” Bora cheered, and Minji rolled her eyes before nodding to Siyeon.

The two girls walked into the center of the clearing, and when Siyeon gave the signal, they started.

The fight was a mix of hand to hand combat with slashes, and occasional attempts at biting. Both girls were lightning-fast and strong. It was hard to keep track of who was who except for their hair color that flashed by as they moved. Siyeon looked on, impressed.

“the wolves yesterday didn’t have a chance. Not one was even able to touch Minji…” Yoohyeon said as she looked at her girlfriend proudly.

“I think we would have a hard time touching her too. Even Bora. They are a smaller target, and faster than what we are used to…” Siyeon said to herself as she planned. “They would be great to team up against. If we can even tag them once, it shows we are faster than the others. Plus, it will have us learn to protect against hand to hand combat just in case we are trapped in an area where it is too small to shift in…” Siyeon said, and Sunmi nodded.

“It would definitely help you increase your speed. I can even spar with you. We foxes use a lot of tricks that can come in handy later… also, I may be able to teach the vampires a skill that they don’t know they have yet…” Sunmi said as she smirked, and Handong looked at her curiously.

“what ability?” Handong asked as she watched Sunmi smile. “remember when I told everyone that a fox can put out an illusion? It even makes it look like we are bigger or things like that?” Sunmi asked, and Handong nodded.

“well, when you are a vampire, you can affect emotions, right? You can also do it in battle. You can make them fear you, be completely terrified. Which is good for obvious reasons in battle, right?” Sunmi asked, and Handong and Dami nodded.

“well, you can also cause them to be angry. Your emotion powers are like a weaker version of foxes. With your new strength by joining a pack, you can make them hallucinate and fight their own people. It takes a lot of strength, but it can save you in a pinch, and leave you a chance to escape a tough situation…” Sunmi said, and Handong’s jaw dropped.

“can vampire hybrids do it too?” Dami asked, and Sunmi looked at Dami and Gahyeon. “I'm not sure. you both can affect emotions, correct?” Sunmi asked, and the two girls nodded.

“well, we can always try and see.” Sunmi said as she shrugged. “we won’t know until we try, right?” she said as she looked at the two girls who had hopeful looks and smiled. It was nice having people around. Sunmi had felt lonely these last couple of years. And the two girls in front of her seemed to trigger a motherly instinct. Actually, all of the girls did. She felt the need to protect them and feed them. They were way too skinny for her liking.

After several minutes Bora and Minji finally stopped their sparring and looked at Siyeon. “was that any help?” Minji asked, and the wolf nodded. It was a very big help. Siyeon noticed that she only knew how to fight against wolves and not others. Plus, most of Jackson's pack were part of sports teams and most likely knew hand to hand combat.

If they were to go up against Jackson and his pack, they need to be able to fight both in their wolf form and without it. If Jackson is as tricky as he sounds, he most likely will choose locations that have relatively tight spaces to limit people from shifting.

“I think we all need to learn how to fight out of our wolf forms like you two do. We need to be able to fight in tight spaces. Right now, if we were cornered in a small hallway, I wouldn’t know what to do. All I know how to do Is fight as a wolf.” Siyeon said as she looked at the others. And they nodded in understanding.

“at that moment, I would be putting everyone else at risk because I would be helpless. Dami? Do you know how to fight?” Siyeon asked as she looked at their ace fighter. Dami shook her head no as she looked at Siyeon nervously.

“don’t worry, I'm not upset that you don’t know how. I asked because your wolf form Is even bigger than mine. You learn super fast, but you can't do anything about your size. Minji and Bora would kill me if I put you at risk just to protect myself. I think we all need to learn.” Siyeon said, and Dami smiled in relief. She didn’t want to disappoint Siyeon, and she liked being part of a pack. It filled something in her that she didn’t know she was lacking.

“I may be of some help with that. I have learned several styles of martial arts while growing up. Some have even been lost to history. That may also give you an advantage you may need later on. Correct?” Sunmi asked, and everyone looked at her with excited expressions. It startled her, but it was also flattering.

“would you mind? I know we kind of just barged in and took over the house. But I would love to learn from you. I remember my parents sparring with you. They could never touch you unless you let them. I always thought it was amazing…” Minji said as she looked at Sunmi with a cute expression.

“It was your parents' house and is now your house, not mine. I just take care of it. And it would be an honor to teach you.” Sunmi said as she hugged Minji and looked at Siyeon.

“well, how should we start this?” Sunmi asked Siyeon, and shortly after, they broke off into groups, and Sunmi watched and gauged each member's level of skill.

“ok, what about breaking it into classes? Some of you are more advanced than others. While I'm teaching the others, the advanced groups can spar against each other as Siyeon leads the wolf training?” Sunmi asked, and everyone nodded.

“wait, what about my sister? If she is running the advanced class, she won't be able to learn from you, right?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at Sunmi.

“I asked her to teach me one on one after you all train. I don’t learn as well when others are around. I tend to get distracted.” Siyeon said, and Gahyeon nodded in agreement. Siyeon did tend to get distracted easily while learning something, and it made sense.

“ok, then let's start this!” Siyeon shouted once everyone agreed to her plan.

Minji and Handong were part of the advanced class. They already knew some hand to hand and needed to practice against Siyeon to learn how to defend themselves against a wolf.

Bora, Gahyeon, Yoohyeon, and Dami were part of Sunmi’s class. Bora knew some hand to hand, but she wanted to learn the basics. She had only learned from watching Handong and Minji when they were younger.

# Siyeon’s class

Siyeon’s class started off with a one on one against Siyeon. Minji was first, and Siyeon couldn’t lie, she was a little nervous. She remembered what Yoohyeon had said about Minji’s speed.

Siyeon stood in front of Minji in her wolf form and signaled them to begin. In a flash, Siyeon lunged in and back, but Minji dodged it gracefully. Shortly after, Minji leapt in with a swipe of her claws, but rust barely missed Siyeon. _‘damn, she really is fast!_ ’ Siyeon thought to herself as she dodged the vampire _. ‘time for some tricks then, it’s the only way to beat her speed!’_ Siyeon thought as she started to change up her techniques.

Minji had learned most of siyeon’s moves while watching earlier and was able to adapt. She was able to dodge siyeon’s bites and lunges without a problem. She was now extremely fast as a side effect of joining siyeon’s pack and adapted to her new speed quickly. But when Siyeon completely changed her fighting style, it threw Minji off guard.

Siyeon would feint and could turn on one paw with lightning speed. One moment her back was to you, then her teeth were launching at your face. She also started trying to knock Minji off of her feet. After a couple of tries, it finally worked. Soon Minji was flying to the ground, and Siyeon was right above her.

Minji panicked. She didn’t know how to defend herself from this position, and it terrified her. She tried to struggle as the two went rolling around while still fighting. The closeness made Minji be at a disadvantage. She was just fine with fighting on her feet, but right now, she had her hands busy with trying to stop Siyeon from biting her face off.

Finally, Minji remembered siyeon’s fight with Gahyeon and quickly tucked her legs to her body, and when her back was against the ground, she kicked up quickly, and Siyeon went flying off of her.

Siyeon landed several feet safely away but was making some gagging noises. Minji had kicked her in the stomach to fling her off of her, and it made Siyeon want to throw up her last meal.

Minji was still on the ground gasping for air. She was glad that that trick had worked. Otherwise, she would have had to give up, and the thought of that upset her. Minji was sort of a perfectionist.

‘ _not bad! You need to learn how to fight on the ground, but other than that, I think you just need to spar with the others to learn their styles and your good!_ ’ Siyeon said before another wave of nausea hit her.

“Sorry about that, Siyeon!” Minji said as she heard Siyeon gag again. The big wolf just shook her head as she started to make noises that reminded Minji of when Handong’s cat would hack up a hairball. She tried not to giggle at the comparison.

 _‘I heard that! I'm not a cat_!’ Siyeon said as Minji finally burst into laughter. Siyeon sulked over after her nausea faded and looked at Sunmi’s class.

 _‘Dami seems to be learning really fast. She will probably end up in the advanced class soon at this rate, which will make Gahyeon sad.’_ Siyeon said as she glanced at Minji.

The vampire was smiling proudly as she looked at Dami. Minji really did seem like a proud mother as she watched Dami, and it made Siyeon smile. She understood how Minji felt. Gahyeon wasn’t siyeon’s real sister, and sometimes she felt very motherly to Gahyeon instead of acting like a sister.

Speaking of Gahyeon, she was also learning fast. Not as fast as Dami, but faster than Bora and Yoohyeon. Siyeon felt her heart swell with pride at their two youngest members. They were growing up so fast. Well, they were all legal adults, but they always seemed like the babies of the group, but now they seemed to be maturing quickly. Especially Dami. She was always shy around others and hid her love of learning for fear of being made fun of. But now she was confident in wanting to learn things and finally starting to feel confident with her own abilities.

Siyeon didn’t know if she was also changing. But she hoped so. Being the alpha of a pack was new to her, and she was still learning. She didn’t even know most of her alpha abilities and wouldn’t until she was almost completely done with the change. But every day that passed, the stronger she and the others became _. ‘I won't let them down. They are putting themselves at risk to protect me. So I will do anything I can to protect them as well…’_ Siyeon thought to herself as she stood up and walked over to Handong.

“Ready?” Siyeon asked, and Handong nodded. Handong’s outfit for sparring was a short shirt and sports bra that showed off her stomach and low cut pants. She looked like someone from a hip hop video while Minji and Bora chose comfortable and baggy clothing to spar in.

When Siyeon gave the signal to start, the wolf quickly learned that Handong’s fighting style was completely different than Minji’s.

Where Minji was very active with lunges and attacks, Handong was the opposite. She was reactive. She stood her ground as the wolf charged at her, and the next thing Siyeon knew she was being thrown through the air and barely managed to get her feet underneath her before landing.

 _‘what the hell was that?’_ Siyeon asked, and Handong just giggled.

“is that all? Or are you going to try again?” Handong teased triggering siyeon’s competitiveness.

After several minutes of fighting and gaining an audience of the hand to hand class, Siyeon finally figured out how to counter Handong’s throw only to encounter another throw and a knockback.

Dami giggled as she watched. “it’s like Siyeon just bounces right off of Handong.” She said as Gahyeon nodded and watched in awe. She had never seen her sister not know how to approach something, Gahyeon was worried that Siyeon would soon get mad and lose her temper, but she soon realized that Siyeon was having fun. She liked the challenge, and so did Handong.

Where Minji was fast, Handong was strong. Handong didn’t need to be fast for her style, and it showed in how her powers manifested. Handong’s reaction speed was faster, and her strength helped her complete throws and moves that she wouldn’t have been able to do before. Her ability to remain calm in almost any situation also seemed to help her while fighting too.

Finally, Siyeon learned how to counter the moves and also learned how to land quickly from a throw and immediately lunge in for another attack. Siyeon was moving quickly as she lunged in and out and would spin on a paw to recover and lunge in again. Finally, with a lucky landing, she managed to break through Handong’s guard and landed a gentle bite to the vampire ending their fight.

Everyone erupted into applause as Siyeon collapsed onto the ground now in human form as she gasped for air. After several minutes of her gasping on the ground, Handong extended her hand to help Siyeon up.

“it was like I was fighting a wall!” Siyeon said as she smiled and hugged Handong. “if I didn’t manage to land like that and lunge in so quickly, I probably still would have been bouncing off of you!” Siyeon said as she still clung to Handong. She was completely exhausted, and Handong finally had to signal Bora to help her girlfriend.

“come on, baby, let's go get you hosed off. You have sand all over your ass and back. And I know how much you just love sand…” Bora said as she helped Siyeon towards the house to wash off the sand that stuck to the sweat on her back as she laid on the ground panting.

“God, I hope it's not warm. I'm burning up!” Siyeon said tiredly as she snuggled against Bora as they stumbled toward the house.

“ugh! Don’t hug me until after your shower! Your all sweaty!” Bora whined as Siyeon proceeded to hug all over the smaller girl. Bora whined in protest but finally gave up and scooped Siyeon up bridal style causing Siyeon to let out a surprised squeak and carried her inside.

“well, they are going to be gone for a while…” Minji said as she rolled her eyes at the couple that was heading inside.

“Should we all take a break for dinner then?” Sunmi said as she looked at the sky that just started to show signs of becoming dark.

Everyone nodded and walked towards the house slowly. Everyone was tired. It was a very productive day. Bora had learned that her stance was off, and with the recommendations that Sunmi gave her, she was able to be more stable while fighting. Gahyeon learned several punches kicks and throws to help in tight spaces. And Dami learned how to do something perfectly after only a couple of tries.

Dami’s quick learning wasn’t just limited to book learning. Sunmi was sure Dami is a genius. _‘That girl will defiantly be this packs ace. If she isn’t already…_ ’ Sunmi thought to herself as she walked behind the others while deep in thought.

Sunmi was torn. She wanted to help them more than what she was already doing. But at the same time, the memories of her parents being killed after helping a pack made her hesitate. Her powers would be of great use to protect them, but was she ready yet? Even though her parent's death was hundreds of years ago, her fox memory kept everything fresh. To her, it could have happened yesterday. It was so fresh in her mind.

 _‘you have a week to decide, Sunmi. Don’t rush into anything just yet…_ ’ Sunmi thought to herself as she followed the group into the house.

Just like Minji had promised, the group made quick work of their lunch from earlier, and everything was spotless in minutes. Sunmi smiled as she looked at the group in front of her _. ‘is this what it's like to have a family again? It's been so long I feel like I have forgotten…_ ’ Sunmi thought as she started cooking everyone dinner as they went off to shower.


	18. Chapter 18

-Dinnertime-

Everyone came back into the kitchen in clean clothes and seemed more relaxed after a much-needed shower.

“oh my god! What smells so good?” Minji said as she walked in and flopped into her seat. Everyone was sniffing the air and looked extremely hungry.

“Kimchi jjigae and some fried chicken just in case you can't take the heat and several other foods to give you some energy,” Sunmi said as she smiled and brought out several plates of meat and laid them in front of the starving group.

There was some of everything, and the girls were practically drooling as they looked at the table and waited for Sunmi to sit before eating.

Once Sunmi sat down and signaled them to begin eating, they thanked her for the meal and dug in. By the end of the meal, there was no food left. ‘ _These girls sure know how to eat!_ ’ Sunmi thought to herself as everyone gathered up the plates and dishes without being asked and started cleaning up. 

Once everything was clean, they went into the living room where Yoohyeon flopped onto the couch.

“oh my god, that was amazing! You don’t know how long it been since I have had an actual home-cooked meal!” Yoohyeon said as she flopped onto the couch and held her now stuffed stomach. The others hadn’t come in yet, and Yoohyeon's comment had caught Sunmi off guard. She had remembered Minji telling her on one of their several phone calls that Yoohyeon lived with her family. How could she not have a home-cooked meal? Was her family very busy?

“I'm sure your mother's cooking is even better than mine,” Sunmi said as she smiled at the goofy wolf in front of her.

“I wouldn’t know. It’s been even years since I have even talked to her, let alone eaten at the table with everyone,” Yoohyeon said it like it was nothing but that one statement caught Sunmi off guard and her heart ached for the girl. 

Sunmi could tell that there was a reason for her family to treat her like this. But whatever the reason, Yoohyeon didn’t deserve it. The kind and happy go lucky girl in front of her was the perfect match for Minji. She balanced out Minji’s serious nature and absolutely adored the vampire. Sunmi soon couldn’t contain her curiosity and finally asked the wolf.

“Why don’t you interact with your family? Minji said that until recently, you lived with them. Why would you go years without talking to someone in your own house?” Sunmi asked, and Yoohyeon looked at Sunmi with an emotionless expression as she explained.

“my family disagreed with me being with Minji. Specifically, the fact that Minji didn’t like my alpha side. So, I gave it up. I would do anything for Minji, I thought my family would understand that. But I was wrong. My mother was so proud to finally have a natural alpha born into our family that she acted like I betrayed the whole family. After that, no one would talk to me. They ignore me like I'm not there. I thought it would just be a temporary thing, but I was wrong. This has been going on for years.” Yoohyeon said as she shrugged.

“the only time I get to hear my own family talk to me is when my mother and father isn’t there. But they only seem to want to say mean things, so I usually just stay in my room.” Yoohyeon said so matter of factly that it worried Sunmi.

That’s a lot to deal with. Her own family that was loving one night completely turned on her in a single night just because of finding her mate. That’s not how a family should be _. ‘her mother and her whole family should be ashamed of themselves for treating her like this… and what does she mean she gave up her alpha side?’_ Sunmi thought to herself as she patted the full wolf on the head.

“Well, whenever you're hungry for a homecooked meal, just ask. I will always be willing to cook for you.” Sunmi said, and Yoohyeon beamed.

“Really?” she said cheerfully as she smiled at the fox. Sunmi’s offer obviously meant a lot to the wolf. And Sunmi nodded. Yoohyeon hugged her in thanks as the others slowly made their way into the room.

“Are you cheating on me with an older woman?!?” Minji shouted jokingly, causing Yoohyeon to jump in surprise.

“don’t DO that! You scared the crap out of me!” Yoohyeon said as she held her chest in surprise. Minji giggled as she wrapped her arms around Yoohyeon’s neck and gently kissed the girl in apology.

“I won't forgive you that easily…” Yoohyeon said as she pouted. Minji threaded her fingers through Yoohyeon’s hair on the back of her head as she pulled her in for a deep and slow kiss that left them both breathless.

“ok, I forgive you…” Yoohyeon said while panting. She had a goofy grin on her face as she stared lovingly into Minji’s face. She quickly started leaving gentle pecks all over Minji’s face causing the vampire to giggle, and Sunmi smiled at the cuteness.

“ugh, cut it out! The kids are here!” Siyeon teased as she and Bora walked into the room. They walked casually past Yoohyeon and Minji. Minji raised a brow as she watched the two pass.

“says the one that’s getting her ass groped openly,” Minji said, and Siyeon looked behind her.

“oh, would you look at that… who knew?” Siyeon teased as Bora winked at Minji and gave a final squeeze before letting go.

“what? I can't hold what's mine?” Bora asked with a pout and gave her the best pouty kitty eyes to Siyeon. Siyeon gasped at the cuteness.

“of course you can, baby. Don’t listen to that grandma over there.” Siyeon said as Minji gasped at the insult, and Siyeon kissed her pouting girlfriend, and soon, they were snuggling together on the couch.

You know, it’s a good thing you are rich and bought big furniture.” Yoohyeon said as she looked around the room. “because there would be no way we would all fit in the living room otherwise.” Yoohyeon said as she dragged Minji to sit down beside her.

“So, what's the plan for the morning?” Dami asked as she and Gahyeon sat in a loveseat across from the couch. “I know we seem to be learning fast, which is a good thing. But I feel like we are still running out of time. Gahyeon and I have already gone through our final transformation. I know alphas take longer, but I think we need to be prepared for everything. What if Jackson doesn’t give up even after you're safe?” Dami said as she looked at the others.

“didn’t Handong say that Elkie’s mom was forced to obey her father because he killed her real father in combat? Can that happen to Siyeon too?” Dami asked, and a chill rolled across the room as her comment sunk in.

Bora will be in danger until Jackson is gone. Everyone will be. Jackson was known for taking hostages to make people bend to his will. It even happened to Yoohyeon. But Siyeon wouldn’t let it happen again. Not to any of their packmates.

“she probably wasn’t a part of a pack at the time,” Sunmi said as she interrupted the silence, and everyone looked at her.

“what does that matter?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the fox.

“your family must not have ever joined or created a pack,” Sunmi said as Siyeon nodded.

“if Elkie’s mother and father had been in a pack and another male was in the pack, even if he killed Elkie’s real father, he wouldn’t have been able to touch her,” Sunmi said as she looked around the room.

“what does having another male in the pack have to do with anything?” Gahyeon asked, and Sunmi smiled.

“a pack is united. Even if a mate of a member is killed, the pack will protect the one that survives. They are a part of your pack, and a pack will protect its members no matter what. Also, males cannot mess with other packs women. The males in the pack are supposed to protect the females. So, she would have been untouchable if she was in a pack at the time. Her packmates would have defended her.” Sunmi said, and as she did, she realized a problem that they all hadn’t thought about before.

“you need a male in your pack to keep you all protected from a challenge…” Sunmi said as she looked around. “preferably someone that’s not straight. You don’t want him making moves on you or your mates. But you defiantly need a male.” Sunmi said, and Siyeon looked at her nervously.

“I don’t think we can trust any males in the area. Especially until after my final transformation…” Siyeon said softly as she looked around at the others. They all agreed with Siyeon. It just wasn’t safe. It would put everything they were trying to protect in danger if it backfires.

“I think I know the perfect wolf. Or wolves. Sunmi said as she looked at the group. They looked nervous at her comment.

“relax, he and his mate are old friends of mine. I was actually thinking about contacting them because Dami needs a better teacher in hand to hand combat. He may be able to help, as long as you don’t try to force him to stay, they love traveling.” Sunmi said, and Siyeon stared at the fox while thinking for several minutes.

“Are you sure we can trust him? and his mate too?” Siyeon asked, and Sunmi nodded. “he will probably stay until he is sure you all are safe, and then once the danger is over, they will probably be off again. That’s IF he agrees to join you.” Sunmi said cautiously. She didn’t want to get their hopes up only for him to turn her down.

“I will call him, but it may take a while for him to come if he agrees. But we still need to have you all practice until then. In the morning, I know Siyeon wanted to practice more with the others, but would it be alright if the next day I try to teach the vampires and hybrids how to use their emotion abilities better? We will need your help with that, of course.” Sunmi said, and Siyeon nodded.

“We need to practice anything that can give us an edge. From what I hear, Jackson's pack is very large. We will need to do everything we can to protect ourselves. I don’t want to lose anyone.” Siyeon said with a serious expression.

“training tomorrow will probably be harder than today. Maybe we should get some rest soon?” Siyeon asked, and everyone nodded. They all had started to feel sleepy while lounging with their mates on the couch.

“where is Handong?” Sunmi asked as she looked around, and Minji smiled sadly.

“Handong went to her room right after dinner. It seems like she is stressing about Elkie…” Minji said, and the room went quiet for several minutes.

“well, I guess we should follow her lead on this one. Let's all go to bed!” Siyeon said as she groaned and got off of the couch and scooped up a sleepy Bora to carry to their room.

In the morning, Sunmi had made a table full of food. Toast and scrambled eggs, bacon, ham, pancakes, and waffles. She had traveled the world and learned several different recipes, but for breakfast, she just loved pancakes and waffles.

The bacon, ham, and waffles with whipped cream and all kinds of berries were big hits with the vampires. They also loved the scrambled eggs, especially covered in cheese. Well, everyone except Bora liked it. She found out she hated cheese.

After cleaning up the food, they went out to practice again. It went a lot like yesterday, except Dami was now in the advanced class.

The highlight of the morning practice was when Dami went against Handong. In the beginning, it seemed to look a lot like siyeon’s fight yesterday. But after several minutes, Handong started having to take a step back or forward while dodging or attacking Dami.

The young wolf was learning quickly and thought up unique ways to break through Handong’s guard. After Dami finally successfully tagged Handong, Siyeon had Dami teach her what she did to beat Handong.

It seemed that Dami was able to watch and learn the groups' weaknesses and exploit them. Soon she was regarded rather highly by Siyeon. Dami was soon the one to beat when training.

Bora, Yoohyeon, and Gahyeon had finally mastered what they needed to learn just before lunchtime, and everyone walked in to shower and join Sunmi for lunch.

Every meal with Sunmi was more like a feast. She would always like to have a mix of foods from all over, and for lunch, they tried foods that she had learned when she traveled to Spain and Mexico. The vampires seemed slowly getting used to spicy foods and seemed to love the food she cooked. It made her extremely happy to see the empty plates in front of her.

After lunch and a short break, they went back outside to train. This time it was the ones from Sunmi’s class that got to try hand to hand with Minji and Handong. Everything was going well. They all seemed to learn fast. Everyone seemed to struggle with Handong’s different fighting styles, but everything went smoothly until it was siyeon’s turn.

“is it even fair for Siyeon to spar in human form? When has she practiced?” Minji asked, and Gahyeon looked at her sister with a worried expression.

“she has been waking up super early every morning to practice with me. She's more than ready. In fact, you might be surprised…” Sunmi said as she smiled at Siyeon. The wolf blushed at the compliment, causing Bora to raise a brow at the wolf.

“don’t worry, Bora, she blushes at compliments. She doesn’t have a thing for Sunmi…” Gahyeon whispered so that just Bora could hear her and the vampire visibly relaxed at Gahyeon’s words. The maknae winked at her and walked closer to watch the fight.

Just as Sunmi had said, Siyeon was ready. Her alpha abilities were starting to show more and more every day, and her reaction time and speed had increased. She also had an alphas strength to put behind her moves. It had honestly surprised Sunmi when she had first started teaching her, but she was proud of the wolf.

The fight began, and her opponent was Minji. Just like before, Minji was fast, and Siyeon remembered all of the times Handong had thrown her when she tried to attack just like Minji, and in a split second, Minji was airborne. Luckily vampires are graceful like cats, and Minji quickly recovered, or she would have splatted very ungracefully on the ground.

“Woah!” Gahyeon whispered as she watched her sister throw Minji. Even Dami seemed to be looking on with an impressed expression.

Minji quickly recovered from her shock and started her attack again. Several throws later, Minji seemed to be very frustrated, and Siyeon just looked at her with her intense stare that made the vampire feel slightly nervous.

‘ _How the hell do I break her guard?_ ’ Minji thought as she looked at Siyeon. _‘usually with Handong, my speed overpowers her strength, but that isn’t working right now. Sunmi even taught her various kicks, and leg sweeps that I keep having to dodge!_ ’ Minji thought to herself frustratedly. _‘fuck it, I'm just gonna go for it!_ ’ she thought as she charged and just let her instincts kick in.

Unlike before, where Minji thought about what moves she would do, now she reacted on instinct alone, and it caught Siyeon by surprise. Minji’s reactions were now almost instantaneous as she dodged and attacked quickly. Siyeon had trouble reacting in time, but luckily she was able to continue to defend herself.

Siyeon and Minji were too focused on the fight to realize that something had changed. Specifically with Minji.

“Should we tell her?” Dami asked Bora, and Bora shook her head.

“no, if it were me, I would freak. Let's wait until the fight is over and see if it gets worse…” Bora said as she watched Minji fight. ‘ _this is going to be interesting…_ ’ she thought to herself as she touched her head.

After a very long time, the fight finally ended with Siyeon splatted on the ground. As Minji looked down at Siyeon, the wolf finally realized the change in the vampire.

“holy shit! Minji! Whats happened to you?!?” Siyeon asked as she popped up. Minji looked at her with a curious expression as she looked at Siyeon.

“what? What's wrong?” she asked as she looked at the alpha.

“um, guys?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the others and noticed that Gahyeon and Dami were slowly walking towards them with a mirror.

“well, I guess you will see for yourself…” Siyeon said as she pointed at the two bringing the mirror over.

Once they were closer Minji slowly walked over to the mirror. She was feeling nervous. Everyone was looking at her with curious expressions, and it worried her.

Soon she was staring into the mirror, and it took a couple of seconds to realize what she was staring at. But when Gahyeon tried to hide a giggle, it made Minji see what was different. At Gahyeon’s giggle, her ear turned toward the girls' direction. Her tall, very furry ears on the top of her head.

“what the hell!?!” Minji shouted as she grabbed the ears and felt them. They didn’t seem to look like wolf ears.

“what the hell are these? They don’t look like wolf ears!” Minji said as she looked in the mirror.

“um… I think they are well… cat ears…” Yoohyeon choked out as she fought giggles.

“that doesn’t even make sense! I joined a wolf pack! Why would I sprout cat ears?” Minji asked, and everyone shrugged as they watched her tail twitch annoyedly.

“oh yeah, you have a tail too!” Yoohyeon said as Minji quickly looked behind her to see a rather fluffy cat tail. Minji’s expression was enough to send Yoohyeon over the edge. Soon she was on the ground in hysterical laughter.

“I have to admit, it looks cute on you,” Handong said as she walked over and scratched behind Minji’s ear. It felt really nice, but Minji refused to admit that.

“will this go away?” she asked, and the others shrugged.

“auntie? You were around at the time this happened. Do you know?” Minji asked as her ears flattened back against her head. It looked truly adorable.

“I don’t know, you are so close to the alpha that you are showing powers that others at the time didn’t show. I assume so. You just have to learn how to make them appear and disappear.” Sunmi said apologetically. She felt sorry that she didn’t have the answer Minji needed.

“well, this explains the claws…” Bora said as she looked at her hands.

“and the purring!” Yoohyeon said as she finally was able to get off of the ground.

“what purring?” Sunmi asked, and she really regretted asking it.

“she purrs after sex. Sometimes during!” Yoohyeon said happily.

“Kim Yoohyeon!” Minji shouted as she whipped around to look at her. Her pupils were slit’s, and her ears were back in anger.

“I do not purr!” Minji said as her face flushed red.

“Bora purrs…” Siyeon said. Obviously, it was Boras turn to blush. The vampire was now tomato red, and Gahyeon nodded in agreement.

“it's true. She was purring like crazy the night that they became mates. I thought that it was just Bora being kinky, but maybe it’s a vampire thing?” Gahyeon asked, and she looked to Handong, who just shrugged.

“I don’t know, Elkie and I were too young to do anything. So I wouldn’t know. No experience.” Handong said coolly as she looked back at Minji.

“This doesn’t even make sense! Cats don’t drink blood!” Minji said, and immediately Sunmi remembered something that used to be an old superstition.

“Actually, there was an old superstition that cats could steal someone's breath, soul, or energy while they were sleeping. It was a legend in several countries. It’s all but forgotten now, but I wonder if it had some truth to it?” Sunmi said as she looked at Minji.

“one of the old stories about how vampires were created always mentioned someone trying to combine themselves with animals and other things. They were after eternal life. Keep in mind some people used to believe the cats have nine lives thing. Maybe the drinking blood was a mutation from whatever experiment they did. Instead of energy, you need blood instead?” Sunmi said, slightly unsure, but it was the only thing that made sense right now.

“so, you're saying we are part cat?” Bora said as she looked at Handong. The usually quiet vampire seemed extremely happy. Handong has an extreme love for cats.

Everyone shrugged as they looked around. No one had a better explanation.

“so, what kind of cat is she? Her tail is rather long and SUPER fluffy…” Gahyeon asked, and they looked at it. It was mainly black and white with hints of cream colors and was indeed fluffy. Her ears were also black and white with a hint of cream color.

The group quickly pulled out their phones and started searching for cats with long fluffy tails. It only seemed to pull up domestic cat breeds, but Gahyeon spotted a small photo that had her going ‘aww!’ and everyone gathered around. It was a picture of a baby snow leopard holding its mother's tail in its mouth and another picture of an adult snow leopard holding its own tail in its mouth. The “aww!”s traveled around the group until Gahyeon pointed at the tail.

“isn't that Minji’s tail?” Gahyeon asked as she pointed at her phone. Everyone leaned in to look at the picture and then back to Minji. This happened a couple of times before they nodded.

“but her ears are long and slightly pointy. Snow leopards have cute little round ears.” Handong said as she looked at the picture Gahyeon showed her.

“Maybe that’s part of the wolf pack showing?” Siyeon asked, and they looked at Minji’s ears. It could be a mix of the two. All Yoohyeon knows is Minji looked extremely adorable.

“hey, baby? Can you hold your tail in your mouth? I want to see if it looks the same.” Yoohyeon pleaded.

“Yoohyeon!” Minji shouted as she looked at her girlfriend. _‘sweet! She didn’t say my full name! I have a chance,’_ Yoohyeon thought as she turned her puppy eyes on Minji. “please? It will look really cute…” Yoohyeon pouted, and soon the others pleaded with her.

“fine!” Minji shouted as she grabbed her tail and put it between her teeth. It was only for a brief couple of seconds, but they managed to snap several pictures. And she hated to admit it, but she liked the feeling of it.

“is that really a thing? To snow leopards like biting their own tails?” Minji asked, and soon she was shown several pictures to show that yes, they do. Why they weren't sure, but it seemed to comfort Minji. She would never tell the others that, though.

The photo of her holding her tail in her mouth was everyone's cellphone background, including Sunmi’s. She would never live this down, but she was oddly ok with it. It WAS really cute.

“Sorry, but I have to say this…” Gahyeon said as everyone looked at her. “so… who’s like a cat NOW!” Gahyeon teased Minji.

“that’s it! You have been spending too much time with Yoohyeon! She's rubbing off on you and teaching you bad habits! Siyeon, I think we need to separate them…” Minji said in a false, serious tone as Yoohyeon high fived Gahyeon and hugged her. They both stuck their tongues out as Minji, who huffed in shock, causing everyone to laugh at them.

“Siyeon! Your sister is being corrupted by my girlfriend!” Minji whined, and this time, Yoohyeon choked in shock.

Minji’s whiny pout was even stronger with her cat ears and a fluffy tail. It was cuteness overload for Yoohyeon, and her mind went blank for a couple of seconds, and Gahyeon laughed.

“uh, Minji? I think you broke her!” she teased as Yoohyeon just stared at her girlfriend with wide eyes.

“you ok, baby?” Minji asked as she walked over to Yoohyeon. “hey! Kim Yoohyeon!” Minji shouted as she snapped her fingers in front of her face. Finally, Yoohyeon seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in and looked at Minji. Her ears were cocked sideways in confusion. Yoohyeon blushed and looked at her with a look Minji couldn’t place.

“mine!” Yoohyeon shouted as she scooped up Minji and flung her over her shoulder as she ran towards the house. Everyone shook their heads as she watched the couple go. They heard shouts of ‘yah! Kim Yoohyeon! You better not drop me!’ and ‘slow down! I'm getting dizzy!’ as Yoohyeon ran towards the house. She did NOT slow down. And they didn’t see the couple for a while after that.

“I guess the cuteness was too much for Yoohyeon…” Bora chuckled as she watched her friend be carried off. As she looked at Siyeon, she froze. Siyeon’s eyes were glowing green, and she had an intense stare as she looked Bora up and down.

“what?” she asked, and Siyeon continued to stare.

“I'm just trying to imagine you with ears and a tail…” Siyeon said as she looked at Bora.

“well, can you stop looking at me like I'm food then please?” Bora asked, and Siyeon chuckled and wrapped her arms around Bora's neck. “I just think you would be extremely cute, maybe sexy even…” Siyeon whispered just loud enough that only Bora could hear it, and the smaller girl looked at Siyeon.

“have a fetish, do we?” she teased, and Siyeon shrugged.

“won't know till we try, right?” Siyeon teased back with a sexy stare, leaving Bora speechless for once. Which was siyeon’s goal, and she felt very proud of herself.


	19. Chapter 19

-Bad Kitty-

Minji and Yoohyeon weren't seen for two hours. Finally, Minji dragged Yoohyeon back to practice, but they both looked rather content. Minji also seemed more ok with her new ears and tail. Everyone teased the couple for their disappearance, which the couple ignored, and soon they continued with the training.

After several matches with each other, Bora and Handong hadn't shown any signs of cat ears or a tail, and curiosity got the better of the group.

“ok, so what did you do to trigger your ears and tail?” Dami asked as she looked at Minji. She had finally gotten used to fighting with her tail and had learned that she could sweep others' feet out from them with a swipe of her tail. It made fighting her quite interesting.

“well, I was trying to think of what to do and how to counter Siyeon when finally I just decided to react on instinct. When I did, I was able to react faster, and I just knew what to do. I didn’t have to think about it…” Minji said as she thought back. 

“you were really something, as soon as you made that switch I really felt the pressure…”Siyeon said as she looked at Handong and Bora. “do one of you want to try it?” Siyeon asked, and Handong’s hand shot up. It didn’t surprise Bora at all.

“I will try! I want to know if we all can do that.” Handong said, and Siyeon glanced at Minji.

“maybe if your against another vampire, it may help trigger it too?” Siyeon said, and Minji nodded and stepped forward.

It only took a couple of minutes before Handong was able to let herself go. Once she relied on instinct combined with her unique fighting style Minji wasn’t able to land a punch kick or tail sweep on her. After several minutes they called the fight to an end, and the group got their answer.

Handong stood there with a black and white striped tail with orange at the base and ran along the top twitching side to side and distinct tiger ears that were slightly longer and pointer than normal due to the pack. Everyone looked at her in shock.

“Are you seeing what I am?” Dami asked, and Yoohyeon nodded.

“she’s a fucking tiger!” Yoohyeon said as she looked at Handong, who quickly looked at her tail.

“oh!” she said in surprise as she looked at the distinctive pattern. “a tiger? Really?” Handong asked in genuine surprise as she looked at the others, and they nodded. Once they showed her a picture of her ears, she nodded.

“well, it's fitting…” Bora said as she nodded. “I guess I'm next, huh?” she said, and Siyeon nodded. Bora's opponent was Handong. She wanted to learn how to use her new tail.

After a fight with the same success, Bora stood there looking at everyone. “well? Did it work?” Bora asked as everyone looked at her and whispered. There seemed to be a debate going on between Gahyeon and Dami. Finally, Dami sighed and stepped forward.

“We are debating on if you’re a black panther or black leopard. I'm saying leopard because of your markings, plus your tails longer like Minji’s, but Gahyeon swears you’re a panther…” Dami said, and soon everyone was researching on their phones. It turned out Dami was right, like normal.

“oh! She really is a leopard!” Gahyeon said as she looked at the pictures.

“see! I told you! They have longer tails, and you can see the pattern underneath the dark fur.” Dami said as they looked at the pictures excitedly.

“well, it is really fitting. You do love leopard prints…” Minji teased, and Bora rolled her eyes. “I do not, I just tend to notice girls that wear them…” Bora said, and Siyeon shot her a dirty look. “what? I said I notice it, not that I'm turned on by it!” Bora said, but Siyeon wasn’t convinced.

“we will talk about that later…” Siyeon said in a low tone that gave Bora a cold chill and walked over to Gahyeon to look at the pictures.

“Now look what you did! You got me in trouble with Siyeon!” Bora whispered at Minji, who didn’t seem remorseful at all.

“you will thank me later,” Minji said as she winked, and she was right, that night, siyeon’s possessive side came out, and Bora couldn’t get enough of it. And it turned out that yes, Siyeon did like Bora with her cat ears and tail. Very much so. Bora defiantly purred a lot that night.

It was a good thing that they decided to end the practice after boras ears appeared because if they waited any longer, she would have pulled a Yoohyeon and shouted ‘mine!’ and ran off with Bora and Siyeon didn’t want her pack to think she was weak.

The next morning Sunmi took over the vampires' training. Siyeon and Yoohyeon were ok with helping, but they didn’t like how Sunmi kept calling them guinea pigs. It didn’t make them feel very confident in her teaching.

“ok, everyone ready?” Sunmi asked, and everyone nodded. Though Siyeon and Yoohyeon looked a lot less energetic.

“Well, first, let's practice projecting an emotion. Minji, you first. try to make me angry.” Sunmi said, and Minji nodded. Soon Sunmi felt the waves of anger roll over her, and she told her to stop.

“ok, that was good, but you obviously don’t use this power often. It felt lacking, we need to work on that. Maybe pair with Dami? She will be able to learn quickly from you, and it shouldn’t take long for you to strengthen it. It's as natural as breathing to vampires.” Sunmi said, and Minji nodded.

Minji and Dami paired off and took turns projecting emotions at each other. Dami did, in fact, learn really quickly, and her ability seemed stronger than it should be, which made Minji call Sunmi over.

“what's wrong, Minji?” Sunmi said as she walked over to the two.

“nothings wrong, it's just that Dami's ability seems to be extremely strong. I think it's even stronger than boras.” Minji said, and Sunmi looked at Dami.

“Can you show me?” she asked with a smile, and soon fear washed over her. It was almost overwhelming. Her abilities were as strong as a fox, and Sunmi gasped at the power behind it. No wonder Minji had called her over. She was sweating and pale. Dami’s powers seemed to be too much for her. Sunmi smiled apologetically at Minji. She now knew the problem and switched their partners.

“Minji? You pair up with Gahyeon and Dami, pair up with Bora. Learn her calming and happiness abilities. After that, pair with me. I think you may be able to learn more than others can.” Sunmi said, and Dami nodded and walked over to Bora.

“Sorry, I didn’t know her abilities were that strong, or I wouldn’t have had her using fear against you…” Sunmi said, and Minji shook her head.

“it's ok, I didn’t know it either. It surprised us both. I'm just proud of her. And to think her family abandoned her on the streets as a baby…” Minji said as she shook her head in sadness.

“some people just shouldn’t be parents. At least she was able to meet you all. Her life wouldn’t be as good as it is now without you.” Sunmi said, and Minji smiled.

“I just wish we found her earlier…” Minji said sadly, and Sunmi nodded.

“We all do. She's such a smart and kind girl… it makes me wonder who would really abandon someone so sweet as her…” Sunmi said, and minji smiled grimly.

“that’s why I'm looking into Dami’s parents…” minji whispered as Sunmi walked Minji over to Gahyeon.

For once, Gahyeon was struggling with something. She could do every emotion well, but anger and fear were difficult for her.

“I hate to do this, but I think the reason is you haven’t experienced it fully. Siyeon, would it be ok for Dami to show her? Her powers are extremely strong, and I think it will help, but it may be overwhelming for her.” Sunmi asked as she looked at the alpha. Siyeon thought about her answer before speaking.

“it's up to Gahyeon, I obviously don’t want her to, but it's her decision. Not mine.” Siyeon said, and she looked at Gahyeon.

“I want to try it,” Gahyeon said, and Dami frowned in worry.

“don't worry, if she does get overwhelmed, we have three vampires and a fox that can give her calming energy,” Sunmi said, and Dami finally sighed and walked over.

“ready?” Dami asked nervously, and Gahyeon gave a shaky ready back as she looked at her mate.

Within seconds Gahyeon was on her knees. The pure terror that she felt knocked the wind out of her . she didn’t know why she was so terrified, but it was the only thing she could feel. Her heart rate increased as she started to feel panic set in, and suddenly it was gone as soon as it started. 

Dami was holding her and the others were calling her name but she couldn’t hear them. Her ears were ringing.

Soon she felt wave after wave of calming wash over, but she shook her head to show she was ok.

Finally, her ears stopped ringing, and she told them she was ok. But it didn’t stop Dami from snuggling with her for several minutes until both girls had finally calmed down.

“do you think you have the feeling of fear locked down now? Want to try it?” Sunmi asked as she held out her hand to the smaller girl.

“I think so…” Gahyeon said as she took Sunmi’s hand and was gently pulled up. It turned out that the stronger the emotion that the person wielding the emption felt, the stronger the emotion she could project. Gahyeon could now project pure terror just like Dami could. It then made Sunmi switch her teaching methods.

Sunmi had Dami project each emotion on the other vampires and Gahyeon while the vampires were farther and farther away. Thus strengthening Dami’s range and helping the others project stronger emotions.

By lunchtime, the wolves practiced learning how to feel when their emotions were being messed with and how to resist it. It also gave the vampires a moving target to practice on.

Everyone was grateful for lunchtime as they all were exhausted already. Sunmi decided that she needed to feed the girls a lot of protein to help fuel them for the rest of the day. There were all kinds of meat and wraps that she served. The girls stuffed themselves, and Siyeon ate most of the onions and garlic herself. The vampires didn’t like the strong odor but liked the tastes. They just ate less of it.

After lunch, it was back to Sunmi’s training. This was going to be slightly different. Instead of emotions, they were going to learn how to force an illusion or hallucination onto someone. It took several minutes of explaining before the girls were ready to try it.

“Remember, just like with emotions, you project it. But you also project what you want them to see or hear,” Sunmi said, and they nodded. Sunmi showed Dami first, and like always, she could soon do it after a couple of tries.

Gahyeon had more difficulties with it because it was new to her, but she learned quickly nonetheless.

Bora Minji and Handong learned quickly, and they also learned that Bora was strongest at projecting her will on others. Yoohyeon claimed it was because she was the bossiest, which earned Yoohyeon a time out in an imaginary corner. They weren't sure if it was Minji or Bora that did it, and neither girl would own up to it. Yoohyeon pouted there for several minutes until she was released.

“you guys suck, you know that?” Yoohyeon pouted as she flopped on the ground. “use Siyeon for your guinea pig! I'm done for today!” Yoohyeon said as she pouted. Minji rolled her eyes at her pouting girlfriend and walked over to her to whisper in her ear.

“aww, too bad. If you continued to help us, I was going to let you play bad kitty again tonight…” Minji whispered slightly louder than she should have because everyone was looking at her in shock. Including Yoohyeon.

“what do you need help with?” Yoohyeon asked eagerly, and everyone tried to ignore what they just heard. It wasn’t working as Dami and Gahyeon were barely fighting back laughter.

“anyway…” Sunmi said as she tried to get the images out her head. “let's try to test how long you can keep someone in an illusion. Also, how far you can be until it isn’t effective. You need to know your range.” Sunmi said as she refused to look at Yoohyeon. She was way too eager to help now.

Dami had the largest range and could hold it for longer. Bora and Gahyeon were almost tied. Bora could hold hers longer, but Gahyeon had a farther range. Handong and Minji were in a similar situation. Handong could hold someone there for almost as long as Dami, but her range was extremely short. Minji needed to practice more, but she had a good balance between range and time.

With siyeon’s powers growing, their powers were also growing as well. Soon she had confidence that they would be able to use the ability to get out of some difficult situations. Right before dinner, they were able to keep several in their illusions at once. Dami was able to make Siyeon and Yoohyeon fight each other briefly before they stopped it, so neither girl would get hurt.

“That was intense! I hated Yoohyeon so much at that moment! And I had no idea why, but I suddenly went after her…” Siyeon said as she shook her head.

“Yeah, same here. Suddenly I hated your guts and wanted to see them outside of your body… It was the weirdest thing ever…” Yoohyeon said as she shook her head to get the sweat out of her eyes.

“well, you all worked hard. Let's go get washed up and go eat?” Sunmi said as she suddenly had several excited eyes staring at her.

They all ate fried chicken that night because it was a group favorite. Sunmi made several kinds. She handmade several different kinds of sauces and seasonings to find what everyone liked. It was a big hit, and she learned more about the girls In the process.

Soon the group was sitting in the living room relaxing before bed when Sunmi asked Siyeon a question.

“tomorrow, is it ok if I show you all how foxes fight?” Sunmi asked as she looked at Siyeon. The wolf smiled gratefully and nodded. She didn’t know how to ask the fox for help, and Sunmi just made it a lot easier.

“can I ask you a question?” Yoohyeon asked, and everyone groaned. They felt it was going to be a stupid question and braced themselves.

“I noticed that when you walk by the curtains, they kinda float towards you. Why is that?” Yoohyeon asked, and Dami nodded in agreement. The others looked at the two in surprise. They hadn’t noticed it.

“you two are very observant, aren't you?” Sunmi asked as she giggled. They quietly waited for her response, and she smiled.

“it’s part of my fox powers,” Sunmi said, and Yoohyeon interrupted her.

“giant static cling is part of your fox powers?” Yoohyeon asked, and she laughed again.

“yes, actually. Part of my foxfire is lightning-based. In fox form, I can build electricity in my fur unintentionally. It helps me to look bigger but also can lead to a surprising shock to those who get close.” Sunmi said as she smiled.

“and you're going to be in fox form tomorrow?” Yoohyeon asked, and Sunmi nodded. “great! Ok, night! GAHYEON CAN I SPEAK WITH YOU!” Yoohyeon said as she grabbed the girl and ran out of the room excitedly. Sunmi thought it was cute, but Siyeon knew better.

Before Yoohyeon met Minji, she was a huge prankster, and her partner in crime was Gahyeon because she was so cute that she would pout or cry, and no one would punish them. This all screamed prank to Siyeon…

“hey, I need to get more clothes from my house, I asked Gahyeon and Dami to go with me, so I don’t go there alone. Is that ok?” Yoohyeon asked, and she knew she had Siyeon cornered. Yoohyeon’s family was a tough subject to talk about, and Siyeon didn’t know what to say, so she said ok but gave her a very skeptical look.

Shortly after Yoohyeon grabbed Dami and the three went out front, and Siyeon heard Dami’s car start and Gahyeon’s screams, then they were gone.

“did I hear screams?” Sunmi asked as she came out of her room with a worried expression.

“yes. Don’t worry, though. It's only because of Dami’s driving.” Siyeon said, and Sunmi nodded in understanding. She had heard stories from Gahyeon about it.

“well, at least they are ok. They are going to a safe place, right?” Sunmi asked worriedly, and Siyeon nodded. “Yoohyeon’s house. She needed more clothes.” Siyeon said as she looked out the window. She hated to admit it, but it worried her that she couldn’t follow them until after her transformation.

Siyeon stayed up until the group came home. They jumped when they saw her sitting on the couch in the dark.

“Why the hell are you sitting here in the dark?” Yoohyeon asked and looked at the three and remembered that she was the only one that didn’t have her night vision. “Nevermind…” Yoohyeon said as she sulked into the room, dragging a suitcase.

“How did it go?” Siyeon asked, and the two hybrids looked at each other with a worried look while Yoohyeon shrugged.

“like normal. No one talked to me, and I got my stuff and left.” Yoohyeon said as she brought her stuff to her room. Siyeon wanted to ask her what prank she was planning, but Yoohyeon’s parents must have done something because her mood felt off.

“Hey guys, what happened?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Gahyeon and Dami. It was Dami who spoke first.

“her stuff was by the road. Beside the trashcan. It was a good thing that she decided to go today, or all her stuff would be gone…” Dami said as she hugged Gahyeon tightly.

“Siyeon, they even threw away her baby stuff. Her photo albums and everything. They got rid of everything about her in that house. Her bed, her sheets, if she didn’t move all of her things of value to Minji’s a year or two ago, she would have lost everything…” Gahyeon said as she fought back tears.

“We really are her only family now. They made that extremely clear to her tonight. They even had some of their pack chase us off after we grabbed Yoohyeon’s stuff…” Dami said angrily.

“they what!?!” Siyeon shouted, and the two girls nodded. They knew what that meant too. It was a challenge to Siyeon. They even challenged Yoohyeon's new pack. _‘How could they hurt her so much? They knew that it would devastate her…’_ Siyeon thought angrily. She was upset about Yoohyeon, and she also didn’t like another pack treating her packmates badly.

“when my transformation is over, we will make a visit without Yoohyeon. Agreed?” Siyeon asked, and they all nodded in agreement. No one hurts part of their pack and gets away with it.

“I'm in too,” Minji said as she walked up. “I knew something was up with Yoohyeon when she wouldn’t look at me. Now I know why. Count me in when the time comes…” Minji said as she looked rather fierce with her new cat eyes. She had finally learned how to control her ears and tail, but her eyes remained feline when she got angry.

“well, I guess I have to go play bad kitty to cheer up my puppy…” Minji said as she walked away to the sounds of gags from the others. They didn’t want to hear that. Soon everyone was in bed and resting for the next day of training except minji and Yoohyeon, of course.

But one thing was on siyeon’s mind, was Yoohyeon’s family just being spiteful? Or where they siding with Jackson? It was quite normal for Yoohyeon to spend a week or two at Minji’s. So for them to throw out her stuff, it seemed suspicious. Did they know whats going on between the two packs? If they did, they obviously weren't on Yoohyeon's side. Does that mean that they were siyeon’s enemy?

Best to be prepared just in case. After all, it was Yoohyeon’s own cousin that lied to Siyeon when Yoohyeon went missing. They could have sided with Jackson that long ago. If that’s the case, then Jackson's numbers may have just doubled _. ‘we will need some help if my suspicions are right,’_ Siyeon thought before sleep finally took her.

It also helped that Bora had snuggled against her and started to purr the wolf to sleep. Bora really embraced the whole part cat thing behind closed doors. And Siyeon loved it. Her little leopard. Siyeon snuggled into her and slept soundly.


	20. Chapter 20

-Balloon break-

Yoohyeon was in a much better mood in the morning, and so was Minji. Siyeon didn’t question it because, sadly, she already knew why, and there was no way she could forget.

Luckily breakfast interrupted her thoughts about Minji and Yoohyeon. Sunmi made several different kinds of food for breakfast. Most were Yoohyeon’s favorites. Sunmi had obviously picked up on Yoohyeon’s aura last night and decided to make the young wolf feel better.

“This is amazing!” Yoohyeon said as she stuffed her mouth with food. “it's like you knew all of my favorite foods!” Yoohyeon said as she continued eating. Minji gave a thankful smile to Sunmi, who just winked. She had noticed Minji rubbing Yoohyeon’s back during breakfast. Minji was still very worried about Yoohyeon, and it was showing.

The happy puppy seemed a little off today, but so did Handong. All morning she had been checking her phone. She was starting to get nervous the closer it came to time to meet Elkie.

“how long has it been since you have seen her?” Gahyeon asked as she watched Handong check her phone for the tenth time in the last five minutes.

“right after my parents died. I haven’t been back after that. We have talked occasionally, but her parents were always strict and monitored her cell activity. It wasn’t until recently that she has been able to talk more. She says she met a new friend, and she has been letting her use her phone…” Handong said, but she was clearly worried.

“what's wrong?” Gahyeon asked as everyone leaned in, acting like they weren't listening and doing a horrible job at it.

“if wolves aren’t around their mate for years, will their bond be broken?” Handong asked as she looked at Gahyeon with eyes that looked like they could burst into tears at any second.

“I doubt it. Your mates, after all.” Gahyeon said, but Handong still was worried.

“she hasn’t mated with her mate, and she's coming up on her transformation… if our bond is still there, it can still be broken. That’s why we are protecting Siyeon after all…” Handong said as her voice cracked, and suddenly she was surrounded by her pack who wrapped her in hugs to comfort her.

“how about this, if we don’t hear from her by tomorrow night, I will go looking for her,” Sunmi said, and everyone looked at her in shock. They have never seen her leave the house.

“what?” she asked as everyone looked at her.

“but you never leave…” Yoohyeon said, and Sunmi chuckled.

“of course I do! How can I feed you all if I don’t go to the store for groceries? Do you know how much you all eat a day? The house would be empty in two days!” Sunmi asked, and everyone looked at her in shock.

“when? We have never seen you go.” Siyeon asked, and Sunmi just smiled.

“After everyone is asleep. I like to go to the market at night. Fewer people to deal with. It’s the best time to go. Why else would they have a store that is twenty-four hours?” Sunmi smiled as she shrugged her shoulders.

“but what do you drive? And if you don’t, then how do you bring everything back home?” Yoohyeon asked, and Sunmi held up some car keys.

“Minji’s gift to me a couple of years ago.” Sunmi said with a smile. “it's my baby.” She said as she gently put the keys back in her pocket.

“Anyway, if we don’t hear from her by tomorrow night, I will go looking for her, ok?” Sunmi asked, and Handong nodded gratefully.

“good, then should we head out back?” Sunmi said, and everyone nodded.

“so this is the first time you have been in your fox form in a while, right?” Siyeon asked as their group walked towards their field. Sunmi nodded.

“it has been years. I used to love my fox form, but now I find it too flashy.” Sunmi said with a frown.

“what do you mean too flashy?” Siyeon asked, and Sunmi only shook her head.

“you will see it soon enough. Let's just say I was a lot more flashy when I was younger. I liked a lot of attention, and it shows in my fox form.” Sunmi said as she walked into the field.

“what about your clothes?” Siyeon said as she looked at Sunmi’s outfit. She didn’t want her clothes to be ruined after shifting.

“What clothes?” Sunmi asked as she looked at Siyeon with a confused expression. “Oh! It's an illusion. I don’t like walking around naked. You just THINK I'm wearing clothes.” Sunmi said as she walked ahead, and Siyeon couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.

Turns out, she was not joking. Once they all gathered in the field, Sunmi let her illusion fall and quickly shifted before the others could say anything.

Gasps came from the group as they looked at a giant fox that stood in front of them.

Sunmi’s markings were the regular mask ears socks and tail like a normal fox, but it was her fur that made it a surprise. Her fur looked almost metallic. She was a golden color with bright silver markings that shined beautifully in the sunlight. Siyeon could understand why she called her fox form flashy.

Her height wasn’t as big as the wolves, but her head came as tall as Gahyeon’s head in human form. Sunmi's eyes were also an iridescent purple that seemed to color shift to blue periodically that was somewhat hypnotizing if you kept eye contact with her for very long. And just like Sunmi had stated, there was only one long and extremely fluffy tail.

“Woah!” Yoohyeon said as she looked at the sleek fox standing in front of her. “your fur looks like metal!” she said as she walked closer to Sunmi.

“Can I touch it?” Yoohyeon asked, but before Sunmi could respond, Yoohyeon touched her fur and was met with a slight shock.

‘ _sorry! I was going to say electricity tends to store in my fur…_ ’ Sunmi said as Yoohyeon looked slightly stunned.

“no problem!” Yoohyeon said as she gave a very mischievous smile and walked back to Gahyeon, who returned the same smile.

_‘they are definitely up to something…’_ Siyeon thought as she watched Yoohyeon bounce happily beside her sister.

_‘now I know that the wolves can hear me, but Minji, can you and the others hear me as well?’_ Sunmi asked, and Minji nodded.

“We can hear wolves now, and I guess because foxes can mind speak as well, we can also hear you.” Minji said, and Sunmi smiled. But in fox form, it looked like she bared her teeth, which made everyone nervous. Her fangs were rather long and thin, not to the point of looking weak. But you knew if you got bit by her, it would really hurt.

_‘well, now that I know you all can hear me, let's get started._ ’ Sunmi said, and everyone suddenly went serious.

Sunmi first wanted to give everyone an example of the different fighting styles that the wolves and foxes have, so she and Siyeon agreed to spar each other.

Siyeon was now in her wolf form, and Sunmi looked at her with excitement. Obviously, Sunmi missed this. ‘ _I hope I don’t let her down…’_ Siyeon worried as she looked at how happy the fox looked, but she didn’t get to dwell on that long because the fight started.

Sunmi was extremely quick, and she could turn rapidly. Her smaller size and speed would allow Sunmi to dart around and dodge all of siyeon’s attacks as she would feint and nip at the wolf.

_‘she wasn’t kidding about the tricks!’_ Siyeon thought to herself. ‘ _i have a hard time keeping track of her, let alone be able to fight her properly!’_ she thought frustratedly as she watched the fox dancing around her. Sunmi’s footwork was amazing, and she seemed so graceful even with the quick movements that she did. But what really caught the wolf off guard was the way Sunmi used her tail.

At times the fox would use it as a counterbalance when she would do her rapid turns and dodges, but when Siyeon least expected it, Sunmi’s tail would whip against her at lightning speed, causing the wolf to stagger at times.

Wolves didn’t use their tails like Sunmi did, and Siyeon wondered if that was a mistake. They mainly used their tails for body language and occasionally for balance but rarely, and clearly, there may be a way to use it better. Siyeon started to watch how Sunmi moved and then tried to follow her lead.

Siyeon’s footwork wasn’t clumsy by any means, but compared to Sunmi’s, it looked like she was an amateur. But Sunmi realized that the wolf that was in front of her was quickly starting to get closer to her, and she realized that it was because Siyeon was starting to mimic her moves.

_‘not bad…’_ Sunmi thought to herself as she stepped up the pace. In the end, Siyeon had still not landed a bite on Sunmi, but she had greatly improved on her footwork. The wolf was splatted on the ground in her human form, gasping and panting from all of the exertions, but Sunmi looked unphased by all the running she had just done. She had literally danced circles around Siyeon but didn’t look winded at all.

‘ _I guess Dami isn’t the only one that learns fast!_ ’ Sunmi said to Siyeon as she looked at the exhausted alpha.

“Thanks, but I couldn’t even land one bite on you! I don’t think I deserve any compliments!” Siyeon said through her panting and gasping for air.

‘ _you did really well. Did I forget to mention that no one has landed a blow on me in over a hundred years? Including Minji’s parents._ ’ Sunmi said, and Siyeon looked at the fox with a stunned expression.

“Seriously?” Siyeon asked, and the fox nodded. “I wish we could fight like you. Then I wouldn’t have to be in hiding right now. I don’t like that I have to be protected by everyone…” Siyeon said as she looked at the ground with a gloomy expression. It made Sunmi’s heart ache at how upset Siyeon looked. She could understand her feelings, and she had been watching the wolf's aura ever since her arrival.

Siyeon wouldn’t show it, but she was constantly worried about everyone and felt horrible that the others were having to go through all of this because of her. It all was visible to Sunmi, though. Siyeon’s aura showed it all. Every doubt and fear would show like a neon sign above siyeon’s head to Sunmi, and the fox was starting to feel guilty.

Sunmi knew that if she joined them, their chances of success would skyrocket, but Sunmi wasn’t sure if she was ready yet. But she was worried. ‘ _what if my fears of what happened to my family get everyone killed? What if my hesitation to help them leads to them failing?_ ’ Sunmi worried but tried to keep her face expressionless.

Once Siyeon was less winded, Sunmi taught the others how to do some of the moves that she used against Siyeon. By the end of the morning training session, everyone, including the vampires, was able to move a lot faster and counterattack at lightning speed.

The vampires had Sunmi help them with learning how to move with their tails in a fight, and soon just like Minji and Sunmi, the others were able to use their tails for balance and also a weapon. The wolves of Jackson's pack wouldn’t see this coming.

‘ _alright, everyone needs to take a break?’_ Sunmi asked, and Yoohyeon nodded.

“I do! I need a balloon break!” Yoohyeon said and ran off, leaving the group to look after her with confused expressions. All but Gahyeon, who was hiding a smirk.

“balloon break? What does that even mean?” Minji asked as she looked in the direction her girlfriend disappeared to.

Soon Yoohyeon was back and standing beside Gahyeon. Siyeon knew that this was related to the prank that Yoohyeon was planning but wasn’t sure how. All she did know is that Yoohyeon and Gahyeon were sitting on the ground blowing balloons as they joked to each other.

Siyeon looked to Dami, who avoided her eye contact _. ‘ah, so Dami knows whatever prank this is…’_ Siyeon thought to herself as she glanced at Minji.

Minji’s expression was of pure confusion. ‘ _well obviously Minji wasn’t let in on the joke whatever it is…_ ’ Siyeon thought to herself as she smirked. _‘I guess Minji and I will both be in for a surprise then!’_ Siyeon thought as she decided to ignore the troublemakers.

While they took their break, both Gahyeon and Yoohyeon would walk over to talk to Sunmi that had decided to stay in her fox form. It wasn’t until they were ready to begin again for a short time before lunch that the others realized what prank the two girls had been doing.

Everyone covered their mouths and fought back laughter as Sunmi walked by with six to ten balloons stuck to her butt and tail by static electricity. The fox seemed oblivious to it, and Siyeon didn’t know if she should tell the fox or not.

_‘Kim Yoohyeon!’_ Minji shouted to her girlfriend. Siyeon almost lost it at seeing the wolf jump a foot in the air at her angry girlfriend's voice. Siyeon’s alpha powers must be getting stronger because she was pretty sure that the message was only for Yoohyeon.

Siyeon had been noticing that she was now able to hear the other’s private conversations more and more but was afraid to tell them just how much she could now hear. She didn’t want the others to be afraid to talk around her. She had hinted at it with the vampires before, but they had no idea just how much she could hear now.

Unlike what everyone thought, Sunmi did know what the two wolves were up to and played dumb. Sunmi knew that Yoohyeon was still hurting and needed to have some kind of distraction. Plus, the prank was harmless even though it tickled Sunmi like crazy.

‘ _ready? All we are going to do before lunch is just try to pair off against each other and practice your new footwork ok?’_ Sunmi asked as she walked by. A balloon was stuck to the back of her head, and the others noticed it as she turned around to sit back and watch.

After the others fought back their laughter, they started following Sunmi’s advice as they went against each other.

Everyone was really learning quickly. Much faster than humans would, but that was to be expected. Wolves and vampires had learned to adapt fast for their survival, and it showed in their practice.

Soon they were ready to have lunch, as Sunmi walked by the two pranksters while still in fox form she sent a surge of electricity through her fur. A loud set of bangs went off as the two troublemakers jumped into the air in fright. They were not expecting her to pop the balloons, and she fought a giggle as she looked back at the pranksters and winked.

Yoohyeon and Gahyeon looked at each other. They both still had startled expressions on their faces, and the two girls started to laugh at each other as well as at the situation.

“busted, huh?” Yoohyeon asked, and Gahyeon nodded as they giggled and walked inside.

“I told you she would know…” Dami said as she shook her head and smiled. She was against this prank in the beginning, but after seeing Yoohyeon heartbroken after leaving her parent's house, she decided that maybe Yoohyeon needed this as a way to take her mind off of everything, so she kept quiet. It was a harmless prank, after all.

After the girls had showered and came back down, Sunmi had lunch prepared. Everything smelled amazing. And it tasted even better. Everyone ate in a happy silence except for Handong, who once inside started checking her phone again.

“you know, I feel kinda bad…” Minji said, and Sunmi looked at her in surprise.

“about what?” Sunmi asked, and Minji waved her arms around the table. “all of this. Yes, we help with the dishes, but you cook every meal for us. It doesn’t seem fair…” Minji said, and the others nodded.

“well, as far as I know, none of you know how to cook, right?” Sunmi asked, and everyone nodded but Dami, who pointed at Bora.

“ah, that’s right, you had mentioned before that you liked it when Bora would cook for you,” Sunmi said as she smiled at Dami and then looked at Bora.

“what all can you cook?” Sunmi asked as Bora went a pretty shade of red.

“uh, just this and that. I only followed some videos online. It’s nothing much…” Bora said as she looked at her plate nervously.

“would you like to learn?” Sunmi asked the vampire, and Bora looked at her with an excited expression. The fox giggled at the cuteness. _‘has she wanted to ask me all this time?’_ Sunmi thought to herself as she smiled.

“How about I show you during dinner tonight?” Sunmi asked, and Bora nodded excitedly. Siyeon watched the interaction and smiled. Bora looked so cute when she was excited. All of this time away from the house seemed to be doing Bora some good too.

Bora still hadn't gotten back to her normal self after what she had been through. But Siyeon knew that it would probably take time. Bora was always loud and joking with everyone and would just exude confidence, but after what Bora had been through, Siyeon knew that it would take time. But it didn’t matter to Siyeon because she loves her for who she is. It doesn’t matter to Siyeon because as long as Bora is by her side, Siyeon is happy.

Siyeon was smiling like an idiot at Bora, and everyone noticed it. Everyone loved how the wolf would get caught in moments like this as she looked at Bora. It was so cute that Minji smiled as she held Yoohyeon’s hand.

‘ _i’m so glad they are finally together…_ ’ Minji said to Yoohyeon, who looked at Minji and smiled.

‘ _yes, now we don’t have to plot on how to get them together anymore_.’ Yoohyeon said to Minji, and the vampire smiled at the memories of their late-night brainstorming with Handong and Dami.

‘ _I honestly thought that if I started spending more time with you and ignoring Siyeon, she would come and try to join us. I can't believe I almost lost my best friend because she was too afraid to approach Bora…_ ’ Yoohyeon spoke to Minji, and the vampire nodded.

‘ _you were so worried when she started to ignore you too. You had to go over to her house and apologize with a movie night, right?_ ’ Minji asked, and Yoohyeon’s head drooped.

‘ _yes, it was a Captain America marathon that seemed to never end..._ ’ Yoohyeon mentally sighed, and Minji laughed. The two were so lost in their conversation that they didn’t notice that Siyeon was now watching them. ‘ _so that’s what happened back then…’_ Siyeon thought to herself as she sighed.

‘ _if I had been more confident and just joined them like they planned, then maybe I would have been a little more suspicious of Yoohyeon’s cousin… maybe Yoohyeon wouldn’t have gotten hurt…_ ’ Siyeon thought to herself, and Bora felt a wave of sadness from her mate. Bora looked over at Siyeon and rested her hand on the wolf's shoulder.

“are you ok?” Bora asked softly, and Siyeon nodded.

“Just thinking about something from the past…” Siyeon said. Bora didn’t push her. She knew that Siyeon would tell her later. She always did, so Bora waited.

“ugh!” Handong said in frustration as she checked her phone again. Everyone looked at the vampire with different variations of startled expressions. Handong had never had an outburst like this. Well, except after racing with Dami. They could see the frustration all over the vampire.

Handong quickly realized her outburst and apologized softly and flopped down, seeming defeated.

“Handong, you don’t have to apologize. We all understand you're frustrated. You don’t have to hide it from us or apologize just because you showed some emotion. Holding all of it in will just make it worse. And we are all here for you. So don’t hide your emotions, if you're upset, show it. We will all be here to listen to your troubles…” Siyeon said, and Handong smiled weakly.

“I'm ok, I feel slightly better now…” Handong said as she blushed. Her little outburst did make her feel a little better, and knowing that Siyeon and the others were there for her helped also.

“Woah, Siyeon!” Yoohyeon said as she looked at their alpha.

“what?” Siyeon said as she looked at Yoohyeon suspiciously. She recognized Yoohyeon’s teasing tone right away.

“you actually sounded like an alpha there!” Yoohyeon teased, and Siyeon rolled her eyes at the wolf.

“says the one that chose to be an omega for love. You're criticizing me? Admit it. You just did it because you wanted to see Minji naked. You just never knew that it would work, and you two would be mates!” Siyeon teased, and Minji slightly tensed. She was worried it would upset Yoohyeon by making her remember what happened to her the night before, but luckily this banter was normal between the girls, and Yoohyeon was mouthing back happily.

“so? It worked, didn’t it?” Yoohyeon said, and Minji gasped.

“so you're saying you only wanted to get into my pants when you came up to me all cutely?” Minji asked in mock horror.

“no, I wanted to date you, and if I got into your pants, I viewed it as a bonus. It just so happened that the bonus came first…” Yoohyeon said as she winked, and Minji blushed.

Minji was extremely weak to Yoohyeon’s puppy side, and it did win the vampire over rather quickly after Yoohyeon gave up trying to win her over like an alpha.

It was an extreme shock to Bora when she went into Minji’s room one day to ask her something only to find her and Yoohyeon rolling around in bed. It took weeks to get the images of what she saw that night out of her head whenever she would look at the two. Bora would admit that Yoohyeon had an amazing body, though. But to Bora, Siyeon’s was even better. At that, Bora’s mind drifted to Siyeon on their first night together.

Siyeon looked so beautiful as the moonlight lit up her body, showing every curve in the silver light. Without noticing it, Bora had rested her hand on siyeon’s thigh and started rubbing. That was fine, but as her mind went into a more dirty place, so did her hand.

Siyeon tensed as Bora’s hand moved up her thigh while they all still sat at the table. Luckily no one could see what Bora was doing because her hand was getting dangerously close to a specific area on Siyeon, and the wolf's face suddenly went tomato red as she tried to act like nothing was off.

“you ok, Siyeon?” Minji asked, and Siyeon nodded her head and glanced at Bora with a look that could peel paint. Siyeon thought that the vampire was doing it without knowing, but the grin Bora gave Siyeon as her hand went higher and crept into her inner thigh told the wolf that she was making her flustered on purpose.

_‘don’t you dare…’_ Siyeon said only to Bora.

The vampire grinned widely, taking it as a dare and not a warning. Soon the vampire's hand was on siyeon’s waistband and trying to gain entry. Siyeon raised a brow in a threatening way causing the vampire to smirk.

_‘what's wrong?_ ’ Bora mentally teased as she started to slowly slide her hand under siyeon’s waistband. The wolf discretely grabbed her hand to stop her and shook her head no. Bora pouted cutely, but Siyeon’s resolve remained strong.

If Bora would have had her ears out, it may have been another story, though. But luckily, Bora didn’t, and Siyeon was able to stop her as Gahyeon leaned down to pick her napkin and noticed where Bora’s hand was caught by her sister.

Gahyeon quietly sat up and watched their interactions with interest. Who would cave? Siyeon or Bora? Gahyeon wondered, but she suddenly saw Bora pout and figured out the winner.

It was finally the end of lunch, and everyone was walking back towards their training grounds when Dami asked Gahyeon why she was smirking at lunch. Everyone but Siyeon and Bora had noticed it. Gahyeon signaled for everyone to let Siyeon and Bora get farther ahead and stopped and looked at the group.

“oh, nothing…” Gahyeon said as she smirked. “there was just a power struggle going on between Siyeon and Bora at lunch…” Gahyeon said as she giggled furiously.

“will you just tell us already?” Minji asked. She was slightly frustrated at all of Gahyeon’s hinting.

“oh, I will do something even better, I will show you!” Gahyeon said as she shared the memory of Siyeon and Bora.

Everyone's expressions were slightly different. Handong blushed slightly while letting out a soft giggle. Minji turned a vivid shade of red. Yoohyeon burst out laughing so hard she fell backward. Dami shook her head while smirking, and Sunmi was just kind of frozen in shock at the image.

Unlike how Sunmi looked, she had never really had many romantic relationships over the years. Every time she got interested in someone, they ended up dying before anything could happen. (she had a thing for falling for humans during war times when younger) So the image she had just been shown made her blush. She didn’t want to seem inexperienced, especially with her age, so she acted unphased, but it really made her feel lonely. It was moments like this that she remembered she is probably the last of her kind.

Their training went just like before lunch, and Yoohyeon’s balloon count was up to twelve. Everything was fine until one shifted to under Sunmi’s stomach, causing the fox to have a mini freakout as she tried to shake a leg to get the balloon out from between her legs. It didn’t work and looked like one of those videos online where a cat tries to rid itself of a balloon.

At the sight of this, everyone tried to fight their laughter, but it was Siyeon who lost her composure first. She suddenly burst out in laughter and soon found herself on the ground, followed by Yoohyeon and Gahyeon. Dami was turned around trying to hide her laughter, and Minji and Bora held onto each other as they giggled like little girls. Handong had her phone out, filming it with ‘aww!’s. It really did look like a big cat trying to flick off a balloon.

Finally, Sunmi gave up and popped all of the balloons. After that, she sulked for a bit. She wasn’t really upset, but everyone trying to make her feel better was cute, and she liked the attention. _‘maybe I'm lonelier than I thought…’_ Sunmi said to herself as she watched everyone trying to be cute while apologizing for laughing at her.

Handong even offered to delete the video, But she offered to quickly. Minji was sure she backed it up somewhere before offering but couldn’t tell sunmi that.

Handong liked cats too much to delete that so easily. And Minji was right. She found Handong watching the video while giggling later. At least she was distracted for a night. Minji had never seen Handong so stressed, and it worried her knowing someone in her family was hurting.


	21. Chapter 21

-Emergency-

The next day everyone was tense. Including Sunmi. They all had promised to look for Elkie if there was no word from her by dinnertime today, and everyone was praying for Handong’s phone to ring. They didn’t even know where to start to look for the girl, and it would put Siyeon at risk because they knew Siyeon wouldn’t stay at home while the others went looking for Elkie. Especially if Bora went to help in the search.

Breakfast was extremely quiet. The nervousness was all in the air as everyone fidgeted in their chairs and ate in silence. Everyone wanted to say something comforting to Handong, but they weren't sure of what to say. With the heaviness in the air, they were worried their words would be turned into a curse instead, so everyone remained silent until their food was done. They quietly thanked Sunmi for the food again and cleaned the dishes before wandering out back for another long day of practice.

Today Sunmi wanted to strengthen everyone's range and powers farther. If they ended up having to go looking for Elkie, they need to make sure that they could use their illusions without issues. It would come in handy while trying to outrun Jackson’s pack.

Sunmi wasn’t as calm and easygoing today. She was strict and to the point. She corrected Minji and the others a couple of times while Yoohyeon and Siyeon ran farther and farther away. They were trying to test the vampires' range, and by the end of their morning practice, every one of them was strong enough to effect Siyeon or Yoohyeon even when they weren't in eyesight.

The only issue with that is the vampires had to know where to aim their illusions. That’s when Dami’s strong sense of smell came in handy. She could smell where they were and direct the others on where to aim.

Sunmi was extremely proud of their progress and decided to show them one new trick.

“Everyone, gather around,” Sunmi said as Siyeon and Yoohyeon trotted up in wolf form. Everyone grouped around the fox and waited for her to speak.

“do you remember when you first came here?” Sunmi asked, and everyone nodded. It was hard to forget. The fog was so thick that they had a hard time seeing in front of themselves. It really gave the path a creepy vibe.

“you remember the fog?” Sunmi asked, and everyone nodded. Suddenly fog wafted in and surrounded the members. The fog was so thick that they couldn’t even see the others, and they were standing right beside each other.

“This is something that you may be able to do as well. This fog is created by me. It isn’t exactly an illusion, but at the same time, it is. I can choose to see it or not. The reason I want to teach you this is simple…” Sunmi said as she stepped forward. The mist swirled around her as she walked forward with a threatening look.

“intimidation and removing their sight in a fight. Imagine Dami in her wolf form walking out of the mist, eyes glowing and growling lowly. How do you think they will feel?” she asked as she looked around. Everyone understood what she was implying.

“they will start to panic. But imagine them watching Dami, and suddenly the mist hides her again? What if you use an illusion to make it look like there is two of Dami? Their senses become dull in this fog, and they won't be able to tell the difference, you can even make them think that you have larger numbers than you really do.” Sunmi said as she looked around at the group. They were all thinking of ways to implement this if they could learn it. 

Sunmi smiled as she looked at Dami. The younger girl was looking intently at her her face was slightly scrunched as she tried to do something, and suddenly their surroundings switched.

The fog that Sunmi cast vanished as she watched Dami trying to attempt something. A black fog started to swirl around as everything grew dark around everyone. It seemed like the shadows were swallowing everything up as darkness enveloped everyone.

The group looked around, startled. They could feel a mix of the fog ability that Sunmi used earlier with a bit more of something they couldn’t explain behind it. The energy in the fog was strong, and they couldn’t see anything. Even Sunmi was struggling. Soon a low growl came from behind them, and they quickly looked around to see Dami’s wolf form emerge out from the swirling shadows. Her eyes glowing. One red, one yellow. She stopped as she looked at the others and soon took a step back to only be hidden by the mist again.

As soon as Dami vanished, the same low growl came behind them again, causing their group to spin around again. This time they only saw glowing eyes blinking at them through the fog only to blink and vanish. They would then appear several feet away, keeping the group constantly turning to keep their eyes on the hidden wolf.

“how’s this?” Dami asked in the center of the group. Everyone screamed in terror at the sound of Dami’s voice right beside them while they watched her running in the shadows.

Minji had to pick up Yoohyeon, who fell back in surprise, thus knocking herself out on a rock. Bora leapt onto Siyeon, causing the taller girl to fall very ungracefully. Handong let out a very girly but cute scream as she jumped and covered her mouth.

Gahyeon was the only one that didn’t freak out. She knew it was an illusion because Dami had been holding her hand the entire time. She still jumped at her voice because of the tense energy but wasn’t terrified as the other girls.

“who knew my puppy was such a scaredy-cat!” Minji said as she held Yoohyeon piggyback style with the help of Handong. They had to struggle to get the tall girl on Minji’s back but had finally succeeded

“very good, I never thought to change it from fog to shadows.” Sunmi said as she looked at the hybrid with respect.

“It really fits your image. It even startled your pack, and they knew it wasn’t real.” Sunmi said, and the others nodded in agreement as Dami looked at them.

“really?” Dami asked in shock.

“I just tried to copy what you did. But when I tried it, instead of fog shadows came out. I don’t know how or why…” Dami said as she rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

Dami was touching one of the scars from her first battle. It was a reminder to her of how close she was to getting Gahyeon killed.

Dami wouldn’t let inexperience be her downfall ever again. She wouldn’t put Gahyeon or any of the others in a position where they would have to protect her again. It was Dami’s turn to protect her family. Even one she hasn’t even met yet.

If Elkie is Handong’s mate, then Dami would do everything in her power to help her too. It’s the least she could do for them taking her in when they were younger. Dami knew that the three never expected anything in return for saving her that day, but it was the first time in Dami’s life where she was treated as a person and not an animal or piece of trash.

Everyone looked at Dami with a surprised look. They were very impressed, including Sunmi.

Sunmi had remained silent as she watched the illusion that Dami had created, and after telling Dami that it fit her style, Sunmi fell silent. Sunmi could feel that there was something else behind Dami’s illusion, but she couldn’t figure out what and let it drop. Dami had amazing abilities. Sunmi wished she could teach her more. Dami wasn’t a fox, like Sunmi, but her abilities were like one. In fact, Dami showed more promise than most foxes.

Maybe it was her loneliness, but she wanted to teach Dami more than she probably should. It wasn’t normal for a fox to show their secrets to others, and if she wasn’t the only one left, she might have felt bad about it.

After several tries, the other vampires and Gahyeon were able to conjure illusions of mist, but none of them were near Sunmi or Dami’s level, but with practice, that may change. Manipulating emotions and projecting them was like second nature to vampires, but this was completely new. Not if you ever read vampire novels. _But obviously, they were all wrong. How could they not know vampires are cats? They hiss when mad and purr when pleased. Enough said._

Creating mist was very draining for the vampires. The hybrids seemed to be less drained by the ability, but they were also slightly tired as lunchtime came around. While the vampires tried to learn how to cast out the mist, Siyeon and Yoohyeon practiced maneuvering through it and practiced their teamwork with the others while one would cast their mist.

Siyeon and Yoohyeon had worked out fight formations and drilled them in it while having to not rely on sight. By the time lunch came around, the wolves and vampires were very in tune with each other. The formations practice made them use their mind-speech more, and they started to feel the presence of their packmates without seeing them faster than normal due to them having to learn fast due to the fog.

The group finally walked toward the house as they happily thought of showers and food. But as Handong got closer to the house, the more nervous she got. Suddenly she felt an arm drape gently over her shoulders. Handong looked up to see Sunmi smiling softly at her.

“We are here with you, and we will help if needed tonight. Take a deep breath and try to relax. I know you won't be able to relax completely, but staying in that state of worry and panic can cloud your mind and vision and lead you to make a wrong decision. Try to relax and breathe.” Sunmi said, and Handong smiled weakly as she tried to breathe and relax. It was difficult, and Handong didn’t know if she succeeded, but at least she felt a little better knowing that Sunmi and the others were there for her.

After a shower, Handong felt better. Her muscles that ached from earlier as she ran with Siyeon learning formations had eased in the warm water. The vampire put on a tight black turtleneck and dark blue jeans and walked down to lunch with her phone clutched in her hand like it was her lifeline.

Minji and Siyeon looked at Handong’s outfit and knew something was up. When Handong was practicing with them, she usually wore sportswear that was comfortable and made her look like a dancer for some hip-hop group. But this looked like an outfit that she would go out in. The black turtleneck really showed off her body well while still looking somewhat classy, and the dark blue jeans were tight to her body as she sat down.

“expecting to go somewhere?” Minji asked nervously as she looked at Handong. The vampire looked at everyone with a confused look until Bora made a hand motion signaling her outfit, and Handong laughed.

“I forgot to do laundry. This is my last clean outfit. Handong said as she blushed. “I have been stressing so much over Elkie that I forgot that I needed clothes… I wanted to meet her in this…” Handong said as she waved at her outfit.

“But I guess that won't happen. Unless I manage to not get this too dirty or sweaty while training tonight.” Handong said as she sighed and sat down.

“why is that outfit so important?” Gahyeon asked. She felt there was a meaning to the outfit, and she was right.

“because the first time I met Elkie, I was wearing a black turtleneck and jeans. I was hoping it would make it easier for her to recognize me. It HAS been years after all…” Handong said as she worried.

“I doubt you have changed so much that she wouldn’t recognize you, Handong,” Bora said confidently, but Handong shook her head.

“Unlike me, Elkie’s parents destroyed all of the pictures of her and I together. The last time I have seen her and vice versa was right after my parents died.” Her friend that lets her use her phone won't let her use video calls, or she is too worried to do it. And honestly, I'm afraid to ask her to…” Handong said as she glanced at her cell with worry.

“not even a picture?” Siyeon asked, and Handong sighed.

“I guess we are too nervous about sending them to each other. I think Elkie doesn’t want me to send one to her just in case her father sees it, and I'm too nervous to ask her to send me one…” Handong said as she looked at her hands in her lap, and Sunmi frowned, worried for the vampire.

“well… here, try to eat something spicy. It seems to help me when I am upset or stressed.” Sunmi said as she pushed some tteokbokki toward Handong. After her first encounter with the spicy food, she had started to like it more and more. She still preferred chicken better, but she did like the heat now. Minji and Bora still looked at it like it was a bomb ready to go off at any second and avoided the spicy food as much as possible.

Handong took a skewer and speared the spicy rice cake and popped it in her mouth and savored the spicy flavor. As she speared a second rice cake, her phone went off, causing the rice cake to fall off of the skewer and back into the pan.

Handong looked at her phone quickly and then looked at the others. “it’s her!” Handong said, and soon there was a chorus of “ANSWER IT!” as they tensed in suspense.

“Hello? Elkie?” Handong asked as she answered, and suddenly the group heard yelling on the line. Handong jumped up and panicked at the strange voice on the line.

“Hello? Is this Handong? Hello?” the voice asked as Handong froze. Panic washed over her face as she looked at the phone in terror. Where was Elkie?

“hand it here!” someone said, and Handong’s expression brightened at the voice on the other end of the line.

“Elkie! Is that you?” Handong shouted, and nervous laughter came across the phone.

“yes, it's me, but I’m afraid I’m bringing trouble with me…” Elkie said as she trailed off.

“ok, give it here, it will take forever for you to tell it!” the other voice came from the phone as Handong listened intently.

“hi, I’m sorry to not have introduced myself properly, but I saved Elkie while she was trying to escape, and right now, we are being chased by her family. We will be near where the location you gave her in about twenty to twenty-five minutes. But I hope you can either fight or hide us well… we are trying to lose them, but it doesn’t look good…” the voice said, and Handong jumped up as she headed towards the front door. Everyone followed as soon as she moved.

They quickly grasped their car keys and headed outside. Sunmi locked the door quickly behind her and followed.

Handong hung up the phone and looked at everyone. They all looked ready for a fight. She hated to ask this of them, but she was desperate. “please…” Handong started, but tears choked her, and Siyeon put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“you don’t even have to ask! we are always here for you. But I don’t think you can drive like this…” Siyeon said as Handong nodded. She went to hold out her keys to Siyeon, but they were snatched out of her hand by Sunmi.

“let's go! If we trust Siyeon to drive, she may drive like Minji…” Sunmi teased, causing Minji to gasp and the atmosphere to lighten just a bit.

Everyone ran down the long path towards the cars and quickly filed in. The only seating change was that Yoohyeon was driving Minji’s car, which terrified the vampire and Gahyeon severely, and Handong sat in the back with Bora as Sunmi drove her car.


	22. Chapter 22

-No longer lonely, no longer alone-

The group got there in record time, and the screams hit new levels as Sunmi led the group, followed by Dami and then Yoohyeon. Yoohyeon was surprisingly a good driver. It is shocking seeing as she couldn’t walk without tripping or running into something.

The group screeched into the underground parking lot and bolted towards the door and started running up the stairs towards Dami’s library without hesitation.

“Dami! I need your sense of smell and try to see if the coast is clear. I’m worried that the trackers may have gone into the house to see why we haven't shown ourselves in a couple of days.” Siyeon said as she led the group up the stairs.

“I got it!” Dami said as she sniffed the air. “they definitely came into the house, but they are outside at the moment. They all are still here…” Dami said, sounding very annoyed.

“well, there's nothing we can do about it. If they get in our way, we all know what to do.” Siyeon said, and everyone nodded silently. Soon they were out of the library, and after quickly closing their escape path, they bolted out of the house as Handong’s cell rang again.

“Hello?” Handong shouted, and she heard the other voice on the phone again.

“We are coming right now, and we have company! Sorry! We tried but couldn’t lose them! It looks like it’s only going to end in a fight…” the voice said as Handong heard Elkie groan.

“is that Elkie? What's wrong with her?” Handong shouted in panic, and she heard hesitation on the other line.

“We were ambushed by some strange wolves we have never seen before. They got the drop on Elkie, and she was knocked out. Luckily, I was able to grab her and run for it. This girl needs to eat more!” the voice said as she ran while carrying Elkie on her back.

“oh! I think I see the house! Woah! It’s huge!” the girl said, and the group burst through the front doors to greet the two making their way to Minji’s house.

What they saw was a funny sight. A tiny girl with dark hair was carrying a girl that was definitely taller than her while hauling ass towards their house. As they ran to greet the two girls, they realized that a decent size pack was right on the smaller girl's tail.

“now!” Siyeon shouted, and they quickly shifted, and the vampires let out their claws as they ran past the small girl and Elkie to greet the rival pack on their land.

‘ _Handong! You go check on Elkie. Watch our back! We don’t know if those watchers will try to get us while our backs are turned!_ ’ Siyeon shouted in mind-speak, and Handong broke out of formation to run back to the two girls.

“are you alright?” Handong asked the smaller girl, and she looked up and smiled while looking absolutely exhausted.

“I’m ok, but she hasn’t woken up yet. A wolf pounced her, and she hit her head rather hard on a rock. I’m worried…” the smaller girl said as she looked at Handong’s mate. Handong felt a pang of jealousy as she looked at the small girl that looked at Elkie with worried eyes. Handong decided to ignore it. For now… right now, her priority was Elkie.

Handong’s breath caught as she looked at Elkie’s face. She was absolutely beautiful. Even more so than Handong remembered. Handong let a gentle smile show that was reserved only for Elkie, and the small girl smiled at Handong.

“you must be Handong, her mate!” the girl said as she smiled. Handong nodded while blushing. “she’s going to be so mad that she wasn’t awake to see you.” The girl said as she smiled at Handong.

“she has been so excited and worried to see you again.” The girl said as Handong gently brushed the dark hair out of Elkie’s face and checked her head gently for the injury. It did feel bad, and Handong looked at her hand that was covered in blood.

“it’s bleeding more than before…” the girl said as she looked worried. I can't do anything because I used all of my strength to keep running…” the small girl said, starting to panic when Sunmi came over to them. She wasn’t sure of what to do when the fighting broke out, so she hung back and was waiting to see if her help was needed, Luckily. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to help Elkie.

“let me see…” Sunmi said calmly as she looked at Handong, who was now crying while holding Elkie’s head in her lap. Handong looked up with pleading eyes, and Sunmi nodded. Handong gently turned Elkie’s head to show the wound, and Sunmi gently touched the wound with a hand, and a faint blue light surrounded her hand and the wound.

The small girl's head snapped up as she looked at Sunmi with a shocked expression. “what's your name?” she asked softly, and Sunmi answered without taking her eyes off of Elkie.

“Sunmi. And you are?” she said rather monotone as she focused on healing. Luckily the small girl didn’t take it personally and answered.

“Chungha. Kim Chungha.” The small girl said, and Sunmi’s eyes flicked from Elkie for a second to look at the smaller girl and back to Elkie, but soon, her eyes snapped back as she looked at Chungha. Something about the girl caught Sunmi’s attention, and she couldn’t put her finger on it. She was to focused on healing Elkie, or she would have known what drew her by her scent. Instead, her full attention was on the unconscious wolf in front of her.

Soon groans were heard from Elkie, and Handong started to look hopeful. Handong leaned over Elkie’s face as she watched Elkie’s eyes slowly opened. Elkie blinked repeatedly. Her vision was blurred. As her vision cleared, she realized she was staring up at Handong and let loose one of the smoothest lines of all time.

“hey…” Elkie said weakly as she smiled up at Handong.

“Hey yourself,” Handong said as she chuckled and gently laid her hand on Elkie's cheek. Elkie was still a little out of it due to a head injury. Otherwise, she would have died of embarrassment right there. But luckily she wouldn’t remember it in the morning.

Unluckily, Chungha had pulled out her phone to record their reunion and caught the whole thing on camera. Much to Elkie’s embarrassment.

Elkie still had her head in Handong’s lap and seemed to be getting sleepy. Handong looked at Sunmi with a worried expression, but Sunmi shook her head.

“it’s not the injury, she’s just exhausted. She has obviously been on the run for a while. Look at her clothes and their bags.” Sunmi said as she pointed at Elkie’s very worn clothes and some very heavily used backpacks.

“see even Chungha is tired,” Sunmi said as she looked over to a passed out Chungha. The small girl was using a bag as a pillow and sleeping soundly. Her phone was still in her hand after recording Elkie’s smooth moves, and soft snores were heard, even though the loud fighting was right behind them.

Soon a rival wolf crashed into a tree with a bang, and Chungha popped up.

“I’m awake! Let's go!” she shouted as she jumped up and looked around, confused. Sunmi chuckled at the sleepy girl and smiled.

Chungha finally realized what was going on and blushed. ‘ _ah, I fell asleep again…’_ Chungha thought to herself as she looked up. Her blush became even worse when she realized Sunmi was smiling at her.

“let's get you two inside while they settle this mess,” Sunmi said as she looked at the fight taking place. There looked to be easily over three times as many as their group, but the group used everything that Sunmi and Siyeon had taught them and were making quick work of the rival pack. Sunmi smiled in pride as she looked at the pack and looked back to Handong, Elkie, and Chungha.

“Handong, can you carry Elkie?” Sunmi asked, and Handong nodded as she gently shifted positions and scooped Elkie up bridal style. Handong was looking at Sunmi when Chungha suddenly screamed. Sunmi quickly looked behind Handong and noticed one of the watchers making an attempt at Handong, but before Sunmi could react, ice shards launched from Chungha stopping the wolf in its tracks.

Sunmi looked at the small girl in shock and finally realized why she was so drawn to her.

“you’re a fox, aren’t you?” Sunmi asked, and Chungha smiled exhaustedly as her eyes got heavy.

“took you long enough to notice…” Chungha managed to say before her eyes rolled back in her head, and Sunmi dove to catch the small girl. Chungha had been utterly exhausted from the run here, and with using her powers, she had used every last drop of the energy she had left to save them.

Chungha’s skin looked pale, and she was starting to get cold sweats from using up her energy. Chungha was already so small, and she looked so fragile in Sunmi’s arms.

_‘that was so risky of you!_ ’ Sunmi thought to herself as she looked at the smaller girl in her arms. _‘you used too much energy…’_ Sunmi looked at Chungha, and a soft blue glow traveled from Sunmi to Chungha.

The smaller girl let out a small sigh in relief as she stirred briefly before falling into a deep sleep.

Handong watched the interaction with embarrassment. She was supposed to guard their back as well as Elkie, and she had failed. She felt horrible as she looked at the sleeping girl in her arms.

‘ _don’t be too upset. He got the drop on me as well…_ ’ Sunmi said. They both were equally upset with themselves for missing that surprise attack. If it wasn’t for Chungha, she didn’t want to even think about what could have happened.

“We need to get inside NOW!” Sunmi said as she quickly scanned the area. She wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

“Once your safe inside with these two, I will come back out and see if they need help, ok?” Sunmi asked as she looked at Handong. The vampire nodded as she looked at Chungha, who was now in Sunmi’s arms with gratitude.

The two girls made a run for the house just in case their watchers decided on another surprise attack, but luckily they made it inside safe and sound. But they definitely felt like they were being watched as they entered the house.

“Where to?” Sunmi asked, and Handong led them down to the basement to hide the girls in the library just in case they needed to retreat quickly to the other house. Luckily Dami had a secret room that she had for when she would read before bed. She was known for falling asleep while reading.

Handong opened the hidden room and carefully set Elkie down while Chungha was set down beside her. Handong frowned as she looked at the two and finally grabbed some pillows and put them between the girls causing Sunmi to giggle at Handong’s signs of jealousy.

“You have everything under control here?” Sunmi asked, and Handong nodded. “ok, I’m going to help the others then.” Sunmi said as she walked out of the secret room and tried to remember her way out.

Handong quickly closed the room so that they wouldn’t be found easily and sat on the floor beside the bed while holding her legs. She rested her head on her knees only for a moment, and before she knew it, she had drifted asleep.

Handong hadn’t gotten much sleep after Elkie’s first call, and her exhaustion had finally caught up with her. Luckily, she had only drifted off for a couple of minutes before she heard someone stirring and looked up to see Elkie sitting up in the bed, staring down at her with her beautiful blue-silver eyes that Handong remembered.

Just like Siyeon’s family, Elkie’s had a rare eye color from her father's side. When Handong had first met Elkie’s eyes as children, she realized right away that she loved the girl's eyes and her smile.

“Handong?” Elkie whispered softly as she looked at her with wide blue eyes, and Handong struggled to stand.

“yes, it’s me… Uhm, long time no see?” Handong said nervously, and Elkie giggled.

“really? All this time and I get a ‘long time no see’?” Elkie teased, and Handong laughed.

“well, at least it’s better than ‘hey’” Handong teased, and Elkie looked at her confused. “you don’t remember?” Handong asked, and Elkie shook her head, causing a groan as Elkie held her head gently.

“your first line to me after seeing me for the first time in years was ‘hey’ with a goofy grin!” Handong teased, and Elkie laughed.

“Yeah, right, you're just messing with me, right?” the wolf asked, and Chungha quickly sat up with sleepy eyes and looked at Elkie.

“Nope, I did like you asked and went to film your reunion and caught the whole thing on camera. Wanna see?” Chungha asked before falling back onto the bed, dead asleep.

“um. Is she ok?” Handong asked, and Elkie just shook her head at her friend.

“ugh, how did I end up traveling with a narcoleptic fox…” Elkie said with a sigh, and Handong giggled. ‘ _well, that explains a lot..._ ’ Handong thought to herself as she looked from Chungha back to Elkie.

Elkie smiled at the sound of Handong’s laughter. She had missed it for years, and the sound of it made her chest squeeze.

She had missed Handong for years. Every night she dreamed of her and would try to imagine what she looked like now. Luckily Handong was even more beautiful than Elkie had dreamed or remembered.

“God, I missed you…” Elkie breathed out, thick with emotion as she looked at the vampire. The sound of all the emotions behind those four words made Handong’s heart flutter as she looked at Elkie.

“I have missed you, too, every day…” Handong whispered heavily, but Elkie heard it and smiled sadly.

“I don’t know how you could ever forgive me…” Elkie said sadly as she looked down. Handong noticed the tears dripping down her face and quickly went to Elkie. Handong gently crawled over Chungha so that she was in front of Elkie and gently wiped her tears with her thumbs as Handong cradled Elkie’s face in her hands.

Handong gently made Elkie look at her. Elkie still had tears pouring down her face as she looked into Handong’s eyes, and Elkie choked on a sob.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know! I didn’t know my family would do that. I didn’t even know my family was like that at all! I promise I never would have told them if I thought that it would put you or your family in danger! I-“ Handong cut off Elkie’s rapid apologies as she gently kissed Elkie on the lips. Automatically Elkie’s eyes closed, and she sighed into the kiss. Handong was gentle with the crying girl and slowly pulled away, her eyes slowly opened with Elkie’s as they made eye contact.

Handong brushed the tears from her cheeks again and smiled. “you talk too much…” Handong said as Elkie giggled. Handong gently leaned in and kissed Elkie softly when she heard someone clear their throat, and Handong looked down.

“well, that’s good and all, and I know you two need to mate and everything… but can you not do it over me?” Chungha asked as she pointed at her waist. Handong had straddled the fox to get close enough to get to Elkie without realizing it and sprung off of Chungha with lightning speed, causing Elkie to have a fit of giggles.

“I’m glad you're amused, but I almost got an up-close and personal view of the two of you making out while your mate was on top of me. No, thank you!” Chungha said as she sat up slightly too quickly, causing her to have a blackout and quickly fall back onto the bed.

“ugh… she used her powers, didn’t she?” Elkie asked, and Handong nodded. “no wonder. At least she’s not dead. I swore if she used her powers one more time, she would die. She used so much power to rescue me…” Elkie said as she looked at Chungha apologetically.

“Why did she say you HAVE to mate with me?” Handong asked, and Elkie blushed. Luckily due to Handong’s new night vision, she was able to witness it and smiled. “well?” Handong asked with a brow raised that made Elkie’s pulse quicken, and Elkie shifted uncomfortably.

“I, I have gone through my final transformation…” Elkie said as she looked away from Handong. The vampire's eyes widened as she glanced at Chungha, but luckily Elkie missed it because she couldn’t make eye contact with Handong yet.

“and I'm in my first heat…” Elkie said while blushing furiously as she sat on the edge of the bed.

“my father, he wanted to break our bond. He sent one of his packmates into my room when I was sleeping the night after my transformation. Luckily the guy was a complete klutz and tripped coming into the door or…” Elkie said, and Handong felt like ice ran through her veins.

“your own father…” Handong whispered in shock. “he sent a packmate to rape you in your sleep just to keep us apart?” Handong asked, and Elkie nodded while still looking away.

“look at me…” Handong ordered, and Elkie slowly complied.

“are you ok?” Handong asked with worry and terror all over her face. Elkie smiled weakly and nodded.

“I'm fine, they didn’t succeed. But they almost did... It was Chungha that saved me. And I didn’t even know her. She was a complete stranger and went through all of this to help me…” Elkie said as she looked at the sleeping girl, gratefully.

“Without her, I wouldn’t be able to see you again,” Elkie said, and Handong’s heart hurt just at the thought of that. Handong embraced Elkie in a warm hug before pulling bask and looking at the wolf.

“He sent all of those wolves after you just to stop you from being with a vampire?” Handong asked, but Elkie shook her head no.

“I’m, I’m something special to wolves…” Elkie said softly as she looked away. She didn’t know how to explain it. As Elkie struggled with how to explain it, everything clicked with Handong.

“your one of the moons chosen, aren’t you?” Handong asked, and Elkie’s head snapped up as she looked at Handong in surprise.

“how do you know about that?” Elkie asked as she looked at Handong in surprise. “did it mention that in that book of yours?” Elkie asked, and Handong shook her head.

“The alpha of my pack is a chosen too,” Handong said so casually that Elkie almost forgot that Handong is a vampire and not a wolf.

“Oh… wait, what?” Elkie asked in confusion, and Handong shrugged.

“it’s a long story…” Handong said as she smiled apologetically while holding Elkie’s hands in hers.

“so that book, it’s the truth?” Elkie asked, and Handong nodded.

“yes, but it came with… side effects…” Handong said as she blushed, remembering her cat ears and tail. “um, you remember the kitten we rescued?” Handong asked, and Elkie’s face lit up.

“of course!” she said as she smiled.

“well, do you still like cats?” Handong asked nervously, and Elkie nodded, she was slightly confused at where the conversation was going. Suddenly she realized very quickly as Handong stood there with a tiger’s tail and ears.

Elkie flushed at the cuteness. Handong was messing with her fingers shyly with her ears flat due to nervousness and couldn’t look at Elkie. She looked like one of those animated kittens with the adorable pouting face that could get them anything.

“oh my god! That’s adorable!” Chungha said as she looked at Handong. Elkie quickly pulled Chungha back down to the bed. The quick movement knocked the fox out again, and Handong giggled at Elkie’s frustrated look.

‘ _luckily, they act more like sisters than possible lovers…_ ’ Handong said to herself, feeling slightly relieved as she finally made eye contact with Elkie.

The wolf carefully climbed off of the bed and made her way to Handong. Once she stood in front of her, Handong felt extremely nervous. Elkie put a finger under Handong’s chin and made the vampire look at her. Elkie was smiling sweetly at Handong, and the vampire suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach at the sight of Elkie’s face so close to hers.

This time it was Elkie’s turn to lean in for a kiss. The wolf gently led Handong back against the wall to support them both and gently kissed Handong. Both girls felt like their heart was going to explode with happiness as they held each other, and it felt like electricity was running throughout their bodies as they gently and slowly kissed. The kiss finally stopped when both girls had to come up for breath.

“it doesn’t matter to me if you have ears and a tail. Remember, I turn into a giant dog!” Elkie teased, and Handong giggled as she looked down into Elkie’s eyes. The vampire gently leaned down and kissed Elkie’s lips and smiled.

“you don’t have to run anymore while here. That’s if you want to stay…” Handong asked nervously as she looked at Elkie.

“your pack hasn’t even met me. Plus, it all depends on your alpha…” Elkie said nervously as she shifted in place. Her nerves got the better of her every time an alpha was involved, and her confident side that Handong could see when they were alone would vanish with just the mention of an alpha.

Elkie had a serious distrust of alphas due to her stepfather. And she was worried that the alpha of Handong’s pack wouldn’t accept her because she too was also chosen. Elkie had never heard of two in one pack, and she worried that she would have to leave Handong after it took all these years to get to her.

“you don’t have to worry about me…” Siyeon said as she opened the room and leaned against the wall and looked at Elkie. “you were accepted as soon as we found out you are Handong’s mate.” Siyeon said with a smile.

“I’m Siyeon, by the way. Lee Siyeon. The one over there is my sister, Gahyeon.” Siyeon said, and Elkie bowed politely at them, and Siyeon continued as she looked behind her.

“the one with the red hair is Minji, I’m sure Handong has told you about her?” Siyeon asked, and Elkie nodded and smiled shyly. Minji gave a blinding smile back at Elkie, and she immediately felt more comfortable.

“the quiet one beside my sister is her mate Dami, I’m sure Handong mentioned her before as well,” Siyeon said as Dami shyly waved at Elkie.

Elkie could see why Handong had always raved about how cute her baby was. Dami definitely had a cute shy side to her.

“the goofy looking one beside Minji is her mate Yoohyeon. Also, a wolf, like us.” Siyeon said as Yoohyeon stuck her tongue out at Siyeon.

Elkie winced and braced herself for a fight to happen. But it never came as she slowly opened her eyes Siyeon looked at her curiously.

“what's wrong?” Siyeon asked as she gave a curious look at Elkie, who was still slightly tense.

“I thought you two were going to fight…” Elkie said as she looked between Yoohyeon and Siyeon.

Yoohyeon pointed at herself, and then Siyeon repeatedly and Elkie nodded.

“why would we fight each other?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked at Elkie.

“because you stuck your tongue out at her,” Elkie said, and everyone suddenly looked even more confused.

“why would I fight Yoohyeon just because she stuck her tongue out at me? We’re friends. Plus, if I did that every time she stuck her tongue out at me or something similar, we would always be fighting…” Siyeon teased as Yoohyeon rolled her eyes.

“so not true…” Yoohyeon said, and Siyeon looked at her.

“you know what? I am starting to feel the need to fight you…” Siyeon said jokingly as she put Yoohyeon in a headlock. The others laughed at the two roughhousing, and Elkie smiled.

This was way different than what she was used to. Her stepfather always ruled with an iron fist. He was very cruel and used every small thing to put his pack in place with fear. But this? This was nice. They all seemed to genuinely be friends, and Siyeon didn’t seem to let her rank as alpha go to her head. Elkie could sense that Siyeon was a year younger than her, but Siyeon seemed a lot more comfortable in her own skin. She oozed such confidence that Elkie liked her right away.

“wheres Bora?” Handong asked, and Siyeon looked behind them.

“she’s not here yet. She's admiring our new wolf popsicle lawn ornament.” Siyeon said, and Handong nodded.

“what the hell happened outside?!?” Bora shrieked as she came downstairs. “We have a wolf popsicle on our lawn, and the other watchers are now howling up a storm round it!” Bora said as she stomped down the stairs and went right to Siyeon and snuggled into the alpha's side. Siyeon put her arm around Bora and grinned.

“well, maybe they will leave us alone for a day or two… by the way, this is my mate, Bora.” Siyeon said, and the two girls bowed at each other. And Bora smiled while snuggling into Siyeon’s side.

“Why do you have strange wolves watching you?” Elkie asked as she looked to Siyeon for her answer. Siyeon just shook her head.

“it’s a long story, but to sum it up, a crazy, cruel alpha is after Siyeon. We don’t know if he knows she's chosen or not, but he wanted her before that, and we are trying to keep my baby safe, so he doesn’t break our bond.” Bora said as she snuggled to Siyeon. It turns out Bora was really turned on by watching Siyeon fight, and her cat side that finally surfaced has made her very clingy and touchy. Even more so than usual.

Elkie smiled at Bora’s clinginess and looked at Handong hesitantly. Her look screamed, _‘is it safe to tell her about me?’_ and Handong nodded.

“um, Siyeon? We have a unique situation right now…” Handong said with a smile. Siyeon suddenly felt worried and straightened as she looked at Handong.

“what's wrong?” Siyeon asked as her brows scrunched together in worry. Handong giggled and shook her head.

“oh, nothings wrong necessarily. Let's just say I know why they sent so many after Elkie…” Handong said, and Elkie looked at the ground. Siyeon could feel herself getting more and more uncomfortable as she looked at the nervous wolf in front of her.

“tell me…” Siyeon said, and Handong nodded and started her explanation.

“Siyeon, Elkie is just like you. She's chosen. Her stepfather found out while she was running away…” Handong said as she looked at Elkie with a worried expression.

“wait, so those bastards are a part of your stepfather's own pack, and he's after you knowing you have a mate? Does he want to break your bond?” Siyeon asked, and Handong’s jaw clenched as she nodded at Siyeon.

“Sunmi? When you witnessed two chosen in one pack, did everything work fine?” Siyeon asked, and Sunmi stepped forward.

“yes, the pack grew substantially stronger. There was no fighting or challenges for dominance. It helped that one was the younger chosen’s mate’s mother. But I am quite sure there would be no problems. Elkie doesn’t seem to want to challenge you. In fact, she seems slightly nervous with you.” Sunmi said, and Elkie nodded as she looked away.

“really? Why are you afraid of me?”Siyeon asked with one of her intense stares. Her green eyes were blazing vibrantly as she looked at Elkie, and the wolf shrank back slightly.

“Siyeon, I know you're trying to look curious, but you look like you want to murder her instead…” Handong said, and Siyeon looked at Handong in surprise.

“oh, really? Sorry. I was just surprised, that’s all.” Siyeon said as she tried to reassure Elkie that she meant no harm.

“it's one of Siyeon’s best qualities, in my opinion. I find Siyeon’s stares sexy…” Bora said, and Siyeon looked at her with a curious look.

“Why are you acting like a cat in heat?” Siyeon asked, and Bora shrugged.

“no idea, but I don’t seem to mind it…” Bora teased as she ran her finger from Siyeon’s collarbone down between her breasts to end right above Siyeon’s bellybutton. Siyeon rolled her eyes and grabbed Bora's hands to stop more touching and looked at Elkie apologetically. Siyeon and the other wolves were still naked from their fight earlier, so it was a little more sexual than Siyeon wanted everyone to see.

This probably wasn’t making Siyeon look very good to Elkie, and she wanted to make a good impression for Handong’s sake.

“ok… well, while I go to take care of this one…” Siyeon said as she pointed at Bora, who smirked happily. “Minji, why don’t you help them settle in? after all, it's your house.” Siyeon said, and Minji nodded.

“I've got this, you take care of her. She's been like this since breakfast!” Minji said as she watched Siyeon turn beet red at the realization that everyone knew about their battle at breakfast. ‘ _who all knows about Bora at breakfast?_ ’ Siyeon thought to herself, but as she looked around the room, she realized that everyone but Elkie and the sleeping girl knew.

“ok, we will see you later!” Siyeon said as she scooped up Bora and fled in embarrassment.

“nice one!” Yoohyeon said as she high-fived her girlfriend, and Minji laughed.

“well, I couldn’t help it. I have wanted to say something since breakfast! You know I have a hard time keeping secrets! Besides, Siyeon looks adorable when she's embarrassed.” Minji said, and everyone nodded.

“This is such a weird pack…” Elkie said as she looked around. Everyone laughed and agreed with their unofficial new member.

“come on, let's go get you some food and then some rest. You look starving!” Minji said, and Elkie’s eyes lit up at the mention of food.

The group slowly walked upstairs towards the kitchen. They had to make the trip twice. Mainly because they almost forgot the sleeping Chungha, so Sunmi went back to carry the girl upstairs so that she wouldn’t wake up alone in a basement library.

Sunmi gently laid the sleeping girl on the couch and gave Minji a dirty look as she listened to Minji as she ordered takeout.

“what? We don’t cook here! We have no food in the house besides Dami’s ramen!” Minji said, and Dami suddenly looked up, panicked. 

“don’t worry, we are not going to raid your precious ramen…” Minji said as she laughed at Dami’s reaction. Dami sighed in relief, and everyone sat around the large table and chatted while trying to tune out the noises coming from Bora and Siyeon’s room.


	23. Chapter 23

-The fight for Elkie-

After Handong ran back to take care of Elkie, Siyeon and her pack ran towards the unorganized pack of wolves before them. There had to be easily over thirty to forty 3wolves in front of them, but Siyeon and her pack were ready.

The one that looked like he was in charge walked forward, trying to act like an alpha in the absence of their true alpha. He was older around siyeon’s father's age, and his fur was a dull brown and dirty. All of them looked dirty and unkempt.

‘ _I guess that’s what happens when you chase someone all the way from China to Korea…_ ’ Siyeon thought to herself, and she held her head high and walked forward. She was clearly a true alpha, and the wolf in front of her seemed to lose some confidence as she stepped forward.

_‘leave our land now, or you all will die. We don’t take people harassing our members lightly. You have one chance to leave, and that’s right NOW!’_ Siyeon said as she let her alpha aura envelop the rival pack. Being a chosen, it was extremely strong even though she hadn't had her final transformation and came into all of her alpha powers.

When Siyeon was trying to, her alpha presence was intense. The foreign wolves seemed to cower back slightly until the fake alpha barked at them, snapping them back to attention.

_‘hah! You think we would be afraid of a pack of GIRLS!’_ the dull wolf said, and Siyeon scoffed.

“we may be a pack of girls, but this pack of girls will kick all of your asses if you don’t leave right now. This is your last warning!” Minji snapped as she looked at the wolves. She had hoped the fact of her hearing their thoughts would unnerve them, but the pack in front of them didn’t seem to notice that she shouldn’t be able to understand.

_‘they must not be around vampires a lot. They don’t seem to know we shouldn’t be able to mind speak.’_ Minji said, and the others nodded in agreement.

_‘Siyeon, what should we do?’_ Dami asked, and Siyeon smirked. She watched as the rival pack had started creeping up slowly, and Siyeon stretched. Everyone understood the signal and stretched casually, waiting for Siyeon to give the word.

As the dull wolf started to charge, Siyeon gave the signal. Suddenly darkness enveloped the field, and the rival pack froze in confusion. They had never experienced this, and no matter how much the dull wolf shouted at them, they still panicked as the shadows surrounded them.

Siyeon’s pack weaved through the foreign pack and picked off one or two here and there as they carefully worked in Dami’s shadow illusion.

All of the practice on how to move in it helped because there was such a large number for Dami to envelop that she couldn’t spare the focus to leave her packmates out of her illusion.

They had taken out around ten wolves when Siyeon felt that their opponents weren’t strong enough to be an actual challenge to them and decided to have Dami save her powers just in case this was only a smaller number of a larger group hiding somewhere. Siyeon didn’t want to be caught defenseless.

_‘Dami! Drop your ability, I think we can handle the rest of them! Let's save your energy just in case they have more hidden in the woods!_ ’ Siyeon said, and Dami released her illusion.

The remaining wolves were still spinning around in a panic, trying to see an invisible enemy. They still seemed to be trapped in an illusion, but Siyeon and her packmates could see easily. Bora had blinded them with an illusion as soon as Dami’s dropped, and the others charged in to take out the others. Bora has a long length of her ability, but so many wolves caused a strain, and finally, her ability broke, and the rival pack was free.

Yoohyeon lunged forward to take out a wolf that tried to sneak up on Minji, and the pack split up to fight.

Dami ran around at an amazing speed as she took out wolves left and right with Gahyeon running right behind her. Their large size wasn’t a disadvantage due to the footwork that Sunmi had taught them. Gahyeon was tearing into wolves left and right as well as she guarded her mate. They were a good team as they took out the wolves and watched each other’s back.

Minji and Bora teamed up and would pick off wolves with their speed and claws. Their hand to hand really helped them with their claws. The vampires were fighting without their ears or tails out, finding their enemy weak and not wanting to show ALL of their tricks just yet.

A group of wolves tried to gang up on Dami, realizing that she was the ace fighter in the pack and took advantage of the wolf being preoccupied with another fight when Gahyeon spotted the surprise attack just in time.

_‘ambush! Behind us! Switch!’_ Gahyeon shouted, and Dami reacted to Gahyeon’s orders immediately as they switched opponents. Gahyeon quickly finished off the one Dami was fighting before, and soon, she joined her mate in the bloody fight.

Dami was spinning around as she was surrounded, and just as the others went to lunge in, a white wolf flew over their heads to land beside Dami. The two had their backs to each other as they slowly circled while growling as they eyed their opponents.

As if they had spoken to each other, the two launched at their attackers, taking them by surprise as they tore through their enemy. Soon all that lay around them were bodies of dead wolves.

Siyeon spared a glance over at Dami and her sister to give an approving look. Her pack was fighting well, and it made her feel extremely proud of their progress. Before she got distracted, she went back to her own fight as she crunched the windpipe of some poor wolf that tried to surprise her.

After several minutes of fighting, only three rival wolves were remaining. Siyeon’s pack stopped and waited. This was siyeon’s fight. Her first fight as an alpha being challenged.it wasn’t by another alpha, but she wanted to prove to the watchers in the woods that she wasn’t an easy target, and her pack understood completely.

_‘you think this is over!?!_ ’ the dull wolf said as he looked at Siyeon with wild eyes as he shifted his weight from side to side nervously. ‘ _he will never give up on his daughter!_ ’ the wolf said as he looked at Siyeon.

_‘well, you should know his daughter's mate lives here. Put two and two together. What do you think they are doing right now?_ ’ Siyeon challenged, and she noticed the three hesitate at her statement.

‘ _also, after this fight, she will become a member of MY pack. Just like her mate. You can't touch her!’_ Siyeon snapped as she snarled.

‘ _Should we allow one to live to bring back the news? Or no news is better?_ ’ Siyeon asked the group. She was unsure of what was the right answer, and it was Dami that answered.

_‘they chased her all the way here. They didn’t know that she would come here first. So, if we leave no witnesses, it will take them longer to find her. If they ever do._ ’ Dami said, and Siyeon nodded.

‘ _that makes my choices simple!_ ’ Siyeon said, and she suddenly lunged in. The three really were no match for Siyeon. Her size and speed, as well as her strength, allowed her to make quick work of the two henchmen beside the dull wolf. Siyeon circled the dull wolf as he nervously watched her.

Siyeon was young and strong, but the dull furred wolf was old and cunning. So, once he thought he had her close enough that she couldn’t escape due to her larger size and inexperience, he made a lunge for her neck only to see a blur and feel his windpipe being crushed as siyeon’s powerful jaws clenched down on his throat.

‘ _I didn’t even see her move! It was just a blur! No regular wolf is so fast!_ ’ he thought to himself right as his world went black. Siyeon opened her jaws and let his body fall to the dirt with a dull thud as she looked around.

_‘Dami, anyone lurking in the woods?_ ’ Siyeon asked, and Dami sniffed the air.

_‘yes, it seems like we are being watched, but they are slowly retreating. They don’t seem to be related to this pack, though. They seem strong and rested.’_ Dami said as she shook her giant head in disgust. That meant only one thing. Jackson.

“well, I know they were very road-worn, but I didn’t think you would make such quick work of them…” Sunmi said as she walked over to the group. She gave everyone a look over and only noticed small cuts and scratches. No serious damage. Not a single bite mark was on any of them.

_‘I guess their training is working!_ ’ Sunmi thought to herself as she looked at them with pride.

Now you know that the fight ahead will not be as easy as this, right?” Sunmi asked, and everyone nodded.

‘ _we know that it was only so easy because they were exhausted and malnourished from all of their running and chasing._ ’ Siyeon said, and everyone agreed.

‘ _even my little cousins could fight better than them. And their twelve!’_ Yoohyeon said as she thought of their pack coordination or lack thereof.

_‘and idiots…’_ Gahyeon added, and Yoohyeon snorted at the truth.

“Even I thought it was bad, and what do I know? I'm a vampire!” Minji said as she walked towards her house with the others.

“what the hell is that!?!” Minji said as she walked closer to the house to see a wolf riddled with ice shards. The ice seemed to be slowly encasing him in itself, and Minji shivered at the sight.

“who the hell did this?” Bora asked breathlessly.

“that would be the fox that is traveling with Elkie…” Sunmi said casually while mentally being extremely excited. The group looked at her in shock.

“so, you’re not the last one?” Siyeon asked, and Sunmi shrugged as she tried to fight a smile from spreading across her face.

“I don’t know anymore. I thought I was the last, and now a girl shows up out of nowhere…” Sunmi said, and everyone went quiet. They knew that this was a sensitive subject for Sunmi and decided to let it go. For now…

Bora stayed outside to inspect their new ice sculpture, and the rest of them went inside to check on Handong and Elkie. They also wanted to get a better look at this new fox that showed up and seemed to capture Sunmi’s interest.

“where are they?” Siyeon asked as she followed Sunmi inside the house.

“they went to some secret room inside the library, and Handong put Elkie on the bed to rest,” Sunmi said, and Gahyeon gave Dami an annoyed look.

_‘you had a BED in the library, but we slept on the floor?’_ Gahyeon asked, and Dami looked away, blushing.

‘ _I didn’t think it was a good idea to invite you into my bed on the first night we finally were allowed to spend time together…’_ Dami responded mentally, and Gahyeon realized how she may have taken that if Dami had indeed offered.

_‘ok, fair enough… I probably would have freaked or thought that you were a player. But you could have told me after we found out we were mates! It would have been nice to rest in a bed…’_ Gahyeon pouted as Dami smiled.

‘ _but I didn’t want to wake you. You were so cute…_ ’ Dami’s happiness was felt by Gahyeon, and the younger girl looked at Dami to see the soft smile that was reserved only for her and gave a shy smile back as she took Dami’s hand in hers.

_‘ok, I forgive you. This time…’_ Gahyeon said to Dami as they smiled at each other sweetly.

Siyeon started making a gagging noise as she followed the group inside.

“what's wrong?” Minji asked worriedly as she patted Siyeon on the back. Siyeon quickly glanced at Gahyeon and Dami, who looked at her questioningly and shook her head.

“Nothing just thought about something gross…” Siyeon said as Minji looked at Siyeon suspiciously. Minji knew she probably heard something that she shouldn’t have again but decided to drop it for now. She probably didn’t want to know anyway. Especially if it was about her baby Dami.

As they walked down the stairs to the basement, Siyeon started to hear a conversation. It seemed to be Handong and Elkie talking. As Siyeon was close to the secret room that Handong and Elkie were hiding in, Siyeon heard Handong offer for Elkie to join them. Siyeon smiled, she had told Handong that she could invite Elkie and that they would protect her, but the vampire seemed hesitant. It was nice to see that Handong was able to offer Elkie to join siyeon’s pack, but Elkie seemed worried.

_“you don’t have to run anymore while here. That’s if you want to stay…”_ Siyeon heard Handong say, and after a slight hesitation, Siyeon heard Elkie’s response.

_“your pack hasn’t even met me. Plus, it all depends on your alpha…”_ Elkie’s voice was heavy with worry, and Siyeon decided to try to reassure the new wolf as she opened the door.

“you don’t have to worry about me…” Siyeon said as she leaned against the wall and looked at Elkie. The girl was an inch shorter than Handong, and her hair was long. It was difficult to see what color the girl's hair was due to the lighting. Black or dark brown Siyeon wasn’t sure, but the slim girl definitely needed to eat.

Elkie looked skinny to begin with, but being on the run for weeks had really affected her. Siyeon was also sure that the wolf would probably love a long hot shower after such a long journey.

After Siyeon gave the introductions, she had to flee with a very turned on Bora. And like Siyeon expected, Elkie seemed excited just at the mention of food.

The pack slowly walked up the stairs after grabbing Chungha, and Minji ordered takeout to Sunmi’s horror.

“While we wait for the food to be delivered, do you want to take a hot shower? You look like a warm shower could do your muscles good,” Minji asked as Elkie perked up at the mention of a shower and looked to Handong.

“you don’t have to look for permission from anyone to take a shower. You're not at home anymore. You're free of him. Let's go run you a hot shower.” Handong said as she smiled and led Elkie to her room.

“well, I bet they are going to be a while…” Yoohyeon teased as everyone rolled their eyes at the wolf. “what? They have waited YEARS to see each other again. YEARS!” Yoohyeon said as she looked at the group.

“you think that they will wait? Plus, Elkie needs to mate with her to be safe from her father's pack. I bet you we will be able to smell it when they walk back in. any takers?” Yoohyeon said as she looked around. The group rolled their eyes but were mentally talking with Yoohyeon and making bets.

The numbers were:

Waiting till tonight: Gahyeon, Minji, and Sunmi.

During or right after the shower: Yoohyeon and Chungha

Chungha woke up to bet and then fell quickly back to sleep. The fox was clearly exhausted still.

Bora was busy in siyeon’s room while they tried to tune out the noises coming from their room. Bora has really gotten louder after her ears and tail came out. In fact, she seemed to be more outgoing lately. But maybe that was a good thing. Maybe Bora was finally recovering from what that human girl did to her.

Dami constantly changed her bet as they debated, but suddenly Dami walked in front of Yoohyeon. Yoohyeon looked up to see Dami’s multicolored eyes and winced internally. It was rather intimidating.

“I bet on them being bonded before the food gets here!” Dami said, and everyone looked at her in shock. She looked around the room and shrugged. “what?” she said as she looked at Minji, whose mouth was hanging open still from Dami’s comment.

“I know you all were placing bets with Yoohyeon mentally as well. She kept flicking her eyes to each of you like you were having a conversation.” Dami said and smiled. The group sighed and nodded at Dami and started to set up the table.

Their table was large already, but with the addition of two girls for dinner tonight, they needed more room. Minji had Yoohyeon help her extend the table and put the leaf in and carry two new chairs from the storage room, and by the time they were done, Dami was chuckling.

“what?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked at the girl, and Dami tapped her nose. It took Yoohyeon a second to figure out what the younger girl was saying, but then the wolf’s eyes went wide.

She tried to sniff the air but didn’t smell anything out of the ordinary due to Handong’s room being farther away. But that’s to be expected while she is still not started her first transformation and Handong room being so far away, unlike Dami’s library. Dami, however, was another story. As the one with the best sense of smell in the pack, Dami could smell the change in the air.

“no way…” Siyeon said as she looked at the others as she walked out of the room with Bora. “really?” Siyeon asked, and Dami nodded.

“well, Handong works fast!” Bora said as she walked out of her room following Siyeon and wrapped her arms around the taller girl.

“I'm so proud of her!” Bora teased as everyone rolled their eyes.

“well, it's kind of a good thing…” Dami said as she looked thoughtful.

“why is that?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Dami curiously. Every time Dami had this expression, she was usually right, so Siyeon learned very quickly to listen.

“remember when Chungha called and said that they were attacked by strange wolves? It was when Elkie got hurt, right?” Dami asked, and Siyeon nodded. “well, hear me out. Would Elkie’s father's packmates be strange to her?” Dami asked, and everyone thought for a couple seconds before shaking their heads.

“exactly! If Elkie didn’t know them, then they weren't from her father's pack. Who were they? Part of Jackson's pack?” Dami asked, and everyone looked around nervously.

“But why would Jackson interfere with another pack?” Minji asked, and Siyeon answered.

“if Jackson is anything like you all say he is, another pack coming onto his territory and hunting someone could be seen as a challenge. If he is as power-hungry, he could have offered his support for help with something else or just wanted to get their prey before them…” Siyeon thought aloud.

“all of the wolves earlier were clearly from Elkie’s father. They were skinny from chasing her for so long. If there were anyone from Jackson's pack, they would stand out.” Yoohyeon said as she thought to herself.

“wait, what about the wolf popsicle outside? Didn’t Chungha stop him from attacking Handong and Elkie?” Bora asked and was startled when the sleeping Chungha popped up at the mention of her name.

“whatever it is, I didn’t do it!” Chungha said as she looked around sleepily. “or did I?” she asked and shook her head to clear her thoughts.

“We were talking about when you stopped that wolf from attacking us earlier,” Sunmi said with a smile at the smaller girl.

“oh! Yeah, I DID do that.” Chungha said, still slightly confused from just waking up.

“when that wolf attacked, did you notice anything strange?” Sunmi asked as she leaned down to be eye level with the younger girl, and Chungha thought for a second.

“well, he didn’t look like any of the other wolves that were chasing us. But he went straight for Elkie and Handong like he knew who to go for. I'm pretty sure his target was Elkie, though. Why?” Chungha asked as she looked around the room before locking eyes with Sunmi, feeling slightly confused.

“We are just trying to figure out why he attacked us when he was sent to watch us…” Siyeon said as she looked around worriedly.

“well, then what should really worry you is the fact I didn’t even hear him. If I hadn’t seen his movement, I would have missed it and been too late.” Chungha said as she finally started to wake up. “I doubt he would be able to get the drop on all of us if he wasn’t special in some way. so, my question is, why did they send someone that was that skilled just to watch you?” Chungha asked, and everyone looked around nervously. There was only one reason. Siyeon. He has to know, but how?

“Well, that rushes things…” Siyeon said as she looked at the others. “we need to have Elkie join right away. What if he decided to help the other pack in return for their help with me?” Siyeon said, and waves of panic and anger started to flow from Bora. The waves of emotions seemed to startle Chungha, and it made Sunmi wonder how old the girl was if Bora was able to effect Chungha’s mood so easily.

“and the group of wolves that were watching the fight seemed to be from Jacksons pack as well. They didn’t interfere and left once they watched us finish the fight. It worries me because that means that they have seen some of our tricks…” Dami said worriedly. It only made Bora's emotions grow wilder, and Chungha was being affected strongly.

“Chungha?” Sunmi asked, and the smaller girl looked up cutely with wide eyes. Sunmi felt her chest squeeze at the cuteness for a second before being able to continue.

“how old are you?” Sunmi asked, and Chungha smiled.

“ah, I’m 23. Why?” Chungha asked as she smiled. _’23? How can she be so young? Was I really not the last?’_ Sunmi thought to herself as she looked at Chungha carefully. The younger girl started to feel nervous under Sunmi’s stare.

“um, why? Is there something wrong?” Chungha asked, and Sunmi smiled and shook her head.

“I just thought I was the last of us. I was surprised to find another fox, or I should say another fox found me.” Sunmi said, and Chungha smiled in understanding.

“I understand that feeling.” Chungha said with a sad smile. “after my parents died, I thought the same thing. They always told me that I may be the last of our kind. It felt rather lonely…” Chungha said softly, and Sunmi walked over to the girl and put her arm around her. Chungha looked up and smiled softly at Sunmi.

When Sunmi looked up, she realized that the entire group was giving her various looks that all added up to _‘oh, we see what you're doing there…’_ and Sunmi blushed. She definitely seemed to be drawn to Chungha, and the others obviously picked up on it.

Sunmi stood up and walked into the kitchen to avoid their stares as she heard some of them chuckling softly.

Shortly after Sunmi walked into the kitchen to avoid embarrassment, Handong and Elkie came down, and the doorbell rang, announcing that their food was here.

Yoohyeon mentally tallied the bets and decided to settle it after their dinner. Everyone silently agreed as Dami smirked, knowing she was one of the winners.

Everyone sat at the table and shared the food while chatting with each other. Elkie realized really quickly the differences between eating food at her parent's house and with siyeon’s pack. At home, her father HAD to start eating first, and they had to wait until he was done. If they were lucky, he would let them eat with him. But that was rare, and they usually ended up with whatever he left for them.

But Siyeon made sure everyone was eating and that everyone was sharing the food. Elkie could tell that she cared for her pack, and it was a completely different feeling compared to what she was used to. Handong noticed that Elkie was hesitant to reach for any of the food and ended up feeding the girl throughout dinner as everyone watched Elkie turn redder and redder throughout the night.

Handong was obviously effecting Elkie, but the wolf was hiding it well, seeing as she was in her first heat. She must have had extreme control. Unlike Gahyeon and Dami, where their heat wasn’t much different than normal teenage horniness due to their being hybrids, Elkie’s heat was hitting her HARD.

Every time Handong gently fed her or accidentally brushed against her sent her into mini panic attacks. She didn’t want to do something and embarrass herself in front of everyone.

Chungha noticed the issue Elkie was in and decided to come to the rescue.

“so, what were you all discussing while I was asleep?” Chungha asked while trying to come to Elkie’s rescue.

“well, you heard most of it, but we were saying that we need to have Elkie join as soon as possible to keep her safe. Her father's pack may have sided with the biggest and meanest pack in the area.” Siyeon said, and Chungha looked at them curiously.

“yes, I heard that, but I have a feeling that isn’t all of it…” Chungha said as she looked to Siyeon.

“Siyeon is like me, Chungha,” Elkie said as Handong popped another bite of food into her mouth. Chungha’s eyes widened as she looked at Siyeon.

“so, wait, this chosen thing that made your entire family turn on you? That same thing?” Chungha asked, and Elkie nodded.

“so, this other pack sided with your father to get Siyeon, and your father's pack would get you…” Chungha said, and the other nodded gravely. “this is insane! How can they treat you two like items or property? You are human beings! Well, you know what I mean.” Chungha said, and a soft smile came across siyeon’s face. She liked this girl.

“well, is there a way I can help? Can I join?” Chungha asked, and Sunmi’s head snapped up at that. Sunmi didn’t like the idea of the small girl being put in danger, but she also understood the urge to protect others. Sunmi sighed internally. _‘if she joins, I can't let her do this by herself. She's the only other fox I have met in hundreds of years…’_ Sunmi had been torn on if she should join siyeon’s pack for a week, and one sentence from Chungha and Sunmi was ready to join.

“I don’t know if you can, could she Sunmi?” Yoohyeon asked the fox, and Sunmi was snapped out of her thoughts.

“yes, she can. In fact, it's easier than when you had Minji, Bora, and Handong join. But there will be side effects. I was debating joining as well over the last week…” Sunmi said as she got lost in her thoughts.

“what side effects?” Siyeon asked nervously, and Sunmi smiled. “you know the gouges in the field we train in?” Sunmi asked, and everyone but Chungha and Elkie nodded. “well, that was done by my foxfire. Its element is lightning. Chungha, What's yours again?” Sunmi asked, already knowing the answer.

“water. Or ice specifically. It’s like ice crystals covered in a blue flame, except the flame isn’t hot but extremely cold. So, does that mean that they will get our abilities?” Chungha asked, and Sunmi shook her head.

“every person is different. My father was of pure fire. My mother was more earth element, so it came as a shock that my fire was laced with lightning. That means that each girl can show different elements. It won't be really useable except for tiny things until siyeon’s transformation. Then her powers, combined with Elkie’s, should allow everyone to use abilities similar to us.” Sunmi said, and Chungha nodded.

“Both of my parents were ice. So, my power seems to be really strong. Will that get even stronger when I join?” Chungha asked, and Sunmi nodded.

“if we are going to have Elkie join our pack, we need to do it now!” Dami said as she smelled the air and stood up from the table in a panic.

“I'm smelling a large group coming, and I recognize some of the scents from school. It means Jackson's pack!” Dami said, and everyone looked to Siyeon quickly.

“out back, now!” Siyeon yelled as she started to strip. “Elkie, we have to do this fast. It's dark out now, so they will notice the glow right away. I will quickly do the bite as soon as we are outside the doors, and when you finish your side and we are back inside safe and sound. Got it?” Elkie answered in a quick nod as she started to strip, followed by Chungha.

“me too. You may need the extra strength.” Chungha said, and Siyeon nodded.

“Thanks!” Siyeon said as she sighed, relieved. The stress was starting to get to her.

Minji and Bora quickly opened the back doors, and Siyeon shifted while flying out the door to land completely in her wolf form outside. Everyone heard the watchers startle at the appearance of their alpha, and soon it was completely still as Elkie came outside. Handong was with her guarding her thoroughly. Just like Siyeon, the moonlight reflected beautifully on Elkie's body, and Handong was mesmerized. Yes, she had just seen her naked in the moonlight in her room, but it still took Handong’s breath away.

“nice!” Bora whispered to Handong as she elbowed the vampire, and Handong only smirked as she watched the woods for movement.

“they see her and have started moving closer. Now!” Dami hissed, and Siyeon wasted no time. As she bit Elkie, the two wolves felt a strange surge of power. Both girls felt slightly dizzy for a second after Siyeon cleaned the wound, and quickly Elkie shifted to finish as she licked under siyeon’s chin. This time EVERYONE felt it. The surge was intense because Elkie had gone through her final transformation, and soon howls of anger and defeat rang out in the woods from the watchers.

‘ _they clearly knew about you, didn’t they?_ ’ Siyeon asked as she looked at Elkie’s wolf form, and she nodded.

Elkie’s wolf form was a reddish coat with cream belly and paws. Her fur was also slightly longer than the others. But what Siyeon noticed was Elkie’s size. She was the smallest wolf in their pack. Elkie’s head only came up to Bora’s shoulder to Bora’s amusement, and the vampire smiled.

_‘Chungha, you’re up! You know what to do?_ ’ Siyeon asked, and the fox nodded.

“I'm a quick learner,” Chungha said calmly. Quickly Siyeon bit Chungha. As she cleaned the wound, Chungha shifted, and Siyeon started to notice a weird feeling she couldn’t explain.

“well, that’s not expected,” Gahyeon said as she looked at Chungha’s fox form. You would expect the cute and bubbly girl to be light-colored with interesting patterns or flashy like Sunmi, but instead, her fur was jet black with silver markings that were almost the same shade as Gahyeon’s. Besides the silver, Chungha was the exact opposite color of Gahyeon.

“ok… I see it now…” Gahyeon said as everyone chuckled at Gahyeon’s realization.

Chungha quickly finished her end, and Siyeon was about to have everyone head inside when Sunmi came out to join them.

“I'm next…” Sunmi said as she stepped out the doors to stand in front of Siyeon. The wolf looked at her with a confused look, and Sunmi smiled.

“We don’t have time to wait…” Sunmi said, and Siyeon quickly started. Sunmi was quickly finished, and now a member of the pack and the strange feeling that Siyeon felt earlier got stronger. She didn’t know how to explain it. Buzzing maybe?

Maybe she could ask Sunmi about it later. Right now, there was a small army of wolves heading their way, and they need to be ready.


	24. Chapter 24

-The challenge-

The group quickly went inside and waited for signs of the large group's arrival. They didn’t have to wait long. Soon Siyeon heard a challenging howl from out front.

The wolves in their group tensed, and the others looked at them, confused.

“what's wrong?” Bora asked as she watched Siyeon’s jaw clench.

“he was very rude…” Yoohyeon said as she glared in the direction of the door.

“it’s the equivalent of _‘bitch! Get out here! I want to talk to you!’_ and it’s a challenge against Siyeon and her leadership. She can’t refuse to show herself…” Yoohyeon said, and Siyeon stomped towards the front door.

“well, let's go greet that weasel bastard, shall we?” Siyeon said as she waited for the doors to be opened for her so she could shift quickly to avoid the moonlight that was shining brightly tonight.

“ready for your big entrance?” Minji asked as she and Bora held the doors, and Siyeon nodded. Just like last time, the doors swung open, and Siyeon was soon standing outside in her wolf form. She took a few small steps to allow the others outside, and soon, she was flanked by her pack, including her new members. They all stood in formation as they looked at the rival pack.

Far in the distance, Jackson stood in human form with more wolves than they could count. He waited. Obviously, he refused to come closer. Siyeon would have to come to him. The fur on the back of Siyeon’s neck started to rise in annoyance as she spoke to her members.

_‘he obviously wants to lure us away from the house. Should we act like we fell for it?’_ Siyeon asked the others as she stood there in all her alpha glory.

‘ _I think it's wise to play dumb and inexperienced… let him get cocky and make mistakes…_ ’ Dami said, and everyone silently agreed.

_‘alright, then let's get this over with then…’_ Siyeon said as she started to walk slowly towards Jackson. Extremely slowly just to piss him off, and it seemed to be working. He started to show signs of frustration and impatience as Siyeon and her pack made their way towards him at a snail's pace.

Many many minutes later, Siyeon slowly came to a stop several yards away from Jackson. The distance annoyed him, and he decided to let his alpha aura flow over Siyeon and her pack to try to intimidate them, but it failed horribly. Siyeon’s alpha aura was much stronger than his. When she released hers to wash over the wolves that he brought with him, Siyeon could see many of the wolves visibly shaken by the intense aura that Siyeon emitted.

“now now… we can talk like civilized “humans” now can’t we?” Jackson teased as he took a step forward. “why don’t you shift back, and we can talk face to face?” he continued to tease as he leaned forward expectantly.

_‘not a chance…_ ’ Siyeon said with a growl. ‘ _first, you have watchers placed around our house, then you go and show up with a small army outside our doors? I think not._ ’ Siyeon said confidently, and Jackson's fake smile faded from his face.

“Plus, there's no way I'm letting you see my mate naked,” Bora said flatly and smirked as she watched Jackson's jaw clench at the word mate as he completely ignored Bora’s comment.

“We are only trying to help another pack bring back a runaway member, that’s all…” Jackson said with a shrug, and Siyeon scoffed.

‘ _runaway member? We don’t OWN them. We LEAD them. And that is IF they decide to follow us! Anyone has the choice to leave if they want!_ ’ Siyeon said, and several of Jackson's packmates started to look at her like she sprouted a second head.

_‘Besides. She's a part of MY pack now.’_ Siyeon said confidently, and everyone started to shift nervously except for Siyeon and her pack.

Siyeon and her members were completely still as she stood there waiting for the now purple with rage alpha to respond.

“you WHAT!?!” Jackson said as he finally lost his cool. His eyes darted along Siyeon’s pack until he found Elkie, and he smirked.

“you think that can stop us?” Jackson said as he took another step forward. Siyeon let out a deep growl in warning, and he stopped. “she may have joined you, but she still hasn’t mated yet! We will take her by force if necessary!” Jackson shouted, and Siyeon only laughed an intimidating wolfy laugh.

‘ _you have no sense of smell, do you?_ ’ Siyeon asked as she looked at Jackson as he shifted uncomfortably at that comment _._

_‘you can clearly smell that Elkie has indeed mated with her mate. You can’t touch her. And, if it’s a fight you want…’_ Siyeon said as she growled and took several slow steps closer so that her large fangs were inches from Jackson's face.

‘ _we can do that too if you don’t leave our land. NOW!_ ’ Siyeon snapped, and her jaws slammed together with enough force that the pressure alone caused it to stagger Jackson back a step or two. He watched as something blue flickered across Siyeon’s black and white coat and started to feel his fur stand on end.

Jackson didn’t know what to do but didn’t want to lose face in front of his pack. He quickly drew back to slap Siyeon, and before he made contact, Bora’s hand was grasping his wrist with a crushing force that made him wince and a weird tingle that made his arm go numb.

“you touch my mate, and I will kill you right here. You hear me?” Bora whispered with deadly intent as her eyes glowed red. Jackson noticed the gold ring around her eyes and looked at Bora with a startled expression as he struggled and tried to break free of his grip. He was unsuccessful. Bora finally flung his hand away, causing him to stagger back several more feet, and she went to stand beside Siyeon, who nuzzled the vampire affectionately. Bora seemed unphased by whatever the blue streaks were that flickered and danced through Siyeon’s coat.

The sight of Bora and Siyeon severely angered Jackson. It was like his prize toy was taken right in front of him, and his eyes blazed gold as he looked at Bora with pure rage.

“bring it, wolf boy!” Bora said defiantly as she glared back at Jackson. There were odd hints of purple shifting and flickering around Bora that he couldn’t explain either, and none of Siyeon’s pack seemed worried about it. Like it was to be expected, and Jackson started feeling like he was truly in danger now. He scoffed and tried to blow it off as he went to walk away and then froze as an idea popped in his head.

Slowly Jackson turned around with another fake smile now on his face. “well, I can't leave without my fallen comrade now, can I?” Jackson asked as he looked up the driveway toward their new lawn ornament. The wolf was still encased in ice, and Jackson smiled as he looked to Siyeon.

“he was a member of my pack after all…” Jackson said as he took a step closer. Siyeon growled and snapped her jaws, and he halted.

_‘do you not know the rules at all? Or do you just create your own as you go?’_ Siyeon asked as Jackson started getting annoyed again.

“what are you talking about?” Jackson asked as he looked at Siyeon, and she gave a wolfy grin as she glared back at him, eyes blazing green.

‘ _your packmate attacked us without provocation on OUR land that he AS WELL AS YOUR WATCHERS are trespassing on. He was killed as we protected our pack, and you have no right to claim him… unless he was under your orders to attack us..._ ’ Siyeon drawled as she looked over the group. _‘but you wouldn’t do that, right? Because that means you declare war with our pack. That’s not what you're telling me you are doing… is it?_ ’ Siyeon asked smugly. The blue streaks were getting stronger as they flickered over her fur as she argued with the other alpha.

Jackson had a hard time getting over his anger. After a minute, he finally got his composure back enough to talk again as he slowly turned around with another fake smile.

“of course not! Why would I want our packs at war! I want us to get along!” Jackson said very fakely, and Siyeon’s pack scoffed and rolled their eyes. Jacksons eyed Elkie as he thought of what to do.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this. He was supposed to help them drag Elkie back, and they would help him take Siyeon by force if necessary. But that was all ruined when Elkie was taken right out from under them. Jackson shot a glare to the watchers in the woods, and they suddenly made themselves scarce.

The pack from china quickly realized that they had lost their prize and started pulling from Jacksons ranks before he could think of anything, so he had to go back empty-handed tonight. It made his blood boil. He didn’t like being humiliated.

“fine, we will obey your “rules” and leave, but believe me, this isn’t over. And Elkie? Longtime no see… but don’t worry. We WILL meet again…” Jackson teased as Elkie looked at him with a confused expression before realizing who he was. The others looked at her, and she told them that she would explain once inside. Siyeon nodded, and everyone stood in formation as they watched every wolf retreat into the woods.

There was one wolf that was left, and it was staring intently at Yoohyeon with a smug and challenging look. Minji looked at her mate, who seemed troubled as she recognized the wolf staring in front of her.

_‘babe? Who is that?’_ Minji asked Yoohyeon, and the wolf answered shakily. _‘my cousin. Several of my family were in Jackson's ranks tonight. But he was the one that lured me to Jackson’s that night. I trusted him, and he was a member of Jackson's pack. He knew what Jackson would do to me… and he still brought me there…’_ Yoohyeon’s voice broke off as a whimper rumbled from her chest.

‘ _so… We were right. I'm sorry Yoohyeon...”_ Siyeon said as she spared a glance at Yoohyeon briefly before looking back at the wolves disappearing into the forest _. “This means fighting your own family. Your mother is smart and knew you have a hard time killing things, especially family. They are trying to render you useless…_ ’ Siyeon said with a sigh as the last wolf vanished from view.

_‘How could my own family do this to me?’_ Yoohyeon asked as her wolf form rippled. Her emotions were so strong that she was having a hard time keeping her wolf form. Minji washed her in soothing energy as everyone led her into the house.

Once everyone was safely inside, they all gathered around Yoohyeon in a group hug to try to comfort their crying friend.

“First, they throw out everything related to me. And I mean EVERYTHING. Baby photos and clothes, even my bed and everything else, and set it by the trash. Is that what they think of me now? Am I really trash?” Yoohyeon asked as everyone tried to comfort her.

“no, baby… you are not trash. You’re the most wonderful person in the world.” Minji said softly as she wrapped her arms around Yoohyeon in a soft hug and rubbed her back. Minji gently kissed Yoohyeon’s forehead and cheeks to kiss her tears away, and Yoohyeon nuzzled her face in Minji’s neck to hide her tears that were still flowing.

“it’s ok baby… we are all here for you.” Minji said softly as everyone looked at the wolf, unsure of what to do. After several minutes of Minji’s gentle kisses and calming words, Yoohyeon finally stopped crying, and the vampire held her on the couch as she drifted off to sleep exhausted after her heavy crying.

_‘I’m not going to let them get away with this!_ ’ Minji said to everyone, but Yoohyeon, who was now resting. _‘how can her own family treat her like this? Just because I'm a vampire? Because she calls herself an omega? She never gave up all of her alpha side! I wouldn’t allow it because It’s a part of her! Why are they doing this to her?_ ’ Minji said in a rage, and everyone thought quietly.

_‘maybe that’s WHY they are doing it…’_ Dami said, and everyone looked at her to explain. ‘ _she hasn’t given up her alpha side completely. They may think that without you, she will go back to being an alpha. From what it sounds like, she was their only hope for rank in this town. Every member of their family was of lower rank._ ’ Dami said, and Siyeon gave a disgusted look.

_‘you think that her mother is doing this to her for some rank in this town?_ ’ Siyeon asked in shock, and Dami nodded.

‘sadly, yes. _You don’t know because your family stays away from all of the drama with all of the other families of wolves, but they are very hostile to lower-ranking families. Yoohyeon's family was probably treated like garbage until she was born, and there is even some gossip around that as well. Some of the higher-ranked families said that Yoohyeon couldn’t have even been born into such a low-ranking family._ ’ Dami said as she looked at Siyeon.

‘ _We all have to admit that even though Yoohyeon acts goofy when she uses her alpha side, it is incredibly strong. That has led to a lot of talk in the beginning. I'm honestly surprised you have never heard the rumors.’_ Dami said as she looked at everyone _. ‘I even heard the rumors while I was still on the streets before Minji and the others found me.’_ Dami said, and Gahyeon tightened her arms around Dami’s waist. She knew that Dami didn’t like talking about before she met Minji.

_‘this is a small town. Yes, we have all the things of a big city, but we are secluded by forests all around. After all, we are a town with many wolf and vampire families. And you say power struggles and territory disputes were part of a pack, right?_ ’ Dami asked, and Siyeon nodded in agreement.

_“If Yoohyeon took over her family, she would be one of the few alphas in this town, and then the other families couldn’t challenge her or her mother. It’s basically like a power struggle for all the old wolves in town who can't fight anymore due to age.’_ Dami said before hesitating to show them something.

Dami sighed and showed them images of when she was a child and homeless watching Yoohyeon’s mother and another woman bickering and having a power struggle with each other. Yoohyeon's mother lost due to the other woman's rank being higher, and the woman looked humiliated. Yoohyeon's mother was livid as the other woman walked away, smug with victory, and Yoo's mother looked around for something to take her anger out on and noticed the young and homeless Dami.

The woman charged over to her swearing at her, and Dami quickly cut the memory off, but they all saw Yoohyeon's mother wind up her arm to hit the small girl.

Everyone looked at Dami in silence as she looked down. She couldn’t meet their eyes. But what was worse was that Yoohyeon had woken up and witnessed the shared memory. She had witnessed her own mother beating Dami. Or about to. Yoohyeon quickly acted like she was asleep again before people noticed that she was awake, but Minji noticed that Yoohyeon’s emotions were changing.

Yoohyeon wasn’t sad and heartbroken anymore. She was angry. Raging. ‘ _how dare she lay a hand on Dami! How old was Dami there? She looked so tiny and frail!_ ’ Yoohyeon thought to herself, but sadly Siyeon caught the comment. Siyeon quietly signaled to everyone that Yoohyeon was awake and listening, and the group nodded.

“Yoohyeon, babe? You want something to eat or drink?” Minji said softly, and Yoohyeon stirred slowly. She didn’t want to make it too obvious that she had seen it and sat up to look Minji in the eyes.

“I'm ok…” Yoohyeon said as she sat up and rubbed her tear-swollen eyes.

“well, let's get you to bed, ok?” Minji said softly, but Yoohyeon shook her head. Minji waited for Yoohyeon to explain why as she held the wolf tightly, trying to comfort her.

“I want to know why it seemed like Jackson knew Elkie…” Yoohyeon said, and Elkie’s head shot up.

“ah! Right!” Elkie said as all eyes turned to her. Suddenly the attention on her flustered her, and she glanced at the floor.

A cool finger touched under her chin and lifted her head up so that she was only looking into Handong’s eyes.

“relax and just talk to me, ok?” Handong said as she smiled sweetly, and Elkie smiled gratefully in return.

“thank you…” Elkie whispered shyly before starting to explain.

“Remember when we were young? There was a boy that transferred to our school mid-year. A shy boy that was really sweet and a year ahead of us? The boy that everyone picked on?” Elkie asked, and Handong had to think back before her eyes widened in shock and realization.

“That was him? He was so tiny and scrawny!” Handong said as she looked at everyone and shared the memory of a small boy being bullied in school.

“What happened to him? He was so sweet no matter how people treated him!” Handong said as she looked to everyone in shock.

“it’s like night and day…” Handong said to herself, and Elkie nodded.

“I heard that the reason he disappeared for those months was that his uncle that he was living with while he went to our school was abusive and beat him so badly that he was put into the hospital. I wonder if it's because of that man that Jackson changed…” Elkie said, and everyone looked at each other in shock.

“you did notice that sometimes he seemed more mad or insane than a normal person at times?” Siyeon asked, and everyone nodded. “that means that whatever happened to him broke him. He's unstable. I think we should head to the other house for our safety for now. We also need to learn what new things we can do now.” Siyeon said, and everyone nodded.

“I have been getting this weird feeling here and there. It even happened when I was talking to Jackson…” Siyeon said, and the others nodded.

“it's because of us,” Chungha said as she pointed at herself and Sunmi, who just happened to be standing so close to each other that their arms touched.

“it's your new powers surfacing. Congratulations. Your blue lightning!” Chungha said as she smiled and looked at Siyeon. “oh, and Bora seems unaffected by it.” Chungha said, and Bora nodded.

“you were just very warm and slightly fluffier to me.” Bora said as she snuggled into Siyeon’s side and sighed. “but you're always warm…” Bora said contently as Siyeon chuckled as she kissed Bora’s forehead.

Suddenly Siyeon jumped, and everyone looked at her strangely. She tried to play it off, but Bora had a handful of Siyeon’s ass and wasn’t letting go as she proceeded to squeeze. Siyeon blushed furiously.

They really had gotten used to being naked. And Siyeon was suddenly wishing she had clothes on as Bora’s grip was causing cold chills to visibly run up and down her body.

Finally, Bora’s grip released, and she looked up at Siyeon with a challenging look. ‘ _oh, it's on tonight!_ ’ Siyeon said as she looked at Bora with a confident smirk.

‘ _oh? You actually think you can be on top this time? Or are you going to be the bottom again tonight?_ ’ Bora teased, and Siyeon’s eyes blazed green at the challenge as she smirked. Siyeon could smell that Bora was turned on. The scent was so strong that she could almost taste it.

Siyeon’s eyes snapped wide in realization. _‘I think my sense of smell and taste are coming! We need to go! now!_ ’ Siyeon said to everyone mentally just in case someone was listening, and they all sprang into action.

_‘gather all of our important belongings! Jackson is known for starting fires_!’ Minji said as everyone ran into their rooms and helped each other bring everything into the underground garage.

“where are we going to put everything?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the cars. None of them were meant for carrying heavy loads.

“boat!” Minji yelled as she headed over to the yacht.

“your fucking kidding me, right?” Siyeon said as she looked at the boat with hesitation. She didn’t know if she would get motion sickness and didn’t want to find out with the way everyone drives around here.

“yes! It’s the biggest thing we have, and it’s one thing I can actually drive well!” Minji said as she started to get the ship ready to move.

“you know how to drive this thing?” Siyeon asked, and Minji nodded.

“Before my parents died, they loved to go out on the water and taught me!” Minji said as she shouted from down below. “plus, it practically drives itself! Why else would I pay so much money for it?” Minji said as she ran all over prepping for the trip.

“ok, then I will help everyone bring their stuff downstairs!” Siyeon said, and Minji responded as she worked on the boat.

_‘it’s a good thing that this was an old cave system with tunnels all throughout the ground or carving a path for this boat would have been murder!’_ Minji thought to herself as she checked and double-checked everything.

Several minutes later, everyone was loading their belongings. The last two with belongings to gather were Dami and Handong. They were quickly going through their libraries to grab their valuable books just in case Jackson DID set the house in flames.

Finally, everyone helped the two girls load the last of the books below, and Minji realized something.

“our safes!” Minji said, and the girls facepalmed. “how could we forget our money!” Minji asked, and the four girls ran off of the boat with their vampire speed and came back, each carrying a very large safe in their arms. Luckily the boat was big, or Siyeon would worry the safes would sink it.

“I'm smelling smoke!” Siyeon and Dami chorused, and they looked at each other slightly startled.

“I guess I really pissed Jackson off, huh?” Siyeon said as she looked apologetically at Minji. Minji smiled as she looked at Siyeon.

“you all are more important than a house for me!” Minji said, and she meant it. Siyeon could feel it. But the wolf still felt bad for putting everyone through this.

“everyone! Grab a car! Keys are in each car and plug in the location of the house and drive to the house as fast but safe as possible! We can sell the cars if we need to, and this way, everyone has a car at the moment!” Minji said as she looked at everyone.

“once you get there if you want to run back in wolf form and grab a couple more cars feel free. Just be careful ok?” Minji asked, and everyone nodded.

“Yoo? Please bring my baby to the house? I don’t want to leave it.” Minji pleaded, and Yoohyeon looked at her with a look that made Minji roll her eyes.

“yes! You can choose any car you want when you come back! It will be yours! As long as it's from my side, I don’t know if the others will be willing to give you a car!” Yoohyeon jumped up in celebration as she ran and hopped into Minji’s car.

Soon Minji was moving through the passage in the boat and, after a couple minutes, stopped and pushed several buttons on the boat.

Metal doors closed behind her, and water started pumping into the tunnel lifting the boat up until it was in a higher tunnel. This pattern repeated until Minji felt the wind signaling she was on the last level and pushed several more buttons, and the ship was able to sail out of the cave systems safely.

‘God, this is going to suck… I’m going to be stuck unloading all of this while they deal with the cars…’ Minji thought to herself as she traveled up the river until she recognized the area around her signaling that she was close to the other house.

After a couple tricky turns down paths that were almost completely hidden from view unless you knew it was there, Minji found the boathouse that her father had built and docked the yacht and sighed as she started unloading the items into their house.

Once the boat was completely unloaded, Minji walked towards the front of the house, praying that nothing bad had happened to the other group. There had been no contact so far, and Minji’s nerves were getting the better of her.

“Please be alright, everyone…” Minji whispered softly as she walked down the path towards where their cars would be parked. “please?”


	25. Chapter 25

-Escape-

The girls decided that they wanted to race. Well, to be specific, Yoohyeon Handong and Dami decided to race. Siyeon decided to go slowly, and so did Gahyeon. The youngest had the least amount of driving experience, and Siyeon was worried about her sister. But Surprisingly, Gahyeon ended up doing fine as they traveled down the dark roads to the safehouse.

Dami was first, but Yoohyeon almost beat her, and Handong was third. Handong would have won if it wasn’t for the fact that she was worried about Elkie. She didn’t know if she has ever driven before, and it worried her. Luckily Elkie came in fourth, followed by Chungha and Sunmi right behind. Sunmi decided not to race and instead drove behind Chungha to watch out for her. The ones that arrived last were Gahyeon, then Siyeon, and finally, Bora, who refused to take her eyes off of her mate. She worried that as soon as she does, something would happen.

The group quickly got out and were ready to make another run for more cars when Bora grabbed Siyeon.

“you're not going back there are you?” Bora asked, and Siyeon nodded slightly, shocked at why Bora even asked the question.

“don’t, please?” Bora pleaded, and Siyeon looked at her with a confused expression.

“My heart feels like it's going to pound out of my chest! I don’t want to lose you! What if they are searching the area and find you?” Bora pleaded as Siyeon looked at her. The panic on Bora’s face was obvious, and Siyeon was unsure of what to do. She didn’t want to let her pack go off into danger without her, but she had no choice, and she felt like a horrible and useless alpha.

“relax, you have two foxes and a bunch of wolves and two adorable kitties!” Chungha said as Bora and Handong shot a glare at her. She acted like she didn’t notice, and Sunmi went to her side and unknowingly wrapped her arms around the smaller girl to protect her from the moody vampires.

Sunmi was so obvious to everyone except for Chungha and herself. It was rather cute. The older girl kept touching her by hugs or high-fives as they talked back and forth, and the girls groaned.

‘ _it's another Bora and Siyeon all over again!_ ’ Yoohyeon said as Gahyeon giggled.

_‘hey!_ ’ Siyeon said, and Yoohyeon rolled her eyes at her alpha, and soon they were bantering back and forth like they used to. It soon led to a wrestling match, which Siyeon won because of her new strength that was getting stronger as her powers came in.

“by the way, isn’t it weird that you instantly finished most of your transformation right after the two encounters with Jackson's pack and that foreign one?” Yoohyeon asked as she distracted the alpha while the others snuck off to gather more cars.

“what do you mean?” Siyeon asked, and Yoohyeon smirked.

“Remember when we were talking about Dami and Gahyeon changing?” Yoohyeon and Siyeon thought back.

“yes, why?” Siyeon asked, and Yoohyeon rolled her eyes at her alpha.

“Remember, we were saying that Dami suddenly being around so many wolves may have triggered her to start the change?” Yoohyeon said, and Siyeon’s eyes widened as she nodded cutely while listening.

“well, Dami is a year younger than she should be able to start her change. We wondered if it was just a hybrid thing, but it may not be. You were forced rather rapidly after you met Jackson. A threat forced you to mature faster!” Yoohyeon said as she looked at Siyeon excitedly.

“don’t get too excited, Yoo. It doesn’t mean you will start early…” Siyeon said, and Yoohyeon pouted.

“but I don’t want to be the only one that still has a puppy form!” Yoohyeon said as she pouted.

“but, I love your puppy form!” Minji said as she emerged from the darkness scaring both Yoohyeon and Siyeon, who were too engrossed into their conversation to realize her approach.

“don’t DO that!” Yoohyeon said as she held her chest in terror. Siyeon was also easily startled, and just like Yoohyeon let out a scream that may or may not have sounded like a little girl being murdered. In a very alpha-like way, of course.

Minji let out a wave of giggles as she looked at the two wolves. If they were cats, their tail would have been puffed out In fear, and Minji kept imagining it, leaving her to almost roll on the ground in laughter. Yoohyeon was pouting furiously as she watched Minji laughing, and Siyeon was as red as a tomato as she tried to act cool. It only made Minji laugh harder, and Siyeon scoffed while stomping off several feet to sulk.

Once Minji was done laughing, and off of the ground, she went over to hug Yoohyeon and apologize.

As Minji went for a hug, Yoohyeon turned around, showing her back to Minji as she humphed and sulked.

“aww! Baby, I'm sorry! It was just so cute! You both looked like startled Kitties!” Minji said as her voice cracked, and she almost lost it and started laughing again.

“you forget something…” Yoohyeon said as she sulked while not looking at her girlfriend.

“what?” Minji asked, and as Yoohyeon turned around, Siyeon lunged at her in wolf form, scaring the shit out of Minji. But like Yoohyeon had hoped, by startling Minji, they forced her tail and ears out. Now her already large and poofy tail was gigantic, and it was now Siyeon’s turn to laugh as she fell to the ground in human form laughing hysterically.

“YOU are the one that’s part cat!” Siyeon howled as she laughed from the ground.

“are you going to let her do that to me?” Minji asked while sulking but realized Yoohyeon was also on the ground laughing with Siyeon, and Minji sighed. Without knowing she was doing it, Minji put her tail in her mouth to comfort herself and grumbled around it about worthless girlfriends. Minji stomped several feet away in annoyance.

It took Minji a couple of seconds to realize that the laughter ended abruptly. She quickly turned around with her tail still in her mouth just in time to see a flash of a camera and a Yoohyeon grinning mischievously.

“Kim Yoohyeon!” Minji shouted as she chased her girlfriend, who was playing keep-away with her phone. Luckily for Siyeon and unluckily for Minji, Yoohyeon posted the pic onto the group chat of the pack and Minji dove for Yoohyeon as the wolf zig-zagged to turn around to see a car barreling towards her.

Yoohyeon’s eyes went wide in panic, and she went to dive out of the way and leapt face-first into a tree and knocked herself out cold. At least she was out of the way of the car speeding towards them. But what worried Minji is that she didn’t recognize this car. Or did she? She was unsure.

The car came to an abrupt stop right beside Minji, and she prepared for a fight when the door opened. But to her surprise, Dami stepped out.

“Sorry for startling Yoohyeon. We were worried that we were being followed, so I went to one of the places I stored stuff and remembered this car, I led them on a wild goose chase before heading here,” Dami said as Minji’s eyes went wide.

“The others are driving carefully to avoid detection. It's not easy to drive with no lights on WITH night vision. I can't imagine doing it without it.” Dami said as she shook her head.

“you went off by yourself?” Minji shouted, and Dami nodded.

“so far, I'm the best pick. I was the fastest, and I could distract them with my powers longer than the others can to allow them to escape while safely escaping myself.” Dami said calmly, and Minji finally realized how much her baby has been changing.

Dami used to be so shy and lacked confidence. But after being around Siyeon and the others, Dami was starting to turn into a rather confident and strong person. It was starting to sink in that the girl was really growing up, and she sighed sadly as she hugged Dami to the younger girl's surprise.

“um, is everything ok?” Dami asked, and Minji nodded as she sniffed.

“I just realized just how much you have grown up. You're really turning into an amazing person Yubin. You know that, right?” Minji said, and Dami smiled at Minji, finally using that name again.

“I think Dami suits me more now,” Dami said, and Minji shook her head.

“you will always be our little Yubin that wanted to learn to read so bad that she went with strangers that just killed two boys…” Minji said, and Dami scoffed at the memory.

“well, I guess when you word it like that, I WASN’T that smart back then, huh? And I never regretted that decision. You know that, right?” Dami asked with a smile, and Minji nodded while hugging Dami.

“This is all cute and all, but when are they going to get here?” Siyeon asked as she stood in the same place that she watched the whole thing go down in silence.

“soon, I can smell Gahyeon approaching,” Dami said, and Siyeon shook her head.

“you know, I'm pretty sure that you're not actually SMELLING Gahyeon or the others. Because the wind is moving in the wrong direction for you to be able to smell her. I think that it's just something you associate with a smell.” Siyeon said as she looked at Dami.

Just like Minji noticed, Siyeon noticed a change in the girl, where Dami used to have a shy expression and have a tendency to not make eye contact, she now stood tall and confident and kept a rather calm face most of the time. Whatever Dami was, it was something amazing to Siyeon. Who knew the shy and quiet girl that was always babied would be their packs ace?

Not only was Dami their ace, but she was highly intelligent and could learn something after only learning it once or twice and reproduce it perfectly. She was also someone that they all could rely on. If anything ever happened to Siyeon, she knew that there was someone who could take over and lead the others if needed.

She didn’t even know why she was thinking about this, but Siyeon knew that it was good to plan ahead just in case something happened to her.

“hey, Dami? Can I speak to you for a second? Alone?” Siyeon asked, and Dami nodded as she followed her alpha. Minji went to go check on Yoohyeon, who still hadn’t woke up while the two went to talk.

“what's wrong?” Dami asked as she looked at Siyeon, and the alpha shook her head.

“I think I'm just overthinking this, but just in case I wanted to name my successor in the pack if something happens to me…” Siyeon said, and Dami’s eyes went wide.

“Siyeon, I… nothing’s going to happen to you!” Dami tried to reassure her, but Siyeon held up her hand. Dami went quiet as she looked at Siyeon worriedly.

“I know the goal is to protect me, but if we fail, please take care of everyone. They say that soulmates can die if their soulmate is killed, I pray that’s not the case. So if something does happen to me and Bora is ok, please take care of her. I don’t want her to be lonely and miserable because of me…” Siyeon said as she looked away. The thought of leaving Bora behind made Siyeon’s heart feel like it was being ripped to shreds, but she had to say it.

“Please?” Siyeon said, and Dami looked at her worriedly.

“what about Yoohyeon? Or Gahyeon? They know more about being a wolf than I do…” Dami said, but Siyeon shook her head.

“you’re a perfect choice. Your smart, a fast learner, can adapt on your feet and I have been asking you for advice the last couple of days to see what you thought, and every time I agreed with your ideas. You’re the perfect choice,” Siyeon said as she rested her hand on Dami’s shoulder.

“plus, Yoohyeon cant order someone to fight her family, and I wouldn't want to leave her with that. You are already showing signs of an alpha anyway. And Gahyeon looks to you for answers too.” Siyeon said, and Dami nodded quietly.

“I'm sorry, I know this is a big burden on you, but I wouldn’t give it to you if I didn’t think you couldn’t take it. You know that, right?” Siyeon said, and Dami nodded slowly as she hugged Siyeon.

Was this the first time that Siyeon got a hug just from Dami? She wasn’t sure, but she liked it. Dami was warmer than a normal wolf, and her embrace was extremely comforting.

“Siyeon, we won't let anything happen to you, I promise,” Dami said confidently, and for once, Siyeon showed her weakness as she sniffed and held the younger girl tighter. This whole situation scared the hell out of Siyeon. She would never forgive herself if one of them died because of her. And if they failed, she wouldn’t want to live without Bora. And that was Siyeon’s plan.

If they failed and Siyeon’s bond with Bora was broken, and she would never be able to see Bora again, she would rather just die, and Dami could sense where the alphas thoughts were going, and her arms tightened around the scared girl.

“Siyeon, I mean it. Don’t do anything stupid. We WILL protect you!” Dami said, and Siyeon just nodded while clinging to Dami. But if someone was to see this from an outside perspective, they would wonder why a younger girl was hugging a naked, crying girl.

A few minutes later, Siyeon and Dami could hear the cars approaching, and the two girls quietly walked out from their talking place and back to Minji, who was babying Yoohyeon who had blood trailing down her face from the impact with the tree earlier.

“But you know, baby… that’s what happens when you run away from me…” Minji teased as Yoohyeon pouted, and Minji leaned down to kiss Yoohyeons pouting lips and Yoohyeon smiled like a complete goof after.

“I feel like we missed something…” Bora said jokingly as she walked over to Siyeon to snuggle. The vampire just knew that something was wrong with Siyeon. The alpha was stressing about something, and it worried her, but she didn’t want to press it judging by how Dami looked so flustered as well.

Siyeon’s tension almost completely evaporated as Bora wrapped her tiny arms around her. The vampire's scent wafted into Siyeon’s nose, and she sighed contently as the smaller girl comforted her just by being beside her.

“by the way, why are you naked again. I mean, I'm not complaining, your body is amazing!” Bora said as she grabbed a handful of Siyeon’s ass, making her laugh in surprise.

“But you don’t like being outside in the moonlight, right?” Bora asked and Siyeon explained the prank on Minji and Bora quickly checked her phone that she had left in the first car she drove and suddenly burst into laughter causing the others to check their phones.

Minji just shook her head and looked down at the injured Yoohyeon, who was laying her head in Minji’s lap. The wolf was giggling, and Minji, who was annoyed, flicked the wolf in the forehead in revenge. Yoohyeon wallowed around in pain for a minute as Minji had hit right on her injury but was fine and back to laughing shortly after.

Soon the group decided to make their way inside. It would be the first time that Elkie and Chungha would see their other house, and Sunmi was suddenly nervous.

The group followed the trail like last time except there was no fog, and it didn’t give off the creepy vibe like before. Siyeon looked behind her to notice Sunmi was covering their tracks with the missing fog and smiled.

_‘It is very useful to have a fox in the pack…_ ’ Siyeon thought to herself as they all walked into the house.

As the group made the hike up to the house, the pack noticed something. The house didn’t look as run down from the front as it did on the first day. Siyeon looked at Sunmi, who was unaware of her questioning look and tilted her head slightly in confusion.

Siyeon shook her head as she walked up to the white gates that they had opened their first day here.

“how come it doesn’t look all rusty and old?” Yoohyeon asked as the curiosity got the better of her. Sunmi looked at the wolf with a confused look before she realized what they meant.

“oh! Sorry, when you all first arrived, I still had an illusion on the house to ward off curious humans. I was so used to keeping it up. I guess I forgot to drop it when all of you first arrived. I'm sorry!” Sunmi said, and Yoohyeon shook her head.

“it's not a problem, I was just surprised. I guess I never noticed while I was staying here that everything went from looking old to new…” Yoohyeon said as she shook her head. “not very observant, am I?” the goofy wolf teased, and everyone agreed right away, causing Yoohyeon to pout.

“that’s ok, baby. You're my unobservant wolf!” Minji teased as she wrapped an arm around the younger girl's neck and pulled her closer to kiss her forehead. The younger girl proceeded to pout, but she was fighting a smile as Minji kept her arm around the taller girl.


	26. Chapter 26

-Home-

“I'm so glad to be back!” Siyeon said and then hesitated. When had this place become more like home than Minji’s house? She realized it right away as she looked at her pack, goofing off in the living room as Sunmi smiled and watched them.

Chungha had flopped on a couch right away and passed out while Elkie groaned and tried to explain to the group about the young fox. Elkie’s frustration made Siyeon chuckle. The alpha slowly walked over, smiling to listen to Elkie talk.

“ugh, don’t worry. She does this all the time. She has a mild form of narcolepsy. When there isn’t anything to keep her interest, she falls asleep randomly. And if she’s REALLY low on energy, she will fall asleep on you mid-sentence…” Elkie said as she shook her head at the smaller girl.

“imagine running for two weeks with a narcoleptic fox…” Elkie said, and Sunmi giggled. She wasn’t bothered by Chungha’s sleeping. She found the smaller girl cute when she was sleeping. But she could understand Elkie’s point.

“but, without her… my bond with Handong would have been broken.” Elkie said, her voice going low. Handong’s eyes snapped up as she looked at Elkie.

“what do you mean?” the vampire asked as she looked at her mate with a worried expression. Elkie had a hard time making eye contact with Handong, and the vampire walked over and grasped the wolf's hands and made Elkie look her in the eyes.

“it's ok, explain…” Handong said softly and kindly, but her pack wasn’t fooled. They all could see the stress showing in the vampire's body and could feel it too.

“I don’t even remember where I was. I just remember I was running down an alley trying to escape when I was ambushed by one of my stepfather's packmates. Within seconds he was on top of me, and I couldn’t get him off. I was struggling so hard and panicking that I didn’t know Chungha had come upon us.”

“I, I felt defeated and almost gave up when I felt something cold blast past me, and suddenly, he was off of me. I looked up to see Chungha grab my hand and helped me up as we ran. She didn’t even know me and helped without a thought. And because of me that she's in this situation…” Elkie said sadly. Handong was having a hard time processing what Elkie had just described. ‘ _someone tried to…_ ’ Handong couldn’t finish her thought before Elkie began speaking again.

“I was attacked several times along the way, we both were. She had used most of her energy to heal us, and because of me, the same situation almost happened to her…” Elkie said, and suddenly, the room started to ripple around them as their vision flickered. Sunmi’s rage was flashing, and it was affecting everyone.

“Sunmi? You're making us sick…” Siyeon said as she fought back the heaves from her surroundings, constantly moving and shifting, and she staggered, trying to catch her balance. Even the ground felt like it was lurching under their feet. But Sunmi was in her own thoughts imagining the worst when Siyeon finally had to yell to snap the fox out of it.

“Sunmi!” Siyeon shouted, and the fox snapped to attention at the force behind her voice. “you are making us all sick! I understand your upset, but can you please calm down?” Siyeon asked as she staggered. The only one not affected was the sleeping Chungha, who was oblivious to the fact that Sunmi was enraged on her behalf.

“s, sorry…” Sunmi said as their surroundings stopped moving and shifting. The pack sighed in relief as they all flopped on the furniture or ground. Whatever was closer. The fox looked at everyone apologetically as she went to get everyone something to help fight nausea.

“well, we know how she feels about Chungha, huh?” Yoohyeon teased as she unsuccessfully fought back her heaves.

“I think it is obvious to all of us, but those two…” Minji said as she giggled and held her head. She had a severe migraine.

“what are you going to do? Lock them in a library overnight?” Dami asked sarcastically, and the group chuckled as she held Gahyeon in her arms to stop the spinning.

“well, at least something good came out of it, right?” Minji teased as she stuck her tongue out at the younger girl, and Dami looked down at the smaller girl in her arms.

Gahyeon had fallen asleep in her arms or passed out from the dizziness Dami wasn’t sure but what she was sure of is how much she loved the girl in her arms. ‘ _she's just so cute’_ Dami thought to herself as she smiled down at the younger girl and Minji let out a groan and gag at Dami’s sweet expression. It backfired, though, as it made her really gag from her dizziness, and soon, Minji looked green.

Yoohyeon comforted Minji as she threw up into a trashcan. The wolf was holding her hair away from her face and gently rubbing the vampires back until the girl felt better.

“better?” Yoohyeon asked after Minji finally stopped throwing up, and the vampire nodded weakly, and Yoohyeon opened her arms wide. Minji snuggled into Yoohyeon’s embrace as she dozed off now that her stomach wasn’t revolting against her. 

Sunmi returned with calming drinks and apologized again. During everything, Handong was holding Elkie in her arms to try to stop the spinning and to cool her head. The older girl was having a hard time processing what she had heard from her mate. She felt her rage still and didn’t know how to combat it. Someone had tried to hurt Elkie. HER Elkie. Rage was an understatement, but she didn’t want to worry Elkie, so she tried to hide her emotions until they could talk alone later.

One thing was for sure, though. Handong owed Chungha. Without the fox, she would have lost Elkie, and Handong had a feeling that Elkie wouldn’t accept losing Handong as her mate very well. The wolf had made a comment before about how life wouldn’t be worth living without her, and it worried Handong to think of what Elkie would have done.

‘ _just don’t think about it,’_ Handong thought to herself as she fought internally. _‘dwelling on what could have been won’t do us any good. We need to focus on Siyeon right now…_ ’ Handong thought as she tensed.

Elkie looked up at Handong as she felt her mate tense and looked at the storm in her eyes. Elkie knew she dropped a bomb on Handong and felt apologetic at the vampire. She didn’t like seeing Handong struggle internally.

Elkie gently kissed Handong’s neck, trying to distract the vampire's thoughts, and it worked successfully. But there was a downside. Elkie was still in heat, and it started to make the wolf feel flustered. She had a hard time controlling her urges after it starts, so maybe that wasn’t such a good idea…

Elkie started to fidget in Handong’s arms, and the vampire looked at her with a confused look. The wolf gave her an apologetic look as she bit her lip, trying to control herself.

‘ _is everything ok?_ ’ Handong asked Elkie, slightly startling her. ‘ _I keep forgetting she can do that…’_ Elkie thought to herself as she blushed.

_‘im just… having a hard time…_ ’ Elkie spoke only to Handong, and she noticed the worried look wash across the vampire's face. _‘its nothing bad, I'm just struggling right now… I'm still, well… in heat…_ ’ Elkie said as she looked up apologetically and blushed with embarrassment.

Handong mouthed a silent ‘oh…’ as she looked at Elkie softly. Now it made sense. The fidgeting and the random looks and blushing. Handong smiled as she kissed Elkie’s cheek and gently held her chin to make the wolf look at her.

‘ _it is ok, no need to be embarrassed. You can't help it. Just let me know, and they will give us some alone time. It's not like you can stop it after all._ ’ Handong said to her alone as she smiled at Elkie. _‘there is no need for you to suffer, I'm always here for you…’_ Handong said sweetly, and Elkie melted slightly at the love in Handong’s voice, but the wolf was still embarrassed at the inability to control her own body and emotions and looked at the ground.

Handong looked up and met siyeon’s eyes. ‘ _you heard all of that, didn’t you?_ ’ Handong asked, and Siyeon nodded with an apologetic look.

‘go.’ Siyeon said to Handong as she flicked her head towards Handong’s room. ‘ _she must be struggling severely to tell you when she seems that embarrassed. Just remember when it is my turn not to let the others tease me so much…_ ’ Siyeon said with a small smile. The vampire smiled as she looked at her alpha.

‘ _I won't promise that…_ ’ Handong teased as she stood up with Elkie and led her towards her room. Handong looked back to Siyeon one more time and witnessed the alpha giving the most adorable pout Handong had ever seen, causing her to snicker. She wasn’t the only one to see it either.

Bora was now over the spins she got from Sunmi’s rage and looked up to see Siyeon giving the most adorable pout she had ever seen. The vampire blushed as she looked at her mate.

_‘oh my god! She's so fucking cute! I don’t know what I like more. When she gives those sexy and fierce stares, or when she's cute and playful like now…’_ Bora thought to herself as she looked at the adorable expression Siyeon was giving.

It made butterflies stir in bora's stomach as she looked at the wolf. Her whole body was starting to flush, and she was starting to get really turned on. _‘what is this?’_ Bora thought to herself. She had noticed that she was getting turned on very easily lately and was even doing things she wouldn’t usually do. It caught her off guard until she remembered something that Siyeon had said earlier.

“a cat in heat…” Bora accidentally said aloud, causing the group to look at her.

“what?” Minji asked in shock at the random comment and gave Bora a very confused and suspicious look. Everyone had their attention on the short vampire, and she was mentally kicking herself for slipping and saying that aloud.

_‘damn…’_ she said to herself as she looked up to meet siyeon’s confused expression. “um… well, you see…” Bora trailed off as she blushed furiously. “I think I'm in heat? Or at least about to be?” Bora said as more of a question than a statement.

“your what?” Minji asked as she looked at Bora. “vampires don’t go through heat cycles. At least not that I know of…”Minji said as she looked at Sunmi for answers.

“don’t look at me! I have no idea this time!” Sunmi said as she waved her hands in front of her. “I did notice that Bora was getting extremely clingy and affectionate lately, but I don’t know if that’s just Bora or something to do with vampires when you have this much power…” Sunmi said as she looked at Bora.

“what about the fact that they combined cat DNA when they created vampires?” Dami asked as she looked around. The group looked at her expectantly.

“I'm not sure if this could be why, but you did seem to change slightly as soon as more of your cat side came out. Specifically your ears and tail. What if when they came out, some other things happened too?” Dami asked as she looked around at everyone.

“so you are saying that when they started to show their ears and tails that they also started to have other things come with that?” Yoohyeon asked, and Dami shrugged.

“that’s my guess, we will know if Handong and Minji go through the same thing,” Dami said as she looked at Minji.

Minji was smirking at Bora, finding the situation hilarious until Dami mentioned the fact that she could go through the same thing. Minji’s eyes bulged at that, and she looked at everyone.

“me? You think it will happen to me too?” Minji asked, and everyone nodded.

“that is if it is a vampire thing and not just a Bora thing,” Dami said as she nodded.

“oh, speaking about being in heat…” Siyeon said as she looked at Dami and her sister, who had woken up to hear the conversation.

“what about you two?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the two hybrids. “after all, you are part wolf and went through your final adult transformation. You should have also went into heat, right?” Siyeon said as she looked at the two.

Gahyeon and Dami looked at each other and blushed. “we, uh…” Dami trailed off and had a hard time answering siyeon’s question. It was Gahyeon that was able to answer siyeon’s question, and she wished that she had never asked.

“We are ok when someone is around us, but when we are alone, we can't keep our hands off of each other. We don’t get much sleep…” Gahyeon said as Siyeon paled.

“my eyes! I imagined it! Ahh!!!” Siyeon teased as her sister scoffed and rolled her eyes.

“well, you’re the one that asked…” Gahyeon teased, and Siyeon nodded.

“yes, and I regret it. I regret it!” Siyeon shouted as the others laughed at her.

“how long Is a wolf's heat cycle?” Minji asked once Siyeon settled down, and the group looked at Siyeon for an answer.

“well, a week or two. It depends on each wolf. Some it's like a period for humans, and for others, it’s a month or three long but only happens only once a year. The fact that Gahyeon is still showing signs when she's alone with Dami makes me wonder what her heat cycle is going to be like due to her being a hybrid. But I really don’t want to know too much…” Siyeon said as she shook her head.

“so it really depends on the person?” Bora asked, and Siyeon nodded as she snuggled against the smaller girl.

“and you are going to start. Yours soon…” Bora asked, and Siyeon blushed as she nodded. Everyone was hiding smirks and giggled as they imagined Siyeon in heat.

“you won't leave the room for at least a week, I bet!” Yoohyeon teased as Siyeon glared at her over bora's shoulder.

The two were having a mental battle between the two, and their partners rolled their eyes at the two.

“what!” Yoohyeon shouted as Siyeon snickered.

“you heard me!” Siyeon retorted as everyone looked at the two with confused expressions.

“baby, you two might know, but we don’t…” Bora said as she looked into siyeon’s eyes and gently rested her hand on siyeon’s cheek lovingly.

“oh, sorry, I said tease as much as you want, but you will also be going into heat soon, and your family is known for long heat cycles…” Siyeon said with a look of challenge as she looked at Yoohyeon.

Minji looked at Yoohyeon and noticed that the wolf was a vivid shade of red from pure embarrassment, and Minji chuckled as she held her embarrassed mate and hid Yoohyeon’s face until the red faded. “I guess we both will be going through some changes, babe…” Minji said softly as she kissed her girlfriend, who was still hiding against her neck in embarrassment.

“well, if that’s the case, then it is going to be interesting…” Yoohyeon mumbled from Minji’s neck. The vibration and breath from Yoohyeon’s words tickled Minji’s neck and caused the vampire to giggle.

“wait…” Yoohyeon said as she pulled back from the laughing Minji. “is that why Handong took Elkie upstairs?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked at Siyeon. The alpha just shrugged nonchalantly as she looked uninterested.

“bet it is…” Gahyeon said as she smirked. Siyeon glared at her sister, and she giggled. The look told her that she was right. “I knew it!” the young hybrid said as she giggled.

“well, at least now Handong won't be lonely. She would act like she was fine, but she always looked kinda sad when she looked at Minji and I together…” Yoohyeon said. She was saying something actually serious, and it caught the group off guard.

“what?” Yoohyeon asked as everyone looked at her. “you all never noticed?” Yoohyeon asked as everyone shook their heads no.

“seriously? She would always give a half-smile as she would walk off to leave us alone. You could just feel the sadness or loneliness radiating off of her!” Yoohyeon said as she looked at everyone. Siyeon was deep in thought as she looked at the wolf.

“I think you only noticed because of your omega side Yoohyeon…” Siyeon said as she looked at the girl thoughtfully. “omegas are more sensitive to emotions and try to make the people around them happy. Its why you get really goofy at times.” Siyeon said, and Yoohyeon nodded. She knew that there were some differences between when she switched between her alpha side and her omega side, and when she was with Minji, she tended to be more in her omega side than alpha.

“I don’t like knowing that Handong was always lonely…” Minji said as she looked towards their room. “but I'm glad she finally has her mate.” Minji said as a gentle smile crossed her face. “after all, she is like my sister.” Minji smiled as she thought about Handong.

“she's like my sister too.” Bora said as she smiled. “even though I couldn’t understand her much in the beginning.” Bora said as everyone giggled. “what? Her accent was thick, and she made a lot of mistakes!” Bora said in her defense, and everyone nodded while hiding smirks. The short vampire rolled her eyes and snuggled into Siyeon again and sighed happily.

“well, what are our plans for tomorrow?” Sunmi asked as she looked at Siyeon. They now had more members and new powers to train. It would make sense to train for the fight that they knew was coming, and Siyeon smirked as she looked at everyone.

“We train in the morning. We have to bring the others up to our level quickly, and we also have to learn about these elemental abilities we are starting to get. With my final transformation starting, I have started to notice some funny feelings. I think that was the new abilities we are getting. So we need to learn what we can do and how to control them.” Siyeon said as blue lightning danced over her and Bora, who was in her arms. Siyeon’s confidence seemed to bring out the blue lightning, and Dami made a note of it for training later.

Soon the group went to their rooms, and Chungha was carried to Sunmi’s room by Siyeon. The fox was protesting, but one look from Siyeon shut the older girl up.

“you’re the only other fox, Sunmi. I think she seems more comfortable with you. So you’re the best choice for a roommate!” Siyeon said, and Sunmi shook her head.

“There are plenty more EMPTY rooms! Why mine?” Sunmi whined cutely as Siyeon smirked.

“because you obviously care for her. This means you will be worried about her and probably won't sleep well. We will need you rested, and at your best in the morning, so this is our best choice.” Siyeon said as she smirked.

Sunmi knew that Siyeon was just saying shit. She knew that Siyeon was trying to help the two foxes along and was grateful but didn’t want to show it, so she whined.

“Should I take her out?” Siyeon asked as she went to pick the sleeping fox up again.

“NO!” Sunmi yelled, and Chungha sturred for a few seconds, and the two girls froze in place until the sleepy girl started falling back asleep. The two sighed in relief when they heard her slow breathing, and Siyeon looked at Sunmi with a raised brow.

_‘well, do you or don’t you?’_ Siyeon asked, and Sunmi blushed.

_‘well, maybe it would be better to wake up with another fox than alone…’_ Sunmi said softly to Siyeon, and the wolf grinned. Lovestruck Sunmi was adorable. Siyeon couldn’t help but think that no matter how long you have lived, you can still fall in love.

The fox was in denial, but she obviously felt something for Chungha, and they had only met recently. Siyeon was rooting for them and would help them in any way that she could.

“sleep well… we practice early…” Siyeon teased as she winked. Sunmi rolled her eyes at Siyeon and gave in.

“good night, see you in the morning…” Sunmi pouted as she looked at Chungha. A soft smile spread across her lips as she looked at the sleeping fox. It didn’t go unnoticed as Siyeon closed Sunmi’s door.

‘ _cute!’_ the alpha thought to herself as she smiled and walked away rather quickly. Bora was waiting for her, and Siyeon didn’t mind one bit that Bora was in heat. She loved how affectionate and cuddly the girl has become lately. Though she could do without the butt grabs… but she was getting used to it.

Sunmi looked over at Chungha, who was still fast asleep on Sunmi’s bed. The fox was still in her clothes that they traveled in due to her being too exhausted and drained of energy. Sunmi sighed as she walked over to Chungha.

“let's get you a shower and some more comfortable clothes to sleep in, shall we?” Sunmi said aloud to herself as she went through her closet for something that the smaller girl could wear. After several minutes she had found a soft, oversized sweater and some shorts that looked like they may fit her even though they were a little short. The sweater was long and would cover more of her than the shorts anyway.

“Chungha? Wake up…” Sunmi said softly as she gently stroked Chungha’s cheek, trying to wake the sleeping fox softly to not startle her. The smaller girl stirred as she opened one blurry eye to look at Sunmi.

Sunmi smiled at the cute sleepy expression, and Chungha realized how close the older girl was and snapped up.

“I'm sorry! Did I fall asleep again?” Chungha asked as she looked around. A confused expression washed across her face as she noticed that this was a bedroom, and she was lying on a very expensive looking bed with severely dirty clothes.

“whos bed is this?”Chungha asked as she looked at Sunmi. The older girl blushed as she looked away.

“mine, Siyeon thought you might feel more comfortable staying with another fox instead of waking up alone in a strange room…” Sunmi said, and Chungha sprung off of the bed.

“I'm so sorry! My clothes are filthy! I hope I didn’t ruin this beautiful bed!” Chungha said as she looked at the girl apologetically. Sunmi smiled at Chungha’s worry.

“it's fine, I was actually waking you to see if you wanted a shower. I know you must be tired, and a hot shower might do your muscles good.” Sunmi said, and Chungha’s eyes lit up at the mention of a hot shower.

“oh, but I don’t have any change of clothes…” Chungha said as she remembered that the only things left in her backpack were a spare set of clean underwear and food. All of her other clothes had been shredded in the several fights along the way to here.

“don’t worry, I can get you some new clothes in the morning if you tell me your size, but for now I went for something that would be loose and comfortable. I'm sorry that those are the only shorts that looked like they might fit you. I know they are really short…” Sunmi said, and Chungha grinned as she hugged the taller girl.

“thank you… a shower sounds amazing… but can you do me a big favor?” Chungha asked as she blushed. Sunmi looked at the blush and wondered what made the girl so flustered.

“has Elkie told you about my… problem?” Chungha asked, and Sunmi looked confused until she remembered Elkie’s conversation earlier.

“oh, about your sleeping?”Sunmi asked, and the younger girl nodded. “what about it?” Sunmi asked, and Chungha blushed.

“I still haven’t gained back my energy… the water might make me fall asleep. Can you stay with me in there and talk to me? As long as we are talking, I shouldn’t fall asleep…” Chungha asked as she fidgeted nervously.

Sunmi blushed at realizing that Chungha wanted her in the bathroom with her while she showered but understood what the younger girl meant. It was better than passing out in the shower and Sunmi having to carry a naked wet girl out of the shower. Sunmi just nodded while blushing, and the smaller girl hugged her in thanks.

“I promise I'm not some weird person! I just feel like it may be even more embarrassing if I pass out in the shower…” Chungha said as Sunmi nodded.

Chungha moaned in happiness as the hot water ran down her skin. Just like Sunmi had thought, the warm water was helping her relax. But the sounds of happiness that Chungha was making sounded more wrong to Sunmi, who was standing in the doorway with her back to the younger girl.

The two chatted while Chungha showered, and soon, the awkwardness was gone between the two as they joked and talked. Several minutes later, Sunmi heard the water turn off and turned her back on the younger girl again. She didn’t even remember turning to look in Chungha’s direction, but at some point, she did, and she felt slightly embarrassed about it.

Chungha was talking as she dried off, and after a couple of minutes, Sunmi felt arms snake around her waist. Chungha was giving Sunmi a gentle back-hug as she whispered her gratitude.

“thank you. I know it had to have been embarrassing…” Chungha said, and Sunmi shook her head. It was at first, but by the end, Sunmi was just enjoying talking to the younger girl.

Sunmi had learned that Chungha was going to school for dance and that the was taking a year off trying to find out more about her family tree to see if she really WAS the only one left of her family. It was why she met Elkie in china.

One of the people that claimed to know about her family tree was living in china. It was a dead-end, but without that wild goose chase, she wouldn’t have met Elkie and been able to save the wolf. It also allowed her to meet Sunmi, and Chungha was happy that she wasn’t alone anymore.

“it's fine. It was fun talking to you. I have been cooped up in this house for years after Minji’s parents died. I wanted to protect her mother's house and never went out much. Talking to you was fun.” Sunmi said as she turned around while still in the girl's arms and smiled softly at Chungha. The two blushed as they looked into each other's eyes.

Chungha blushed at the gentle smile that she was starting to realize was only meant for her while Sunmi blushed as she looked at the oversized sweater that the smaller girl was wearing. The collar was wide, and one shoulder peeked out, and the sleeves were long enough to hide her hands except for her fingertips. It made her look adorable, and Sunmi couldn’t help but blush at the cute girl holding her.

They stayed like that for several minutes as the heat seemed to rise in the room. Their eyes just locked on each other when Sunmi’s eyes flicked for a second to Chungha’s lips. She had hoped that the younger girl had missed it. She didn’t want to make the younger girl uncomfortable at where Sunmi’s thoughts were going, but Chungha didn’t miss it.

The smaller girl reached her arms up and gently gripped the front of Sunmi’s shirt and pulled her down so that sunmis eyes were now level with Chungha’s

Sunmi gasped in surprise as now they were almost eye level. Chungha looked into Sunmi’s eyes questioningly when she noticed the older girl look at her lips again. It was only for a brief second, but that was all that Chungha needed. She pulled Sunmi closer, and the two girls' lips met gently as Chungha kissed Sunmi slowly, enjoying the older girl's lips on hers.

Sunmi gasped as she was pulled forward, but when the two girls' lips met Sunmi’s, the older girl's mind went blank of everything that wasn’t Chungha. The smaller girl was holding Sunmi’s shirt desperately with one hand as the other threaded behind Sunmi’s head as her fingers tangled in Sunmi’s hair to deepen the kiss, both girls not wanting it to end.

Once they finally broke apart for air, they looked at each other in surprise. As the last known two of the nine-tailed foxes, they didn’t expect to have a same-sex mate, but they were wrong. They had felt it immediately as soon as their lips met.

The electricity throughout their bodies and the spike of their heart rates, as well as the surge of overprotectiveness, told them just what they were to each other, and the two couldn’t help but grin as they looked lovingly into each other's eyes.

“so that’s why I was so drawn to you…” Sunmi said breathlessly as she looked at Chungha in awe. The younger girl blushed and buried herself in Sunmi’s shirt in embarrassment and happiness as Sunmi held her and chuckled at the cuteness.

“well, let's go get some rest, shall we?” Sunmi asked as she looked down at Chungha, who blushed as her mind took it a dirty way.

“you mean like together?” Chungha asked, and this time it was Sunmi’s time to blush. She had just realized with the situation how that would sound.

“only if you want to. Whenever you are ready. Until then, we can just sleep. No need to stress.” Sunmi said as she stroked Chungha’s cheek softly and led her to bed. The two just slept that night. Both were too shy to initiate anything, but Chungha swore to herself that that would change tomorrow night, and indeed it did.


	27. Chapter 27

-A Quick Learner-

In the morning, they all came down for breakfast, but everyone noticed a slight change in the two foxes. They would always smile at each other, and Chungha seemed to have much more energy than usual. Everyone learned really quickly that when Chungha would explain something, she would use her entire body to explain it.

“maybe it's because she’s a dancer?” Sunmi said when Chungha left the room to use the bathroom. Everyone looked at Sunmi, confused.

“she’s a dancer?” Elkie asked as Sunmi nodded. Elkie and Chungha had been together for who knows how long, and she never knew that Chungha was a dancer. So, it shocked everyone that Sunmi seemed to know more than Elkie about the younger girl.

“and when did you find this out?” Siyeon asked curiously, and Sunmi answered without thinking.

“We talked about it while she was in the shower,” Sunmi said, and her eyes flicked up, realizing how wrong that sounded. Everyone looked at her with wide-eyed expressions, and Siyeon smirked.

“oh, god! Not like that!” Sunmi said as she waved her hands. “I was talking to her so she wouldn’t fall asleep! That’s all!” Sunmi said while she turned a bright red.

“no, it's not…” Chungha said as she came back to the table and fought back a smirk. It was cute to watch Sunmi so flustered.

Sunmi’s head snapped over to Chungha, and the younger girl refused to meet her eyes while smirking.

“I also kissed her,” Chungha said as Sunmi groaned and put her head on the table to hide her embarrassment. The younger girl rubbed Sunmi’s back as everyone chuckled at the cuteness of Sunmi’s embarrassment.

“so, wait… you kissed her?” Yoohyeon asked, and Chungha nodded. “but she's so much taller than you!” Yoohyeon said, shocked, and Chungha just shrugged.

“I grabbed her shirt and pulled her closer. It's not hard.” Chungha said as everyone looked at Chungha in shock.

“you were so shy last night! Where did shy Chungha go?” Sunmi said, sounding very muffled from her head laying on her arms on the table.

Chungha chuckled as she looked at Sunmi. And leaned in to whisper into Sunmi’s ear.

“I just want them to know your mine…” Chungha whispered, and a chill ran down Sunmi’s spine at the emotion behind Chungha’s words. Sunmi looked up just enough to meet Chungha’s eyes and could see that the smaller girl was serious.

“wow! I SO wish I didn’t hear that!” Minji said as she looked away as everyone smirked at the possessive Chungha.

“pay up!” Gahyeon said as she held out her hand to a pouting Yoohyeon. The wolf sulked as she handed the youngest some money.

“did you two bet again?” Minji asked, and the two girls nodded as Minji shook her head. “why am I even surprised?” Minji said, and Siyeon looked at the two. Her curiosity got the better of her as she looked at her sister.

“so, what was the bet about this time?” Siyeon asked as the two smirked.

“who would make the first move. I bet on Chungha, and Yoohyeon bet on Sunmi because she is older. I told you that younger people are much more likely to make a move first!” Gahyeon said smugly, and Dami grinned as she looked at the younger girl.

“so true…” Dami said as Gahyeon blushed realizing that Dami was talking about their first night.

“ANYWAY! I won, so that’s all. Are we going to go training? I'm ready, let's go!” Gahyeon rambled as she went to jump up and clean her plate. Everyone laughed at how the tables were turned rather quickly against Gahyeon.

“it's not funny!” Gahyeon pouted as she stomped out of the room.

“you better go follow her, you know she wants you to…” Siyeon said as Dami smiled and followed Gahyeon outside.

“well, I guess that’s our cue to go and start training, huh?” Siyeon said as she stood. Once Siyeon stood, the others stood up automatically, and they cleaned up the food as they talked. “let's walk slow to give the two some alone time.” Siyeon said as everyone walked out slowly.

Once everyone made it to the field, and the lover's quarrel was over, Siyeon gave Sunmi and Chungha the signal to start their training. During breakfast, Siyeon had talked to the two, and they agreed to lead the first half of training to try to help the others learn their new powers.

“ok, so first, let's demonstrate some of the things Chungha and I can do, ok?” Sunmi said as everyone nodded in agreement.

Sunmi stood across from Chungha, but they were very far away from each other. “Chungha, you’re sure you can block my foxfire, right?” Sunmi asked as the smaller girl gave a shout and a thumbs up. “ok, here we go!” Sunmi shouted, and suddenly, all eyes were on her.

Sunmi stood there calmly and held up her hands so that the others could see what was happening. A blue flame flowed over her hands, and yellow lightning flickered throughout it as she looked at Chungha. Soon Sunmi launched her foxfire at the smaller girl.

The sound was startling. It roared as it launched through the air, and a boom erupted as it made contact with a projectile Chungha had used to counter Sunmi’s attack. The foxfire had melted her ice, but the ice had stopped Sunmi’s foxfire, and a large crater was left where the two met.

The group just looked on in awe at the power behind the attack. Siyeon was sure that Sunmi went easy on Chungha, and she was right.

“you don’t have to go easy on me, I can block something like that easily!” Chungha shouted while laughing. She knew that Sunmi did it because she worried about her, and Chungha found it cute.

“ok, I will go again. You ready?” Sunmi asked, and Chungha gave another thumbs up.

This time Sunmi didn’t hold back. She didn’t do her best but did average to see how Chungha fared with her normal strength.

Lightning flickered all along Sunmi’s body as she focused, and soon the blue flames appeared in Sunmi’s hands. The lightning seemed drawn into the flames. The balls of fire were constantly flickering blue and yellow, and on Chungha’s signal, Sunmi launched it at the smaller girl again.

The roar this time was almost deafening, and the explosion shook the field as a flash of light erupted from the contact point.

Sunmi watched on nervously. She worried that she had hurt Chungha, but she wouldn’t know until the smoke and rubble cleared.

Once the smoke started to clear, everyone noticed an ice barrier of some kind still standing. There was a slight dent in it where Sunmi’s foxfire had collided with the ice wall, but it didn’t even crack it. Everyone looked at Chungha with impressed expressions.

“not bad!” Sunmi said as Chungha walked from behind the wall. She smiled at Sunmi’s compliment and pointed at the wall.

“try to break it! I'm not behind it anymore, so feel free to throw everything you have at it without worrying if I'm safe!” Chungha said, and Sunmi smiled.

“was it that obvious?” she shouted, and everyone shouted back in a chorus of ‘yes,’ causing Sunmi to laugh.

“ok, but everyone stand back, please?” Sunmi asked, and everyone complied as they moved out of the blast-zone. Sunmi took a deep breath as she sighed and rolled her shoulders. Once she was ready, she stood tall and looked at her target. The ice wall was repairing itself. The dent from her first blast was almost completely filled in by fresh ice. It surprised Sunmi, but she was up for a challenge.

Sunmi stood there, and this time let her emotions flow. Lightning flicked all along her body and snaked around until they fused into only a handful of strong bolts. The blue flames drew the electricity into them, and Sunmi put her hands together to join the fire. Now that she held it in one hand, the lightning started to flick around the flames faster and faster.

Before the others knew it, Sunmi’s foxfire crashed against the wall with such force that everyone but Chungha and Sunmi was knocked back. It took several minutes for the smoke to clear this time, and when it did, everyone looked on in shock.

The wall was still standing, but just barely. It had cracked and crumbled, but judging from the ground, it had only crumbled AFTER the blast had hit the wall. In front of the wall was a crater that looked smooth as glass.

Everyone walked over and realized that the reason that the wall had not tipped over at the force of Sunmi’s bolts was that Chungha had sent the ice deep into the ground to anchor it. It was the only thing that stopped it from just getting blown away with one hit.

“Chungha? Can you cool this ground down so we can get a better look at it?” Siyeon asked, and Chungha complied. Once it was cool enough to touch, Siyeon slid her hands along the glass that was created by Sunmi’s lightning. It was really impressive.

“I know I won't be able to do anything near that, but I'm kinda glad I seem to show lightning…” Siyeon said in wonder as she felt the glass.

“I'm more impressed at the fact that Chungha was able to block that!” Bora said as she looked at the ice wall. “I mean, come on! If we were on the other side, we might have been safe!” Bora said as Siyeon nodded in agreement.

“I'm just glad they are on our side…” Gahyeon whispered, and Dami nodded in agreement.

“Siyeon, do you know how to call out your lightning?” Sunmi asked, and Siyeon shook her head. All she knew was that when she was talking with Jackson, she started to feel funny. She didn’t even know she was doing it until they told her later.

“I think it's her emotions.” Dami said as she looked at Siyeon. “when it shows, it seems like she shows her confidence. When she was talking to Jackson, it would flare up when she was confident in what she said.” Dami said, and Sunmi nodded to herself.

_‘Leave it to Dami to notice something like that._ ’ Sunmi thought proudly as she smiled at the wolf. “ok well, Siyeon lets try this. Your confidence brings it out, but not always will you feel confident. Try to see if you can pull it up with your anger!” Sunmi said, and Siyeon walked forward. She nodded at Sunmi and stood there for a couple of seconds until she looked up and shook her head.

“I can't think of anything to make me mad at the moment!” Siyeon said, and Yoohyeon decided to help.

“Siyeon! Think about what that human did to Bora! That makes you angry as hell!” Yoohyeon said, and Bora shot the wolf a glare. She didn’t like Siyeon being so upset, but Siyeon agreed and stood in the center of the field with her eyes closed. Soon the others felt waves of rage radiating from the alpha but no lightning.

Sunmi looked on in confusion. Strong emotions made the powers come easily, but siyeon’s rage didn’t bring out the alphas lightning. ‘ _weird…_ ’ Sunmi thought as she watched Siyeon. After a couple of seconds, Sunmi went to stop Siyeon when Chungha put her hand on Sunmi’s shoulder.

“wait…” Chungha said as she watched Siyeon intently. Something was going on, and Chungha could sense it.

Sunmi strained to look at the wolf when suddenly, a deep reddish-black flame started to surround the girl. Sunmi looked on in shock. The fire was real and was burning off siyeon’s clothing without hurting her at all.

“I knew it…” Chungha said as she watched siyeon’s flames. Sunmi looked at the younger girl in confusion.

“knew what?” Sunmi said as she looked at Chungha. The younger girl smiled as she looked at the group and nodded to Bora. The girl stood there watching Siyeon, and Sunmi noticed the hints of purple flames that they had witnessed when she had spoken to Jackson.

“is Siyeon using the other members' elements?” Sunmi asked, and Chungha nodded. They both looked at the members and wondered what else the pack could do and if Siyeon would be able to use them. Bora was siyeon’s mate, so she is closer to her. But will it be the same with the other members? Sunmi was suddenly curious.

“I also wonder if Dami will have two elements as well. Both sides of her seem so perfectly split and different that I wouldn’t be surprised if each has a different element.” Chungha said, and Dami looked at the two. She could tell that they were talking about her, but she was paying more attention to Siyeon and didn’t catch what they were saying.

“Should we have her try another emotion? See what else shows?” Sunmi asked, and Chungha shrugged. This was new to everyone, and they both didn’t know the answer.

“let's see if she can do something with the fire first. Like a target or something.” Chungha said as she walked forward and placed an ice wall in front of Siyeon. The alpha looked up, surprised, and her fire started to flicker at her distraction.

“try to focus your fire at the wall!” Chungha shouted as Siyeon nodded. The fire rippled along her body, but they couldn’t project forward.

“try to focus them into your hands and then throw them like a ball!” Sunmi said as she looked at Siyeon. The alpha started to focus on her hands, and the fire started to trickle along her body and began to pool into her hands, but when she tried to throw it, it was like holding slime. She would try to throw it, but strings of it wouldn’t leave her hands, and it would just snap right back to her hands like goo.

“eww! It looks sticky!” Yoohyeon said as she looked at the flames. “oh! Siyeon, imagine that the wall is Jackson!” Yoohyeon shouted as Minji rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, like that will…” Minji’s thought was cut off as Siyeon screamed. The flames erupted from her body and hands without her movement. Just her focus alone launched it at the wall. They heard the roar of flames, and as the fire launched through the air, it gathered oxygen and grew stronger. It struck the ice wall, and an explosion of smoke and steam covered the field as everyone looked on in shock.

“well, she's more advanced than I thought…” Sunmi said as she watched as the smoke and steam cleared. Siyeon’s fire was indeed sticky. It clung to what was left of Chungha’s ice wall and slowly was melting it.

“I don’t even know how to explain that, do you?” Chungha asked as she looked at the sticky fire. Nothing had worked so well against her ice wall like siyeon’s fire did at that moment, and she hasn’t even come into her alpha powers yet. They were still growing, and the two foxes started to get nervous.

“This is going to be interesting. Please tell me you fireproofed the house?” Chungha asked, and Sunmi nodded.

“I don’t know how it will hold up against that, though. It's like the stories you hear about napalm. Sticks to you and burns…” Sunmi said as she looked at Siyeon.

The alpha stood there in the center of the field, looking exhausted. Bora went over to ask if she was alright when Siyeon collapsed. Bora made it just in time to catch Siyeon from hitting the ground.

“you're just so hot, you know that?” Bora said jokingly as she bounced her eyebrows. Siyeon groaned at her bad pun but smiled anyway.

“I thought you all said I was lightning, but as soon as I started fire came out…” Siyeon said as she looked at her hands weakly. “I was very surprised…” Siyeon said as she looked at Bora with a smile. “I think I'm going to take a nap here. Night!” she teased as she closed her eyes.

Bora dropped Siyeon, causing her to groan and pout at the vampire. “hey! What was that for?” Siyeon pouted as Bora smirked.

“what? You wanted to sleep, so I put you down!” Bora said as she watched Siyeon dust off her butt. “sexy…” Bora teased as she checked out Siyeon. The wolf rolled her eyes at the smaller girl and scoffed.

“and yet you drop me like a sack of potatoes!” Siyeon pouted cutely as Bora laughed.

“yes, but a sexy sack of potatoes!” Bora teased, and Siyeon grumbled as she walked over to the group. Her energy was coming back quickly. A sign that her transformation was coming to an end any day now.

“so, who wants to try next?” Sunmi asked as everyone looked at each other nervously.

“what about Bora?” Yoohyeon asked. “she is the only other one that showed signs of it when we confronted Jackson.” The tall girl said as she looked at Sunmi. The fox nodded but remembered siyeon’s issues with fire.

“Bora, are those clothes ok to be burned?” Sunmi asked, and Bora looked down. It was one of her favorite outfits, and she didn’t want to lose it.

“don’t tell me I have to become like Siyeon and walk around naked all the time…” Bora said in a groan, and Sunmi chuckled.

“no, just as long as it takes for you to differentiate what you want to burn and not burn. Once you gain control of that, your clothes are safe.” Sunmi said, and Bora sighed as she started stripping. Once naked, the girl walked into the center of the field and waited for instructions.

“ok, now what did you say or think that brought out your flames when talking to Jackson?” Sunmi asked, and Yoohyeon chipped in.

“bring it wolf-boy?” Yoohyeon said as the others snickered, including Bora. She found it entertaining how the little veins in his neck and forehead started to pop out at that phrase and noted to say it to him again next time they meet.

“Bora, what were you thinking when you said that?” Sunmi asked, and Minji groaned while Yoohyeon giggles. They knew Bora’s answer would be interesting.

“that the fucking weasel needed to back the fuck off of my woman before I bitchslapped him back to china! No offense Handong, Elkie.” Bora said, and Minji tried her best to fight the laughter that was threatening to surface but lost it when her girlfriend erupted into laughter. Even Siyeon had tears in her eyes as she fought to keep a straight face.

“ok… well, think that and see if you can recreate it, ok?” Sunmi asked as Chungha snickered beside her.

Bora stood there and closed her eyes. She imagined the cocky weasel in front of her and imagined him threatening Siyeon. Instantly the purple flames washed over the small girl's body. The purple fire was very vivid, and everyone looked on in amazement.

“of course, someone as beautiful as Bora would have fire just as beautiful…” Siyeon whispered breathlessly as she looked at her mate in awe. It really was a beautiful sight. The fire made her hair flutter like a breeze was blowing, and Siyeon couldn’t stop staring.

Chungha raised an ice wall and gave Bora the same instructions. Bora seemed to have an easier time due to her emotion and illusion abilities. They had learned to project them, and it worked well at this moment. A wave of beautiful purple flames roared toward the wall and crashed into it with a hiss of steam. Unlike siyeon’s fire, it wasn’t sticky, so that part didn’t come from Bora.

The ice wall remained intact but had been visibly melted slightly. Bora’s powers were not as strong as siyeon’s, but that was to be expected until their alpha finished her final adult transformation. But the group was in awe of the beauty of the fire that Bora controlled.

“I didn’t know purple flames would be so pretty…” Yoohyeon whispered as Minji nodded in awe. Bora turned around to look at the group and noticed their shocked expressions and suddenly felt self-conscious.

“what?” the vampire asked nervously. Unlike Siyeon, she wasn’t used to being naked in front of everyone, and her nervousness made Siyeon smile cutely at her mate. The wolf slowly walked over to her and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl's naked waist as she smiled while kissing Bora’s neck and whispering.

“your beautiful, that’s what,” Siyeon said as she continued to pepper the vampire with kisses on her neck and collarbone. Bora blushed at the stare that Siyeon was giving her in between the kisses and felt butterflies in her stomach. It made her really self-conscious because she was completely naked. She couldn’t get too excited right now, or everyone would know it.

If this was the start of Siyeon going into heat, then the vampire felt that she wouldn’t be leaving her room for a week… and she was completely ok with that. She just didn’t want to start it in front of everyone in a field.

Siyeon lifted Bora into her arms and carried her back to the group. She had refused to set Bora down, no matter how many times Bora demanded it. So, the vampire decided to enjoy it and snuggled against siyeon’s neck while the wolf held her in her arms.

“who’s next?” Sunmi asked as she looked at the group, and Dami made eye contact with the fox and stepped forward nervously.

“I don’t know what to do, but I will try…” Dami said nervously as she walked towards the field. She had started to feel a funny feeling as she watched the others attempt to use their powers and wanted to see if she could do it as well, but she felt extremely nervous.


	28. Chapter 28

-Powers and changes-

Everyone had high hopes for Dami, and she was starting to feel pressured. Even Siyeon trusted her enough to leave the pack to her, but Dami wasn’t sure she was worthy of all of the praise. Her life before Minji and the others found her seemed to affect her confidence sometimes, and it was making her extremely nervous right now.

‘ _just breathe and relax. Even if you can't do anything right away, we won't be disappointed in you. So no need to stress._ ’ Siyeon said only to Dami, and the younger girl smiled as she let out an anxious sigh and rolled her shoulders.

Dami stood there and closed her eyes. She had felt the funny feeling when she would trigger specific emotions, so she tried it now.

Dami thought about Gahyeon. She thought about how she would look at her from afar and give a gentle and shy smile whenever they would make eye contact. How it made Dami feel butterflies in her stomach. She even thought about the first time they ran into each other without the others around in high school. How they ran into each other and splatted onto the ground as they tried to go into the bathroom. And Dami remembered how cute Gahyeon looked when she had a pout on her face and looked up to meet Dami’s eyes.

Dami smiled as she remembered Gahyeon’s expression change from a pout to surprise as her face went red with embarrassment. The younger girl apologized profusely as she helped Dami up and ran away, forgetting to use the bathroom before fleeing.

It was a powerful memory for Dami because it was the first time that they were able to speak to each other without someone interfering, and she remembered how warm Gahyeon’s hand was when she helped her up off of the ground.

Without knowing it, Dami was showing Gahyeon her memories as she remembered her, and the younger girl was fighting tearing up while watching her.

Suddenly the ground started to rumble as Dami stood there. Everyone looked on in shock as the ground in front of her started to move like quicksand. Out of curiosity, Chungha set an ice pillar onto the moving earth, and within seconds, it vanished below. Chungha looked at Sunmi in surprise as the older girl smirked.

‘ _luckily, not everyone is the same. It allows us to cover a wider range of abilities. I don’t know if Siyeon knows it yet, but with her pack gaining strength so quickly…_ ’ Sunmi said to Chungha only, and the younger girl nodded, knowing exactly what she meant.

_‘others from all over will want to challenge them, not just wolves and vampires. We should be prepared._ ’ Chungha said, and Sunmi nodded in agreement. They were still in a conversation when they felt something shift around Dami.

Dami had stopped thinking of how much she loved Gahyeon and instead tried rage, but what came first was panic.

Dami remembered how she felt when she saw Gahyeon getting attacked by the wolf while the two were having an argument. She remembered the pure panic that she felt as it mixed with rage. How hopeless she felt when she watched Gahyeon getting attacked. Dami thought as she fought. As waves of Panic washed over her, the ground in front of her that was loosened by her earth ability started to shift again. But this time it was different. Instead of the soil moving, it looked like something was being pulled out of the ground as the soil shifted around it.

“What IS that?” Yoohyeon asked as she hid behind Minji. The wolf was afraid that it would be a big bug that the younger girl had disturbed by messing with the soil, but soon she sighed in relief as odd rocks seemed to surface and melt to snake their way over to Dami.

“is that… metal?” Chungha asked as she squinted at the silver and copper pools that were snaking towards the girl leaving scorch marks as they snaked closer.

“looks like it, but that doesn’t make sense… to have a metal element, you need earth AND fire. That would mean Dami has THREE elements! I have only seen one fox with that, and he was a legend in his own right. Dami is really something else…” Sunmi said in awe as the two foxes looked at the metal that had fused together and filled the hole that was caused by Sunmi’s lightning earlier.

“yeah, the only ones I know of that have so many abilities are demons, and they were almost wiped out by the government now…” Sunmi said as she watched the younger girl with an impressed smile.

“did you mean to do that?” Sunmi asked, and Dami shook her head no.

“not at first. Once I realized that it was metal and came over to me, I decided to see if I could lead it somewhere and remembered the hole, so I tried to fill it.” The wolf said as she looked at them with a nervous expression.

“metal is a good ability to have. You can pull doors from walls and even stop guns or blades from hurting you or others. This will be very useful to us later when we have to finally confront that alpha.” Sunmi said as she smiled proudly at Dami, but the younger girl still looked slightly uncomfortable.

“what's wrong?” Sunmi asked as Dami looked at her with an expression that looked like a mix of hurt and shame.

“I did something weird again, didn’t I?...” Dami asked sadly, and Sunmi realized the problem. Dami knew that she was different, so was Gahyeon. But she felt TOO different. She felt too different from the others, and it made her feel like she didn’t fit in. She must have constantly felt different, and Sunmi could feel her heart breaking while looking at the younger girl.

“why would you think that?” Sunmi asked as Dami shook her head gloomily.

“because I always do something weird, or I AM the weird thing…” Dami said as she shook her head again.

“Is everything ok?” Siyeon shouted at Sunmi, and Dami looked pleadingly at her to keep her anxiety between the two of them, and the fox complied.

“yes, everything's fine!” Sunmi responded and noticed that Siyeon asked the question not for herself but for Gahyeon that was looking very anxious at her mate. Sunmi's words didn’t seem to comfort the younger girl, so she knew she must feel Dami’s emotions as her mate.

“it seems Gahyeon already knows something is up, I think you need to talk to her later…” Sunmi said, and the hybrid nodded and quietly went to walk back to the group when Chungha ran up to the girl and hugged her. The wolf almost fell over from the force of the pounce from the hug and looked at her in surprise.

“you did great. I just want you to know that. I understand how it feels to be the only one different. After my parents died, I was taken in by a human family that knew my parents before they passed away. The knew about what I am, but they didn’t know how to act around me when my powers would flare. I felt like a freak to them, and it hurt when I would look into their eyes and see fear. It affected me so much it even shows on my fox form…” Chungha said as she looked Dami in the eyes.

Dami didn’t know how to react. Chungha was relatively new to the group and to open up to Dami about something like that, something that was so personal, it made Dami realize that maybe she wasn’t the only one struggling with things.

After all, Yoohyeon found out her own family turned on her and got rid of every memory of her.

Siyeon’s own life was in danger just because she was chosen even though she didn’t want it.

Handong and Elkie had many hardships to get to where they are now and may still have issues from Elkie’s stepfather.

Sunmi suffered for years believing that she was the last of her kind and ended up isolating herself in Minji’s parents' house out of loneliness.

Gahyeon is a hybrid like Dami, and because of that, she was made an outcast at school and never knew why.

The death of Minji’s parents still affects her. That’s why she bought a helicopter and had the secret escape tunnel. She feared to lose another person close to her.

Bora was almost killed by her girlfriend that she was trying to use to get over Siyeon.

‘ _I guess we all have problems. I just am letting mine affect me too much… geez, now I'm embarrassed…_ ’ Dami thought to herself as she smiled at the small fox and nodded.

“Thanks, I guess I needed to hear that…” Dami said with a smile and snickered as she heard Gahyeon huff in annoyance. The hug was lasting WAY too long for Gahyeon’s tastes.

The two girls laughed, and Chungha released her and smiled. “if you ever have any problems feel free to talk to me. Oh, and if I'm asleep, just wake me up. I sleep enough, anyways…” Chungha said as she blushed in embarrassment, and Gahyeon huffed again.

_‘Dami, what did you do to make her blush?!’_ Gahyeon asked her mate mind to mind, and the wolf jumped at the amount of anger and hurt in her voice.

‘ _Nothing! She seems embarrassed about her narcolepsy. She seems to blush when she talks about it. Nothing bad is going on, I promise!’_ Dami said sweetly as she walked over to the pouting girl and snuggled her.

“you know I only have eyes for you!” Dami whispered to Gahyeon as she looked down into the smaller girl's eyes. Gahyeon melted at her stare, and she snuggled into Dami’s chest as she tucked her head into Dami’s neck. The smaller girl sighed in contentment as she breathed in Dami’s calming scent.

“ok, I forgive you…” Gahyeon said weakly with a hint of pouting in her voice, and Dami chuckled. The smaller girl felt the laughter rumble through Dami’s body, and it gave the younger girl cold chills. Maybe it was because they were talking about being in heat earlier. But Gahyeon was having a harder time controlling herself when they were with the others.

Luckily Sunmi interrupted Gahyeon’s thinking as she called someone else to try. Yoohyeon stepped forward nervously. “I will try… but just don’t get your hopes up ok?” Yoohyeon said nervously as she walked forward until she stopped in the center of the field. With a gulp, Yoohyeon closed her eyes and tried to think of different emotions to try to trigger something.

Yoohyeon shifted through her memories, trying to trigger something when she couldn’t call up the emotions she wanted. She first thought about things that made her angry, but that was a dead end. She felt absolutely nothing except an odd urge to hit someone.

Next, Yoohyeon tried to pull on sadness as she thought of the feelings she had when she found all of her belongings by the trash. _‘great! Now I want to cry!_ ’ Yoohyeon thought to herself and started taking deep breaths to calm herself down. It wasn’t working, so she decided to think of something that always cheered her up. Minji.

Yoohyeon smiled as she thought about her girlfriend and couldn’t help but feel her emotions welling up in her chest. She loves her so much that at times it's overwhelming. Sometimes it hurts.

Everyone watched as Yoohyeon struggled with trying to grasp her powers. Sunmi was ready to call a stop to it when Minji smiled sweetly. She could feel Yoohyeon’s emotions and couldn’t help but smile.

“wait!” Minji whispered just loud enough for them to hear but not distract Yoohyeon, and they watched as Yoohyeon’s clothes started to flutter around the tall girl. It started gently and just looked like a soft breeze was swirling around the tall girl. But soon, the air picked up speed as it spun around, picking things up along the way.

Without knowing it, Yoohyeon had created a mini-tornado around herself. Sunmi called out to Yoohyeon, and the wolf opened her eyes and was in shock. The breeze looked fierce, but it didn’t hurt her. It snatched at her sleeves as she stood there, but she looked up in amazement at what she had created.

“do you think you can project that forward?” Sunmi shouted to Yoohyeon, but the wolf shrugged. She didn’t know, but she was going to try. Just like last time, Chungha set out an ice barrier, and Yoohyeon focused on it. After a couple seconds of struggling, Yoohyeon felt the slight tug of the wind around her as it slowly moved away from her and towards the wall.

As the cyclone moved farther away from the girl, it weakened slightly, but when it hit the wall, everyone heard a creak and a groan before a loud snap echoed throughout the field. The ice barrier was snapped off by the ground, and it crumbled and created a tornado full of ice shards. The cyclone grew in strength, and everyone looked on in shock.

The cyclone now had dangerously sharp ice shards that were spinning around like knives, and when it encountered a tree stump, in seconds, all that was left was tree pulp. The devastation that the ice tornado created made everyone gulp, but they made sure to remember this combo just in case they will need it for later.

“um, how do we stop it?!” Gahyeon asked in a panicked tone that shocked Yoohyeon, and the taller girl looked over at the youngest, causing her to lose focus. The tornado shrunk by half and started to break apart to the pack's relief. Once it was gone completely, the pack walked over to see what was left of the wall and tree stump.

Siyeon whistled. She was impressed. The wind was able to rip the wall from the frozen ground and chew it up like it was nothing, and the stump was made into a fine pulp. The pack had thought early on that Chungha’s ice wall was going to be their best defense, but now Siyeon was wondering something and couldn’t help but ask.

“hey, yoo? Can you try that again? I want to see if that cyclone can protect you from objects.” Siyeon said as she looked at Yoohyeon, and the girl nodded.

“as long as your not using this as an excuse to try to kill me…” Yoohyeon teased as Siyeon rolled her eyes.

“I'm not going to try to shoot you! Chungha is!” Siyeon teased, and the fox snapped her head up at the mention of her name.

“I am?” Chungha asked as she pointed at herself. The alpha nodded as she looked smugly at Yoohyeon.

“but if I hit her, it can kill her!” Chungha said nervously, and Siyeon shook her head no.

“I don’t think so, I'm starting to think that our powers won't work on each other if we try to use it to harm one another. Bora and I can touch each other when our powers are active. I think it is because we are kind of sharing our powers with each other. We all get immunities…” Siyeon said, and suddenly she was picked up in a cyclone.

The alpha was laughing hysterically. “it tickles!” Siyeon got out through her laughter. The wind didn’t hurt her, but it was tickling her rather fiercely. “make it stop! I have to pee!” Siyeon shouted, and soon Yoohyeon found herself on the ground rolling in laughter. She couldn’t help it. Siyeon’s face was so cute when she pleaded with her. She could see why Bora liked to tickle the taller girl when her guard was down.

“NOT. FUNNY!” Siyeon shouted in a sulking voice as she ran towards the house to pee. Once she returned and Sunmi was done scolding Yoohyeon and telling her how dangerous that could have been, they started the experiment.

Yoohyeon had somewhat got the hang of it and was able to call the wind to her a lot more easily. Mainly because all she had to do to call it was think of Minji, and she does that a lot already.

After a couple of seconds, Yoohyeon gave Chungha the signal that she was ready, and the girl let loose some small ice shards at the girl. The cyclone grabbed at the ice crystals greedily and broke them apart, so now it looked like Yoohyeon was being surrounded in a sparkly mist.

“you know, that’s the gayest sight I've ever seen…” Bora said as she watched the sparkly mist reflect the sunlight into all the colors of the rainbow. The lights were reflecting all over the field and over Yoohyeon casting her in beautiful colors that were mesmerizing as they flickered over her face. It was becoming disorienting as they watched, and the group snickered at Bora’s comment as they watched the beautiful display.

Soon Chungha launched slightly bigger ice shards at the girl, but it had the same effect. There were ‘ooh’s’ and ‘aahs’ as they enjoyed the pretty light show, and Yoohyeon finally let the cyclone fall on accident. It was getting really cold in the center of it. It wasn’t unbearable, just uncomfortable, but what she didn’t know was that Chungha had let loose another ice shard, and it was hurtling towards the taller wolf.

No one knew how to react as they looked on in horror as the sharp projectile zipped towards Yoohyeon. They remembered what it did to the wolf out front of Minji’s house and were afraid for the wolf.

Yoohyeon looked up just in time to see it and, without thinking, grabbed it from the air with lightning speed. Everyone looked on in shock and horror. They remembered that Chungha’s ice grows on what it touches, and to their surprise, Yoohyeon just dropped the ice shard while shaking her hand.

“cold! Cold! FUCK! that’s cold!” Yoohyeon said as she rubbed her palm against her thigh to try to warm it up. Everyone ran over to her and checked her hand for damage, but to their shock, there was nothing. It just looked a little pink from her rubbing her hand to warm it but no damage.

“well, I guess shes right. We are immune. But Yoohyeon, were you always that fast?” Sunmi asked, and the wolf looked at her with a puzzled look.

“fast?” Yoohyeon asked as everyone nodded at the wolf.

“you grabbed that out of the air so fast I almost didn’t see it. Is that normal?” Sunmi asked, and the wolf shook her head no.

“well, I have never tried to do something so fast. I just looked up, and instinctively it just happened.” Yoohyeon said as she shrugged. She was starting to feel funny and had a headache. She rubbed her temples, and Minji put her arm on her shoulder.

“babe? Is everything alright?” Minji asked worriedly, and the wolf smiled through squinting from her headache.

“yeah, its nothing. I just have a headache coming on. Its making everything seem loud and making my head hurt… maybe I tried too hard or something…” Yoohyeon said as she rubbed her forehead and flopped on the ground. Minji ran inside to get something for her girlfriend as the others watched Yoohyeon carefully.

Panic spread throughout the group at Yoohyeon’s odd behavior, and luckily Siyeon picked up on it rather quickly. She watched Yoohyeon and smirked. “Hey, yoo? I think you need to go lay down. Oh, and I think someone ate your last chocolate bar earlier… but I'm not sure who…” the alpha said, and Yoohyeon’s head snapped up.

“what?! Who touched my candy bar?!” Yoohyeon asked as she started smelling around the members. They came up clean, so Yoohyeon went to go check the house. Yoohyeon just missed Minji, and the vampire walked back onto the field with drinks, food, and medicine for her girlfriend and noticed her absence.

“wheres Yoohyeon?” Minji asked as she tilted her head in confusion. She looked at everyone who looked just as confused as her. Except for Siyeon.

“oh nothing, I just told her that her chocolate bar went missing…” Siyeon trailed off, and Minji’s eyes went wide.

“you didn’t!” Minji said in horror, and Siyeon nodded with a smirk.

“KIM MINJI!!!” Yoohyeon shouted as she stomped back outside.

“shit!” Minji panicked as she dropped what she was carrying and looked around in a panic as she tried to find an escape route.

“I can smell my chocolate bar on you!” Yoohyeon shouted from the direction of the house, and Minji jumped nervously.

“Why are you so scared of Yoohyeon?” Gahyeon asked, and Minji responded quickly as she could feel her girlfriend getting closer.

“when she's like this, it is her alpha side that comes out! So… I uh, I gotta go!” Minji said hurriedly as she bolted just as Yoohyeon came into view.

“I already know it was you! I can smell the chocolate on you!” Yoohyeon shouted as she stomped over to the group. She looked at everyone and gave an apologetic smile as she started to strip. Minji looked over her shoulder to see Yoohyeon shift and was now chasing her at full speed.

“shit shit shit!” Minji shouted as she bolted away from the wolf that was chasing her. Siyeon and Gahyeon shook their heads, and Dami sighed.

“um, will they be ok?” Elkie asked as she and Chungha looked on in worry.

“oh, don’t worry, it will just end up with them having sex. It always does…” Handong said as she rolled her eyes at the memories that surfaced.

The group decided to have a small break while they waited for the two dorks to come back. After several minutes Minji finally made an appearance from the other side of the field. The vampire's tail and ears were out and twitching.

“have you seen Yoohyeon?” Minji asked as her ears flicked back and forth, trying to listen for her mate, and the group shook their heads.

“Not since she went chasing after you…” Dami said, and Minji nodded and sighed in relief.

“you know, usually, you’re the dominant one, but right now, you look like a bottom running from her top.” Siyeon teased as Minji stuck out her tongue at the girl.

“when Yoohyeon is like this, she's extremely hot. But at the same time, she can get a little rough. It's safer to run a little bit until she’s not so, so dominant…” Minji said, and Siyeon scoffed.

“Nice try, I know Yoohyeon. She can be dominant, but she's not rough unless her partner tells her to be.” Siyeon said and regretted it immediately.

Bora and Minji looked at her with suspicious eyes. “and how do you know that?” Bora asked as she looked at her girlfriend, skeptically.

“let's just say that Yoohyeon shares too much sometimes…” Siyeon said, and Minji blushed furiously.

“If I weren’t running from her right now, I would kick her ass!” Minji shouted and then jumped at the sound of Yoohyeon’s voice.

“Kim Minji!” Yoohyeon shouted from the woods behind Minji, and the vampire's eyes shot wide as she bolted.

“shit shit shit!” the vampire yelled as she hauled ass again. The group rolled their eyes as they watched Yoohyeon stroll out of the forest calmly with a smirk on her face.

“Why do you look so amused?” Gahyeon asked as Yoohyeon’s smirk got bigger. Handong and Dami rolled their eyes and snorted, knowing the answer.

“she likes how Minji runs from her. She finds it cute…” Dami said as Yoohyeon grinned.

“that’s not the only reason…” Yoohyeon said with a smirk. “she always feels bad for running from me and gives GREAT makeup sex afterward!” Yoohyeon said victoriously as Siyeon shook her head at her friend.

“the tides might turn on you tonight, though…” Handong teased as Siyeon looked away with a very guilty expression.

“What did you do…” Yoohyeon asked as she gave Siyeon a skeptical look.

“um, I MAY have accidentally told Minji you talk to me about your sex life…” Siyeon said, and Yoohyeon groaned.

“you're trying to kill me, aren't you?” Yoohyeon said as she pouted. “I already get in enough trouble with my OWN mouth, why do you have to add to it!” Yoohyeon whined as she sulked.

“well technically, it was YOUR mouth, to begin with. If you hadn’t told Siyeon to begin with, she wouldn’t have been able to slip about it…” Handong stated, and Yoohyeon only pouted more.

“go ahead, rub it in…” the wolf sulked as everyone laughed.

“I always do…” Handong said with a smirk, and Elkie looked at her mate with an interesting smile. Elkie liked how confident and sarcastic her mate had become. Handong used to be always so sweet that others would always take advantage of her as children, but now she looked so strong and confident.

“well, let's get some lunch and then continue,” Sunmi said, and Elkie snapped out of her thoughts. “I'm sure Minji will return quickly when we announce lunchtime,” Sunmi said, and everyone let loose, happy smiles at the mention of Sunmi’s cooking. Including Chungha and Elkie. They had learned at breakfast that the fox was an excellent cook and couldn’t wait to see what they were going to eat for lunch.

Just as Sunmi had predicted, when she searched for Minji’s mind and found her, she told her quickly about lunch, and the vampire appeared and acted like nothing was wrong as she flopped into her seat. Everyone looked at her with an amused look as they watched her act like nothing had happened earlier.

“oh, babe? How's your headache?” Minji asked, and Siyeon smiled.

“I still have it, and everything seems really loud, but hopefully, I just need to eat. Maybe its because I used so much energy with the tornado earlier…” Yoohyeon thought to herself as she had a mouth full of food.

“oh, Yoohyeon? Can you go down into the basement? I hid a special candy bar for myself for later, but because Minji ate yours, you can have it, you just have to find it. IF you can…” Siyeon said challengingly, and the younger wolf smirked.

“oh, it's on, and that candy bar is mine!” the wolf said as she went down the stairs to search for the hidden candy bar.

“Why did you send her there? The light is broken, and its pitch black and like a maze. We will just have to go down there and rescue her. She cant see in the dark like us, at least not yet.” Sunmi said but started to feel suspicious of Siyeon’s growing smile.

“oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that…” Siyeon said as Yoohyeon stomped confidently into the room, holding a half-eaten candy bar.

“I win!” Yoohyeon said as she sat back in her chair smugly and wondered why everyone was staring at her with an odd expression.

“what?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked from face to face.

“wasn’t it dark down there?” Bora asked, and Yoohyeon shook her head no.

“no, it was fine. why?” Yoohyeon asked, and Siyeon smirked again. Everyone was starting to understand what their alpha knew.

“yoo, did you turn on the light switch?” Siyeon asked, and the younger wolf rolled her eyes.

“of course, I did how else would I be able to… see… wait…” Yoohyeon looked up in confusion. She didn’t remember turning on the light or having to turn it off. She just walked down there and followed her nose to the candy bar and came back upstairs.

“wait, am I?” Yoohyeon asked, and Siyeon nodded. “holy shit! What triggered it?” Yoohyeon asked, and everyone looked around in thought.

“here is my question/answer. Did the ice shard force Yoohyeon into her final transformation, or was she able to grab the shard because she was already starting it?” Dami asked, and the group wasn’t sure of the answer.

“I think that the shard started it…” Siyeon said as she looked around. “yoo didn’t show any signs until after that.” Siyeon said, but Gahyeon had another thought.

“what if the using of our abilities triggered it? After all, it was strong powers, and in the end, it was used on Yoohyeon. It could be that being around Sunmi and Chungha could have triggered the beginning and allowed her to react so fast when it was turned on her like a safety mechanism, or it could have been Siyeon Bora and Dami pulling their abilities forward. After all, wolves don’t usually encounter these kinds of things.” Gahyeon said, and the group nodded and argued back and forth while they ate.

Once everyone was finished with their food, they started their cleaning routine and started walking outside to finish their training for the day. The second half was Siyeon’s. They had to practice new pack formations with the new members and had them training in Dami’s illusions until everyone could react without thinking.

Luckily it didn’t take long, and within a couple hours, they were finished and still had half of the afternoon left to train.

While they took a break to drink some water, the group talked to each other.

“Elkie? Do you mind if I ask you about your eyes?” Gahyeon asked, and Elkie smiled while nodding softly. “I just haven’t seen a wolf with eyes your color before. Not like I can say much though, I know green is rare as well.” Gahyeon joked, and Elkie nodded.

“sure, but there's nothing much to tell. It's from my father's side. My real father that was killed. I don’t know much about him or his side of the family because my stepfather forbids us to talk about him. I don’t even remember his name…” Elkie said softly, and Gahyeon hugged her gently to comfort her.

“I don’t know much about my real mother or father either. I just know that my mother left him because her family didn’t like her being with a wolf and not another vampire. After that, he didn’t handle it well and killed himself. I only have old pictures that Siyeon’s father kept for me.” Gahyeon said, and Elkie listened intently. It was like her story but completely different at the same time. Elkie’s father loved her and her mother but was murdered. Gahyeon's mother left her and her father, and it ended up pushing him over the edge. But Gahyeon didn’t look sad. There must be more to the story, and Elkie listened to the younger girl intently.

“Siyeon’s father is the brother of my real father, but he is more like my father than anything else. He never let me feel left out, and Siyeon’s mom is so sweet, she automatically took me in without question and never once treated me like I was anything else but her real daughter. Even though I'm a hybrid. And Siyeon felt protective of me the first time she saw me and has been protecting me all this time.” Gahyeon said as she smiled. She missed Siyeon’s parents. HER parents. But it wasn’t safe to visit them yet. Not until Siyeon was finished with her transformation.

“its good to hear a happier ending compared to mine,” Elkie said with a smile, and Handong held her mate while smiling.

“you know that we all are your family now, right?” Handong said, and Gahyeon nodded in agreement. As Elkie looked around, she noticed everyone else nodded in agreement as well. It has been so long since Elkie felt loved or protected, and she couldn’t help but tear up at the kind people that were now her family.

Once their break was over, Sunmi decided to try to see what the others could do. Siyeon, Bora, Dami, and Yoohyeon had all tried to use their new powers, but it was time for the others to try, and both Sunmi and Chungha were excited to see what abilities the others would show.

Ok, we all can run the drills blindfolded now, so let's see what the others can do. Who wants to try to use their powers next?” Sunmi asked, and Elkie stepped forward nervously.

“um, I will try. If that’s ok…” Elkie said nervously, and Sunmi nodded with a kind smile. She really hoped that the effect her stepfather had on Elkie would fade soon. Sunmi suspected that when she lets that go, she would be a very confident wolf. The only reason she was so quiet and shy was because of the way her stepfather controlled her. ‘ _let's see if we can help correct this…_ ’ Sunmi thought to herself as she watched the wolf.

“Elkie? Do you want to try it in your wolf form? I know most wolves feel more comfortable in them. Elkie liked that idea and complied after carefully taking off the clothes she was wearing.

Once she stood there in her wolf form, she took a deep breath and started going through her emotions. Chungha had set up an ice wall near the wolf, and as Elkie went through her memories, she found herself diving into a traumatic one on accident.

It was in an alley, and she was running from the wolves chasing her. As she quickly turned a corner, she found herself slammed into a wall with a hand around her throat and shortly was pinned under a wolf on the ground.

Panic flooded her as she looked up at the smirking wolf, and terror coursed through her body. Just when his hands went to wander over her body was when Chungha had freed her, but in the moment of Elkie’s memory, she panicked when his hand went to touch her.

Panic flooded through her wolf form, and suddenly a huge pressure wave shot from Elkie slamming into the ice wall and blowing it to pieces.

“well, that isn’t really an element. I guess our powers can bring out odd abilities that aren’t just element based, huh?” Chungha asked, and Sunmi just nodded in surprise.

Handong was walking up to the two foxes and whispered to them.

“her panic of when all the wolves tried to attack her is what brought out this power. She just remembered being pinned by a wolf sent by her father. I think that was her way of making distance. Could we be immune to this too?” Handong asked, and there was only one way to find out.

“I will test it to see.” Sunmi said, and Chungha looked at her with a panicked expression. “relax, I'm more durable than I look. Plus, if I get hurt, you can just heal me. Right?” Sunmi asked, and Chungha nodded, but it didn’t make her feel any better about this idea.

Sunmi walked in front of Elkie and asked her to try that again, but this time she would be the target. Elkie wasn’t fond of the idea, but after several minutes she was talked into it.

Elkie closed her eyes, and panic rose again. Quickly a blast forced Sunmi back several feet away. It didn’t hurt Sunmi, she was just forced backward, and soon she wondered if Elkie could choose who she could force away from her.

“Handong? Can you help me with something?” Sunmi asked, and the vampire nodded and walked over.

“what do you have in mind?” Handong asked, and the fox smirked.

“I want to see if she can choose who gets forced back and who doesn’t. Care to help me test this out?” Sunmi asked, and Handong nodded.

Sunmi explained the test to Elkie, and nervously she decided to try. Handong was to be untouched, and Sunmi was supposed to be the one forced backward.

Elkie hasn’t noticed it yet, but every time she tried this, her ability was getting stronger, and when she let it go this time, Sunmi was knocked back about twenty feet away while Handong was only moved back a step.

After a couple of minutes, she was able to do exactly what Sunmi had hoped. This was an interesting ability. If they were getting overwhelmed, Elkie could create space and allow her pack a quick breather in a tight situation. Sunmi also hoped that her ability to force anyone away from her that got too close would help bring up the wolf's confidence, but only time will tell.

After Elkie, Handong had decided to try and see what she could do. Handong calmly went through her emotions like everyone before her, but it wasn’t until she thought of her loneliness without Elkie as she watched everyone around her with their mates that Handong’s ability seemed to show itself.

Soon the air felt humid and wet as Handong remembered her loneliness. Water was pooling at Handong’s feet as she remembered, and without warning, it started to rain, and more water seeped up from the ground.

“is her ability, weather, water, or both?” Chungha asked, and Sunmi wasn’t sure of the answer.

“I don’t know. Her emotions seemed to bring the rain, but rain is also water, so I'm not sure.” As soon as that left her lips, lightning crashed down a foot from Handong, and the vampire didn’t even flinch. Handong was thinking about what would have happened if Elkie’s stepfather had successfully broken their bond, and Handong felt angry and hurt at the same time just thinking about it. The lightning storm seemed to come from her anger. 

Soon Handong imagined her life without Elkie. She knew that if her stepfather had succeeded, Elkie would probably take her life than being trapped there with him the rest of her life and the thought of Handong being alive while Elkie wasn’t brought on crushing sadness and heartbreak. Soon the rain turned to hail, and winds picked up. The hail was beating the trees, and they could hear branches snap as Handong tried to control her emotions. She wasn’t having much success, and luckily the hail didn’t really hurt the pack, but it was doing a number on the clearing around them.

Elkie knew that Handong was too lost in her emotions to break off the storm without her stepping in and so the wolf approached hesitantly. She wasn’t a fan of lightning. Once she was in front of Handong, Elkie tried calling the vampire's name, but Handong was too lost in her thoughts to hear her.

Elkie wasn’t sure of what to do and decided to do something risky. Quickly Elkie leaned in and wrapped her arms around Handong’s neck and kissed the vampire deeply. The shock of the act made Handong’s eyes snap open to see Elkie kissing her. Within seconds Handong melted int the kiss, and the storm started dissipating.

Once Elkie was sure that Handong had control of her emotions, Elkie shyly pulled back from the vampire. She was embarrassed at acting so boldly in front of the pack, but as she pulled back, she was staring at a very happy Handong. The vampire's smile was wide and genuine as she looked lovingly at Elkie.

Handong hugged her close to try to chase the last feelings of loneliness away, and the wolf snuggled her head into Handong’s neck. The two stood there for a minute before Elkie pulled back a second time.

“you ok?” Elkie asked softly, and Handong smiled and nodded.

“I am now,” Handong said as she leaned against Elkie weakly. Triggering, her powers had left Handong exhausted. Her emotions ran wild and seemed to pull too much energy from the vampire. Elkie carefully picked up Handong and held her gently in her arms as she walked back to the group.

When Siyeon saw Handong fall against Elkie, she knew that something was wrong, and when Elkie picked the vampire up, it only confirmed it.

Siyeon went over to check on Handong right away, and so did Chungha and Sunmi.

“Is she alright?” Siyeon asked as she watched Handong’s eyelids fluttering due to extreme exhaustion. Sunmi had her hands over Handong, and the soft glow of her powers was flowing over the vampire, and Sunmi nodded.

“shes ok. Her emotions just took over and used too much energy at once. Shes just exhausted but completely fine. Keeping close contact with Elkie is also seeming to help. Without knowing it, it seems like Elkie is lending some of her energy to her mate.” Sunmi said as Elkie looked at Sunmi in shock.

“I am?” Elkie asked, and both Sunmi and Chungha nodded.

“it seems to be automatic. Your lending it without thinking to protect your mate. It's not in a dangerous way, so it must be a natural wolf ability. And because you are chosen just like Siyeon, you have much more energy than normal. Handong should be completely fine in a couple of minutes.” Sunmi said, and Elkie sighed in relief as she looked at Handong resting in her arms.

Handong looked so cute as she slept in her arms. Her hand was gently holding Elkie’s shirt, and it looked like she was afraid to let go of it in her sleep. She looked so weak and defenseless like this that it triggered Elkie’s protectiveness as she snuggled the vampire closer to her.

Elkie was really glad that she put her clothes back on. With her still in heat, having Handong pressed against her naked body may have been too much for the wolf to take.

Everyone decided to call it a day after Handong, and everyone went inside and washed up to get ready for dinner. After they stuffed themselves, including Handong, Sunmi banished everyone to bed so that they were ready to train in the morning.

All through dinner, something had been on Elkie’s mind, and everyone noticed that something was off with their new member, but they were afraid to ask her and upset her. But what was on Elkie’s mind was not what anyone expected.

What Elkie didn’t know was that by Handong triggering her protectiveness earlier, it caused a change in the wolf. Suddenly Elkie didn’t want to be mentally chained by what her stepfather had done to her. Once training was done that night and Handong was in bed per Sunmi’s orders, Elkie stopped Chungha and asked her for some help.


	29. Chapter 29

-Everyone needs a change sometimes-

Handong woke up early in the morning and rolled over to look at her mate sleeping soundly, but when she rolled over, Elkie wasn’t there. Handong didn’t want to admit it, but panic quickly rose up in her chest as she looked around the room in confusion. She still had anxiety about Elkie being taken away from her or just disappearing like a dream.

A few seconds later, Elkie walked out of the bathroom in a loose white tee and very low-cut black pajama pants while towel-drying her hair. The wolf hadn’t noticed that Handong was awake yet as she quietly walked around the room, trying not to disturb her mate. Once she sat at the old looking vanity in the room, Elkie removed the towel from her head and started to brush her new platinum blonde hair.

Handong gasped at the sudden change in Elkie’s hair color, and Elkie jumped in surprise. She still didn’t notice that Handong was awake yet.

“you dyed your hair?” Handong asked as she got out of bed and walked behind Elkie to run her fingers through Elkie’s slightly damp hair. Handong was amazed at how beautiful the color looked on Elkie and was completely speechless.

“do you like it?” Elkie asked hesitantly as she looked in the mirror to look into Handong’s eyes. She was worried that Handong would hate it after all they hadn’t seen each other in years until recently. The vampire could only nod completely breathless.

“I know it’s kind of a shock… it doesn’t look ridiculous, does it?” Elkie asked, and Handong shook her head as she turned Elkie around and sat in her lap. Handong draped her arms around Elkie’s neck and pulled her in close for a kiss.

“you're absolutely breathtaking.” Handong managed to say breathlessly after a long and passionate kiss. “what made you decide to dye your hair?” Handong asked, slightly curious, and Elkie looked like she was trying to find the right words before speaking.

“well, I felt like a change, and I was hoping it would help me get over what happened with my stepfather. A new me for a new start kind of thing…” Elkie said, and Handong nodded in understanding.

“I also don’t like being so afraid and hesitant all the time. It makes me feel weak. And I know that he purposely made me feel that way as a method to control me. And I want that power he has over me to end. Yesterday when I was holding you in my arms. I wanted to protect you no matter what, but I knew that for that to happen, I would have to get over everything. Otherwise, I may be a weakness to everyone. I don’t like feeling like a coward.” Elkie said, and Handong nodded as she hugged Elkie closer to her.

“you're far from a coward. Anyone else probably would have given up in your situation, but you didn’t. you kept going until you and Chungha arrived here.” Handong said, and Elkie’s expression darkened.

“you don’t know how many times I almost DID give up. Everything felt hopeless sometimes, and my mind got the better of me. If they had succeeded, I wouldn’t have been able to live without you. I had planned everything just in case I was captured…” Elkie said, and it confirmed Handong’s worst nightmare. If Elkie’s stepfather had succeeded, Elkie would have taken her own life just to escape him forever.

Handong’s eyes swelled with tears, and she hugged Elkie close. “I know you have gone through a lot. I'm just so glad you are here and safe.” Handong said as she clung to Elkie. Just like last night, the sight of Handong looking so upset and helpless set a fire in Elkie, triggering her overprotectiveness, and the wolf was now completely sure about her decision to change.

As the two walked down to breakfast, they heard a lot of gasps as everyone noticed Elkie’s new look. The only ones that weren't surprised were Chungha and Sunmi, who went for a late-night hair dye run for the wolf and helped her with the new look.

“wow…” Siyeon said as she looked at Elkie with wide eyes. Siyeon’s mouth was open, and Bora closed it for her while giving the wolf a very dirty look for gawking at another woman so openly.

“did you just check out another girl right in front of me?” Bora asked with a brow raised, and Siyeon looked at Bora with innocent eyes.

“no! of course not! I was just stunned at the new look. Aren’t you?” Siyeon asked as Bora pouted. The wolf hugged her mate fiercely to show how she felt, but the vampire was still sulking, leading to Siyeon being very clingy for several minutes until Bora was satisfied.

During that time, everyone sat around the table and enjoyed breakfast and talked about their plans for training after their meal. It was decided that Siyeon was going to try to use her lightning ability that they had seen during their confrontation with Jackson. And after that, it was Gahyeon’s turn to try.

Minji had decided to go last because she was the least comfortable with her abilities. She hadn't felt anything like the others had, and it made her nervous that she was the only one too weak to develop an ability.

Breakfast was over, and like normal, the group walked outside to practice, but everyone forgot that Handong’s ability taking over her yesterday had seriously damaged the field and surrounding forest. The trees had broken limbs, and debris was scattered all over from the hail and wind that devastated them.

Gahyeon looked at the damage with a sad expression. _‘the trees were so beautiful and old…’_ Gahyeon thought to herself as she looked at the damage but decided to focus on Siyeon. She was about to try to call on her lightning, and everyone was watching quietly.

Siyeon was standing in the middle of the now damaged field while taking deep breaths as she tried to remember the confidence that she had felt in front of Jackson. After a minute or two, she finally was able to grasp onto that emotion. Within seconds vivid blue electricity was shifting all over her body.

“can you try to gather the electricity like you did with the fire?” Sunmi asked as she watched Siyeon, but the wolf shook her head.

“I have been trying. It just travels over my body, but I can't control it.” Siyeon said, and Sunmi thought to herself for a couple of seconds.

“You need motivation. Something to trigger you to WANT to force it away from you… Dami, can you come here for a moment?” Sunmi asked, and the girl walked over to her as Sunmi whispered something into her ear.

Dami pulled back, shocked at whatever Sunmi said, and it was making Siyeon nervous. Whatever they were plotting, though, Dami finally agreed, and Sunmi smiled as she looked at Siyeon.

“are you ready?” Sunmi asked as Siyeon looked at her in confusion.

“ready for what?” Siyeon got out before everything went black around her. As she looked around, she spotted Bora, but she was tied up and gagged.

Siyeon’s pulse started to race, and she went to run over to Bora, but her legs couldn’t move. She was trapped, and soon, she heard footsteps from behind Bora. The smaller girl's eyes looked terrified and pleading for Siyeon to help her, but she was helpless to do anything as Jackson walked up while laughing twistedly.

Siyeon knew that this was all in her mind, that Dami was just trying to help her trigger her lightning ability, but she couldn’t help but panic as he leaned down closer to Bora and ran his fingers slowly through her hair. A soft whimper came from Bora as he laughed at her fear, and Siyeon’s blood started to boil.

Siyeon knew that the key to the lightning was her confidence to start it, but once it was there, any emotion would strengthen it. The beautiful blue lightning had been dancing across Siyeon’s body since before Dami’s illusion had started, and Siyeon’s rage made it grow brighter as it snaked over her faster.

Jackson went to touch Bora, and Siyeon had finally had enough. Rage erupted from her, and her eyes blazed the brightest green anyone has ever seen. Suddenly Siyeon could move her arms only, but it was all she needed.

With a roar, Siyeon swung her arms forward and a roar was heard as she launched the lightning from her body with such ferocity that it shot right through Chungha’s ice wall and went several hundred feet as it gouged a deep path in the earth.

Siyeon was finally released from the illusion as she panted and swayed from side to side. Her energy exhausted her knees started to give out, but Bora was right there to catch her. The wolf's eyes were closed, and she snuggled into Bora’s neck and breathed in slowly, letting Bora’s scent enter her nose and lungs to calm her still racing heart, and finally, she relaxed now that she was in Bora’s arms.

“Dami… that was a little intense, don’t you think?” Bora asked, and the younger girl looked at her apologetically. “you seriously upset her…” Bora said as she stroked the exhausted girl's head.

“don’t be mad at Dami. I knew it was an illusion, I just snapped at the idea of him touching you…” Siyeon said as she let out a low and possessive growl. Bora looked down into Siyeon’s now open eyes to see them still blazing a vivid green, and Bora couldn’t help but be hypnotized by how beautiful her eyes were.

Bora has been feeling like she may be starting to go into heat the last couple days, and the way Siyeon was looking at her right now was driving the smaller girl insane. Without knowing it, Bora bit her lip as she glanced quickly to her lips and then back to her eyes.

Siyeon didn’t miss the quick glance, and suddenly, her senses picked up. Siyeon took a slow and deep breath as she smelled the air and her pupils dilated. The others didn’t seem to notice the change in Bora’s scent, but as her mate, Siyeon could smell the difference right away.

They were right in thinking that the vampires would go through heat cycles like wolves, and the signs were starting to show that Bora was going to start hers soon.

Sunmi couldn’t smell the difference, but she could see the difference in Siyeon and knew right away what was going on. _‘interesting…’_ Sunmi said to Chungha, and the smaller girl looked up at her with a confused look.

_‘Bora is going to start her heat cycle soon, look at how Siyeon is reacting…’_ Sunmi said, and Chungha glanced over at the couple. Siyeon was staring up at Bora with a stunned expression that quickly changed to a very possessive expression.

_‘This could get dangerous, right? Siyeon is an alpha that hasn’t even come into her powers yet. Should they be separated from the rest of us?’_ Chungha asked, and Sunmi shook her head no.

_‘Siyeon will be very possessive, yes. But imagine how she would feel after that we isolated them without giving her the chance to prove if she can handle it or not.’_ Sunmi said, and Chungha understood where she was coming from.

Unlike most packs from different areas, Siyeon tried to treat her members fairly and equally. If they separated themselves without giving her a chance, Siyeon would feel very hurt that they couldn’t feel like they could trust her.

_‘we will just warn everyone to keep a short distance from them so that Siyeon won't feel uncomfortable or threatened. no touching Bora at all until this is over.’_ Sunmi said, and Chungha agreed.

“Bora? Can you take Siyeon inside? I think we pushed her too hard and she needs to rest. Don’t let her come back out here until she has rested…” Sunmi said, and Bora nodded while smiling. The tension was getting to her, and Siyeon was showing her that she would help out with that inside.

Once the couple wandered inside, Sunmi turned to look at Gahyeon, who was frowning as she looked around the clearing and the surrounding trees.

“Gahyeon? What's wrong?” Sunmi asked, and Gahyeon jumped at the sudden question directed at her. Dami looked down at her mate, who was now flushing slightly.

“it's just that… the field and trees were so beautiful… now look at them…” Gahyeon said with sadness, and Sunmi smiled.

“are you ready to try now?” Chungha asked the youngest, and Gahyeon gulped as she nodded and stepped forward after Dami hugged her encouragingly.

Gahyeon was now standing in the middle of the field, with her eyes closed as she shifted through her emotions. Rage, sadness, and happiness didn’t seem to trigger anything, so she decided to try to go through strong memories. As she shifted through important memories, one stood out.

Gahyeon was arguing with Dami outside when suddenly Dami lunged at her ordering her to duck as she fought to protect her. In an instant, they went from an argument to Dami, almost sacrificing herself to protect her.

Gahyeon still remembered how blood poured down Dami’s neck from several deep bite marks. The scars still haven’t faded on them yet, and it hurt Gahyeon to remember looking over to see Dami staggering while looking like she was on the verge of collapsing.

It hurt Gahyeon to see Dami in pain, and she would do anything to protect her from harm again.

Without realizing it, plants started to grow from around Gahyeon’s feet, and they twined up her legs until knee height, almost like they were trying to hug her because she was upset.

The group watched as greenery started to flourish around the girl and radiate outward. Her range was amazing as it finally reached the old trees encircling the clearing.

Yoohyeon gasped in amazement as the broken limbs slowly grew back, and the leaves turned a more vivid green than before. Gahyeon’s kindness and want to protect Dami had pulled out her ability, and everyone found it beautiful. But could it be used in their defense? They will soon find out.

Gahyeon slowly opened her eyes and gasped at the beautiful field in front of her. Soon she looked down to see the plants that twined around her legs trying to comfort her. Gahyeon giggled as she leaned down and gently reached for them. The plants untwined from her and stretched to meet her hands, and Gahyeon looked up in amazement.

“it's like I can feel what they are thinking! I never expected plants to seem so, so human!” Gahyeon said, and Sunmi smiled.

“most of the time, plants don’t interact due to trying to conserve energy to survive, but they were desperate to comfort you,” Sunmi said, and Gahyeon looked down tenderly as she greeted every plant gently by stroking leaves or petals that reached for her.

“This is all beautiful and all, but can she use it to fight?” Yoohyeon asked, truly curious.

“Gahyeon, do you feel the plants now?” Sunmi asked, and the smaller girl nodded.

“I can feel them even their roots underground. It's amazing how many plants are alive and only roots as they wait for their time to grow again…” Gahyeon said, and Sunmi nodded.

“do you feel any thorny plants?” Sunmi asked, and Gahyeon closed her eyes and felt around her. Soon she found what they were looking for and nodded. “where?” Sunmi asked, and Gahyeon showed her the location mentally. Sunmi, in turn, shared it with Chungha, who set up an ice pillar.

“try to get the plant to grow rapidly. With your powers helping it, you should get surprising results.” Sunmi said, and Gahyeon looked at her for a second before asking a question.

“what if it doesn’t WANT to grow?” Gahyeon asked, and Sunmi had to think about it for a second.

“I remember other foxes with your ability say that most plants WANT to grow, and it's very rare to find one that doesn’t want to. But you can always ask it after all.” Sunmi said as the others looked at her strangely.

“ask the plants?” Yoohyeon asked, and Sunmi nodded.

“They are alive and have feelings. They feel pain like anyone else, but because they can't cry out in pain, most people think that its ok to eat them. You know about lima beans, right?” Sunmi asked, and everyone shook their heads no.

“lima beans produce nectar that ants love, and whenever the plants feel threatened, they produce the nectar to feed the ants, and in return, the ants protect the plants from predators,” Sunmi said, and everyone including Gahyeon looked at her in shock.

“they, they can FEEL when there is danger approaching?” Yoohyeon asked, and Sunmi nodded.

“There are also plants that close their leaves when you touch them. Also, there are venus fly traps, of course. All of them show you that they can feel and are alive, but most people seem to forget that. Or choose to ignore it. Its why I always find it funny how people who don’t eat meat say that meat-eaters are murders, but it's ok to eat plants.” Sunmi said as she paused briefly.

“plants are even more defenseless, and because they can't cry out in pain like an animal can, they think it makes them different than us meat-eaters. To me, there is no difference. We all eat something that was once alive, meaning that we kill it to eat it and use it for fuel. Plant or animal, it isn’t a difference to me. But maybe that’s because I was influenced by a lot of foxes that were nature-based.” Sunmi said as she shrugged.

“I feel bad for eating my vegetables now…” Yoohyeon said, and Minji rolled her eyes.

“yet you can eat five chickens by yourself and feel completely fine?” Minji asked, and Yoohyeon nodded.

“When I visited my grandmother, they chased me around and pecked at me! I feel no remorse for the chickens!” Yoohyeon declared loudly, and Minji could only shake her head at her girlfriend and look at Gahyeon.

“so, does it want to grow?” Minji asked, and Gahyeon’s eyes went wide at remembering what they were initially talking about.

“oh! Let me ask!” Gahyeon said as she closed her eyes and felt for the plant again. Once her powers touched it, she could tell it was excited at the idea of growing above ground again. It was very old and excited to feel the sun again.

Gahyeon smiled and let some of her power flood into the plant to serve as fuel to help it grow. In seconds they heard crunching as gigantic thorny vines launched up from the ground and searched for weaknesses in the ice. Within seconds the ice pillar was gone, and the plant was unharmed by the intense cold due to Gahyeon’s powers that fed it, leaving it immune to the ice.

“I have never seen such a beautiful and deadly looking plant before…” Gahyeon said breathlessly as she looked up at the deadly and beautiful red plant. It was a blood-red with gigantic blade-like thorns that went from bright red to almost black at the tips.

Gahyeon walked over to the plant and gently touched it carefully to avoid its bright red thorns. It was proud of her compliments and started to produce seed pods, telling her that it was its gift to her.

“That plant was said to be extinct hundreds of years ago, Gahyeon. You just singlehandedly brought back a plant from extinction.” Sunmi said as she looked at Gahyeon with pride.

“It is also known to have insane healing and numbing abilities depending on how you prepare it,” Sunmi said, and she started to realize a trend with Gahyeon’s powers and what she was drawn to.

Gently Gahyeon pricked her finger on one of the beautiful red thorns, and instead of pain, her finger went numb for a couple of minutes. Gahyeon smiled as she looked at the plant that was enjoying the sun for the first time in hundreds of years.

_‘Does she have healing abilities?’_ Sunmi asked Chungha, who glanced at her with an expression that told the older girl that she was wondering the same exact thing.

The two foxes made a quick plan together and with a soft yelp from Sunmi. The two walked over to Gahyeon to test her ability.

“Gahyeon, I believe your ability will also allow you to heal others. This means you can also heal your packmates…” Sunmi said, and Gahyeon’s eyes widened at the thought. She could help Dami and the others if they got hurt? The idea was exciting, and Gahyeon looked at her and asked the fox how.

Sunmi showed a deep gash on her arm that was bleeding profusely, and Gahyeon’s eyes went wide in panic.

“but I don’t know how to heal yet!” Gahyeon said as she looked up while panicking.

“relax. If you can't do it yet, Chungha can heal me right away, so no pressure!” Sunmi said as she smiled softly at Gahyeon. The younger girl relaxed slightly and tried to think of how to do this.

“how do I start?” Gahyeon asked, and Sunmi smiled at how scared the girl sounded.

“relax and think back on what fueled your powers to come to the surface and then direct your powers to my arm,” Sunmi said softly, and Gahyeon nodded with her eyes closed and Sunmi could feel a tingling feeling wash over her arm.

It reminded her of the tingling feeling you would get from a mint plant, and she smiled as she felt that the wound closed and healed neatly, leaving only a hint of a scar that would fade in a week or two, maybe sooner.

Gahyeon opened her eyes and was shocked that it worked. A wide grin spread across her face as she looked up to a very proud looking Sunmi. Gahyeon gave her a giant hug in excitement before looking to Dami, whose eyes shined with pride at her mate.

  
“well… Gahyeon, if I were you, I would take the seed pods that the plant gifted you and keep them on you. They may save you down the line… oh! I know! We will get you a necklace to keep some of the seeds with you. That way, you will always have them by you.” Sunmi said, and Gahyeon looked excited at the idea, and so did the plant as it swayed without a breeze.

Once Gahyeon had carefully retrieved the gift seed pods from the beautiful plant, she went to carefully put them inside, and Minji gulped, knowing it was now her turn.

Yoohyeon gave her an encouraging hug before Minji stepped into the field as Siyeon and Bora strolled back to training, looking very satisfied.

The two walked over to Sunmi to ask about Gahyeon’s abilities as they looked at how the field had changed.

Minji was standing in the field nervously. She had tried several times to summon her powers, but nothing has worked so far. She was feeling useless when her phone went off in her pocket.

Minji usually left her phone inside during training, but the person that she had asked to look into Dami’s family had told her that he had found something and to keep her phone by her. Minji looked up, and Sunmi nodded, letting her take the call.

Minji walked back with a stunned expression as she looked at Siyeon. The alpha tensed, knowing that something was up and walked over.

“what's wrong?” Siyeon asked, and Minji couldn’t find words to explain it. The vampire would open her mouth, but the words just couldn’t come out.

“show me,” Siyeon said, and Minji shared her memory of the conversation. Siyeon was completely stunned as she looked at Dami, and then Yoohyeon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I'm not trying to target any vegans or vegetarians in this chapter. It's purely a way to make the readers feel closer to Gahyeon’s powers and her plants, so no angry messages please!


	30. Chapter 30

-The True Past-

“I, I don’t know what to think…” Siyeon said as many emotions swirled around in her head. It was just unbelievable. It couldn’t be possible. But everything with Yoohyeon’s parents' behaviors matched so perfectly, and it explained Dami’s strange abilities.

Siyeon shook her head as she looked between the two _. ‘do we tell them?’_ Siyeon asked, and Minji didn’t know how to answer that.

_‘you know that Yoohyeon has been crushed by how her family has been treating her. I think we need to tell her, so she understands it isn’t her fault. That… that she still has true family right here…’_ Minji said to Siyeon as she looked at Dami with a sad expression.

_‘do you think that my sticky fire comes from Yoohyeon then? Dami’s fire doesn’t cling to things, and no one else is showing signs of fire that match. so it may be from Yoohyeon, which means that her other abilities will surface soon, right?’_ Siyeon asked, and Minji was torn on what to do.

“Sunmi? Can you come here for a moment?” Minji asked, and the fox complied, seeing that something was wrong. While the three talked, Yoohyeon and Dami were practicing against some of Chungha’s ice walls completely distracted.

“what's wrong?” Sunmi asked immediately as she stood in front of the two.

Siyeon looked to Minji to explain from the beginning, and Minji sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair.

“well, you see. I was always wondering who could really abandon Dami like that, so I hired someone to look into her past. That person just called. Dami’s parents didn’t abandon her, they went missing. The only known family she has left is her sister… Yoohyeon.” Minji said as she hesitated.

“but Yoohyeon’s mother isn’t missing… oh…” Sunmi said as it clicked, and Minji nodded. “but how did she end up with Yoohyeon then?” Sunmi asked, and Minji had a grim expression as she elaborated.

“Yoohyeon’s ‘mother’ and her REAL mother were in the hospital giving birth at the same time. Both of them gave birth to baby girls. When Yoohyeon’s ‘mother’ was alone in the nursery, she noticed that her baby had stopped breathing. She passed away. She knew that the only other girl that was born on the same day was rumored to be an alpha. The doctor that delivered Yoohyeon had a sight ability and told her mother, and she had overheard because the rooms were side by side.” Minji said, and Sunmi could get where this was going.

“she switched the babies, Yoohyeon’s real mother thought that she had passed away and was devastated and that woman took Yoohyeon,” Minji said, and Sunmi just shook her head in disgust.

“but that’s not all. It's about Dami’s father…” Minji said, and Sunmi froze. Something in the way Minji looked at her, she knew something was off.

“what about him?” Sunmi asked, and Minji didn’t know how to explain it because it didn’t even make sense to her.

“he was a hybrid like Dami. But he seemed like a pure human until after Yoohyeon was born…” Minji said, and Sunmi looked confused again.

“so, her mother is a vampire? Wait, wolf? I'm confused.” Sunmi asked, and Minji shook her head no.

“he disappeared for a month to show up again this time, showing signs of being a vampire. His human side seemed almost gone… but something else was starting to show in him…” Minji said, and Sunmi just couldn’t understand it at all.

“what was it?” Sunmi asked, and Minji smiled, understanding her frustration.

“he has demon blood in him. It didn’t show until after Yoohyeon was born, and the government took him. He escaped a month later, and they seemed to be experimenting on him due to his demon blood that had finally surfaced. So Dami is a hybrid of three things, vampire, wolf, and demon. Yoohyeon is half-wolf and half-demon that appears full wolf at the moment. Dami’s abilities started to show after her transformation, and Yoohyeon’s has just started as well…” Minji said, and Sunmi finally understood why she was so talented.

“that also explains how Yoohyeon can switch between an alpha and an omega. Minji, have you ever seen Yoohyeon when she was in full alpha mode?” Siyeon asked, and Minji shook her head. Within seconds Siyeon was sharing a memory with her pack. Yoohyeon was surprised to see a memory about her but watched quietly.

_Flashback_

_Siyeon was lying on the ground, bleeding as she looked up at a group of older kids from a town over. They had heard that there was a wolf in middle school that was born into a special family and was rumored to be an alpha, and they came to see what all the talk was about._

_Siyeon was ambushed on the way home by the group. She was exhausted from helping take care of Gahyeon, who was sick and stayed home from school and was now feeling sick herself when they attacked her. The group was all older than her and stronger. She didn’t have a chance with how exhausted and sick she felt, and they felt superior to her._

_Their ringleader strutted forward cockily as he mocked her when suddenly a wave of alpha energy washed over the group. They looked around to see a tall girl with silver hair stalking confidently over to them._

_Yoohyeon’s face was confident and cold as she walked over to the group, and the energy that emanated from the wolf was impressive even for Siyeon._

_“you ambush a sick girl on the way home with larger numbers and try to brag that you are better than her?” Yoohyeon asked coldly as they looked at her, unsure of what to do._

_Yoohyeon wasn’t the goofy girl that everyone knows now, she was confident and strong and extremely intimidating with her cold stare that traveled from wolf to wolf waiting for someone to challenge her._

_Finally, the leader tried to ambush Yoohyeon only to go flying as Yoohyeon stood there now in wolf form. Siyeon’s vision was starting to go as her exhaustion mixed with her wounds took over, but as she watched Yoohyeon defend her, she was sure that the crème and brown wolf’s fur started to change colors as streaks of black appeared in her fur starting at her paws. Siyeon blinked for a second, thinking that it was just a trick. Her eyes must be playing with her, but the streaks seemed to shift on her fur as they traveled up her legs like black flames, and finally, Siyeon blacked out._

_End of flashback_

“Why did you show everyone that?” Yoohyeon asked curiously as she looked at everyone. She didn’t seem to notice the colors that shifted on her fur in the memory or chose to ignore it.

“Yoo? Dami? There's something we need to tell you…”

The two stared at Minji in shock as her words sunk in. Dami wasn’t abandoned, and Yoohyeon’s family wasn’t who she thought. It explained so much, and she looked at Dami with a questioning expression.

“But how did Dami end up on the street? Where are our parents?” Yoohyeon asked, and Minji didn’t know if she should answer as she glanced at Siyeon. The alpha nodded, and Minji sighed before continuing again.

“Yoohyeon, your father was part demon. The government finds demons threatening because they are so powerful even though most are completely passive. When your father showed up again after they had experimented on him and turned him a part vampire and he had Dami, your fake mother felt threatened that they would recognize similarities between the two of you, so she reported him to the government right after you were born, Dami.” Minji said, and the two siblings looked at each other in shock.

It seems like the government took your mother first to make your father comply, and he quickly hid Dami with a friend for protection. That friend was found dead. But It seems like he hid Dami right before he was caught and tortured to death. They wanted to have another with demon blood to experiment on. Luckily it seems like he kept you a secret until he died. You weren't abandoned. In fact, so many people tried to help you…” Minji said as she looked at Dami, who was fighting back her tears and walked over to hug the struggling girl.

Yoohyeon just seemed numb as she walked away from the group to look at the ice pillars that they were practicing against only a couple minutes ago before her world changed. Rage flooded over her, and she felt a warmth flood over her body as black flames that seemed to absorb the light around her traveled along her body.

The pack looked at her in shock as she stood there with a dark expression, the dark flames dancing along her body as she fumed over what she had just heard. With a roar, Yoohyeon flung the fire away from her with such force that it roared deafeningly, and an explosion that shook the ground erupted where the ice pillar once was.

Just like Siyeon suspected, the black flames seemed to stick to what it struck and burned through it like acid. That ability came from Yoohyeon, not Dami.

Yoohyeon spun around on her heel as she looked at Siyeon. Her confident side showing as she calmly walked closer.

“I will no longer hesitate. They aren’t my family and never were. It explains so much…” Yoohyeon said as her voice trailed off at the end. Everyone could tell that she was hurting but didn’t know what to do. What do you say to someone whose world was just flipped upside down?

“Yoo…” Minji said, but she didn’t know what else to say. She slowly walked over to her mate and wrapped her arms around the wolf tightly as Yoohyeon leaned her head against Minji and fought back the tears that tried to fall.

“you know you don’t have to… I know it won't be easy to go up against people that you once thought of as family…” Minji said as Yoohyeon fought back a sob before looking into Minji’s eyes.

“but they are NOT my family. Only I thought of them that way. I always wondered why I seemed left out here and there before I met you, and now It makes sense.” Yoohyeon said as she glared at the ground.

“they had no issues turning on me because to them, I was NEVER part of their family. How else could they treat me like this? How could they turn me over to Jackson? I will NEVER forgive them!” Yoohyeon said as her tears finally broke loose. Minji held the wolf closer and rubbed the taller girls back as she kissed her temple.

Dami didn’t know how to process all of this. Not only was she not abandoned, but she has a sister that has been there beside her for years, and they never knew it. Gahyeon hugged her mate and looked at her with a worried expression as Dami zoned out, staring off into the distance.

Gahyeon had just returned from safely putting the seed pods inside, and the sight of her girlfriend seeming so out of it worried her greatly.

“what's wrong?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at Dami with a worried expression. Dami finally looked at Gahyeon, and to the younger girl's surprise, tears were streaking down the silent girl's cheeks.

Without thinking, Gahyeon pulled Dami closer as she tried to comfort her. The sight of Dami so distraught made Gahyeon’s chest ache just at the sight and triggered her protectiveness.

“what happened?” Gahyeon asked softly as she stroked her mates back and head. Quietly Dami shared her memories with Gahyeon. And for the first time, Dami shared not just memories from after meeting Minji and the others, but also the first time she met the three vampires with everyone.

As far as Dami could remember, she had always thought of Minji and the others like her parents. After all, they took care of her like she was their world, and she finally wanted to show them what the three meant to her. 

_-flashback-_

_Minji first took in after her parents died because they were like cousins. Handong came shortly later when she was fleeing from china with just a book and a cat. Handong was the daughter of Minji’s mother's closest friend._

_When her parents passed away, Minji took her in as well. The three girls grew extremely close. And one day, when they walked home, they heard what sounded like someone or something getting beaten. Soft cries of pain from something small could be heard._

_Minji could smell blood in the air, it was strange, but she could smell a hint of vampire in it. The three exchanged looks and quickly turned into the alley to find two boys hitting what looked like a ball of rags._

_“freak!” the boy shouted as he kicked the ball. A cry of pain came from it. Soon Minji realized that it was a small girl maybe a year younger than them, and the boys that were beating her looked like high school boys._

_“hey!” Minji shouted as she Handong and Bora spread out to block the boys' escape path._

_Now keep in mind they were in their first year of middle school and were rather short for their age, so they were not a very intimidating sight to the two high school boys._

_“aww, isn’t it past your bedtime?” the taller boy teased as he turned and walked toward the three._

_“mind your own damn business and scram before your next!” the other boy said as he kicked the small girl causing another scream of pain._

_Before the boys could react, Handong and Minji were on them. Small they were, but they were also vampires from the top three pureblood families. As the boys struggled with the two girls, Bora ran over to the small girl who flinched and let out a soft growl at the strange girl approaching her. Bora froze, she could smell a hint of vampire from her, but her eyes were gold with a faint ring of red._

_“hybrid…” Bora softly said to herself and nodded._

_“hi, my name is Bora. We’re not here to hurt you…” Bora said as she stretched out her hand for the girl to take. The small girl flinched but didn’t back away. ‘well, at least that’s something…’ Bora thought to herself as she gently stretched her hand forward. Finally, she rested her hand on the top of the girl's head and gently stroked her hair to calm her._

_It was like magic. The smaller girl finally relaxed and slowly looked at the girl in front of her. Bora smiled gently as she slowly helped the smaller girl up. She was obviously homeless. Probably abandoned because she was a hybrid. Bora couldn’t leave her here. Especially if she didn’t know what she was. As they turned around, they found Minji and Handong cleaning up some empty uniforms as they walked over to Bora and the small girl._

_“Minji…” Bora whined as she looked at the dust on the front of both girls' clothes._

_“what? They earned it after what they did. They only just started high school and were doing this? Imagine what they would do as adults?” Minji shrugged as she walked over to the small girl who was cowering behind Bora._

_“hi, I'm Minji!” the cheerful girl said as she extended a hand toward the girl._

_A soft growl radiated from behind Bora, startling Minji._

_“it’s ok, Minji and Handong are my friends. They won't hurt you.” Bora said gently as the girl peeked out from behind her as she held on to bora like her life depended on it._

_Slowly the girl let one hand go from bora and took Minji’s still outstretched hand._

_“what's your name?” Minji asked softly as she looked into her eyes._

_“I don’t have one…” the small girl said as she looked at the ground. Her shoulders were slumped, and Minji knew she hit a nerve._

_“Hmm, well, we can’t have that, can we? how about Yubin?” Minji asked as Yubin smiled excitedly and nodded._

_“girls, we have a hybrid…” Bora said as she had her arm around the newly named Yubin._

_“Well, that explains the growling!” Minji said cheerfully as she looked at the smaller girl._

_“would you like to come with us?” Minji asked as she looked at the girl's clothes. They were torn and bloody. This wasn’t the first time she was beaten, and that fact really upset Minji._

_“w-what will I have to do?” Yubin asked hesitantly._

_“what do you mean?” Bora asked, slightly puzzled as she looked at Yubin. The smaller girl squirmed where she stood._

_“no one gives anything for free… I won't fall for that again…” she said softly as tears started to flow from her eyes._

_Soon a wave of calm flowed from Handong to help ease Yubin's emotions. The younger girl's eyes went wide as she felt the calm wash over her._

_“what was that?” she asked, amazed. Handong looked at Minji nervously._

_“Handong isn’t comfortable with speaking in front of others. She's Chinese and isn’t good with Korean yet.” Minji explained as Handong looked at Yubin apologetically. The younger girl nodded in understanding._

_“a vampire can affect the emotions of other vampires and humans. We can use it to feed-“ Minji was cut off by Bora._

_“or you could use it to help or calm people…” Bora said as she gave a dirty look to Minji. Minji just rolled her eyes at the girl._

_“if you knew how to effect emotions, you might be able to ward off things like this from happening again,” Bora said as Yubin looked at her in wonder._

_“you mean I can stop them from beating me?” she asked, shocked._

_“yes. You can make them feel exhausted and too tired to do anything or, like Minji likes, make them overcome with fear to the point that they wet themselves…” Bora said flatly._

_Yubin giggled at the two as she watched Minji roll her eyes at Bora’s comment. “well, it keeps them away, doesn’t it?” she said as she put her hands on her hips. Bora just shook her head and changed the subject._

_“so, do you want to come with us?” she asked as she saw Yubin thinking it over. “the only thing we will ask you to do is keep your room clean and go to school. I promise!” Bora said as she saw Yubin’s eyes light up._

_“school? Can they teach me to read?” Yubin asked excitedly._

_“you don’t know how to read yet?” Minji asked, and Yubin shook her head in embarrassment._

_“I have been on the streets all my life. Well, as long as I can remember. I don’t know my name except they said my father's last name was lee. I can read that, but that’s it.” Yubin’s face was red, and Handong let another wave of calm wash over her._

_“We won't wait for the school to teach you that. we can teach you!” Minji said happily as she saw the girl's eyes light up with excitement._

_“well, let's go, miss lee Yubin!” Minji said as she held her hand out. Dami smiled, and without hesitation, she gently grabbed Minji’s hand as they walked out of that dark and dirty alley for the last time._

_End of flashback_

Dami had shared that memory with everyone. She wanted to let them know just how grateful that she was to be here, and Yoohyeon didn’t know how to feel at that. That was her little sister that she watched being beaten. It made her extremely angry, and if it wasn’t for Minji and Handong already killing them, she would love to hunt them down.

Yoohyeon had always felt protective of Dami and never knew why. Could it be that deep down she knew that Dami was her sister? Or would her protectiveness grow even stronger? Yoohyeon wasn’t sure, but one thing she was sure of is that she wanted to hug Dami right now and walked over to the younger girl with tears in her eyes as she hugged Dami fiercely.

Soon another memory was being shown by Dami, and this time it was when she met Yoohyeon for the first time.

_-Flashback-_

_It was high school, and the four girls were sitting in the cafeteria trying to act normal when a girl with silver hair walked up._

_The girl stood in front of Minji with a confident stance as she smiled and proceeded to give the cheesiest lines to Minji, causing her to snort._

_Dami couldn’t help but smile. Minji had told her that some cute but strange wolf had started hitting on her lately, and Dami couldn’t help but hide behind Handong to fight from laughing at the scene in front of her._

_Yoohyeon made eye contact with Dami and smiled sweetly and nodded before turning back to flirt heavily with Minji, who was trying to act disgusted as she tried to play it cool._

_Later that day Dami was asked by her teacher to bring some books back to the library, and Dami never passed up the chance to go to the library, so she gladly complied and soon was walking down the hallway with a large stack of books that were blocking most of her vision in her arms when suddenly she went flying._

_“Oops!” someone said as a group laughed as the girl went sprawling onto the floor. Dami could have easily caught herself, but she didn’t know if the person that tripped her was human or not, so she did nothing._

_“nerds need to look where they are going!” one girl said as she smacked the back of Dami’s head with a book that she picked up. It was a good thing that Dami had extreme patience because she HATED being hit. It brought back bad memories._

_“you touch her one more time, and you will regret it…” someone said coldly, and the group that was bullying Dami froze. The authority in the voice was making the girls visibly nervous._

_“oh come on Yoohyeon, I know you have a thing for one of those bloodsuckers but that doesn’t mean you need to protect their pet!” the girl that tripped her said as she went to smack Dami with the book again and soon she went flying as Yoohyeon stood confidently beside Dami with her hands balled up into fists._

_“let me repeat myself. You touch her again, and you will regret it.” Yoohyeon said without wavering. Dami could only look up in shock at the confident wolf that stood beside her in a protective stance._

_“I don’t care that she is friends with Minji. I don’t like you doing this to ANYONE. You hear me? I know you are of a lower rank and feel better by bullying those you feel are weaker than you, but come on…” Yoohyeon said as she rolled her eyes at the group._

_“that makes you just as bad if not WORSE than the alphas that bully you. Do you like being just like the ones you hate?” Yoohyeon asked as the group in front of her bristled at her comments._

_“don’t…” Dami said softly as she grabbed Yoohyeon’s hand, trying to signal her to stop. The gentle grip caught Yoohyeon off guard, but Yoohyeon continued. She hated bullies and just couldn’t leave it there._

_“if you want to take out your frustration on alphas, bring it! But do you think you all can beat me?” Yoohyeon asked as she glared at the group and quickly let her alpha aura waft over them, causing the girls to tense and break eye contact._

_Begrudgingly the girls sulked away as Yoohyeon extended a hand to Dami that was still on the ground and smiled at the younger girl. Dami couldn’t help but be in awe at the alpha. The only encounters with wolves she had before were painful memories, so to have someone protect her besides Minji and the others felt nice._

_‘she probably just did it so that I will tell Minji and help her get closer to her…’ Dami thought to herself but was shocked by what Yoohyeon said next._

_“Please don’t tell Minji about this… she doesn’t seem to like it when I act like an alpha…” Yoohyeon pleaded with eyes that made her look like a cute puppy. Dami didn’t know what to say. She was completely shocked by the happy wolf in front of her and could only nod in agreement._

_Soon Yoohyeon gave her a blinding smile as she hugged Dami in thanks. “thank god they didn’t take me up on my offer to fight… I hurt my leg earlier today and would have been at a complete disadvantage!” Yoohyeon said as she helped Dami pick up the books from the floor and helped her carry them as she walked her safely to the library._

_Yoohyeon was indeed limping slightly. Minji wouldn’t like to know that the goofy wolf has gotten hurt, and Dami couldn’t help but smile at the image of Minji noticing._

_Once school was over, and Dami’s club was over, the three picked her up to walk home together when she noticed the girls that bullied her earlier, looking like they went through a war._

_There were cuts and bite marks all over them, and Dami couldn’t help but think that the goofy wolf was behind it, and as she looked around, she spotted the silver-haired girl leaning against a wall looking just as bad as the others._

_Dami froze- in place and grabbed Minji’s hand. The redhead turned to look at Dami and was soon directed to look at the silver-haired girl who looked like she was about to collapse._

_“Yoohyeon?” Minji asked under her breath and quickly went running as the wolf started sliding down the wall she was leaning against. This was the first time Minji showed that she genuinely cared for the wolf as she carried the unconscious wolf home and took care of her until she woke up. This was the start of Minji and Yoohyeon’s relationship._

_Minji finally accepted Yoohyeon’s advances shortly after, and little did she know the whole event that started it was Yoohyeon standing up to Dami’s bullies._

_After that fight, most bullies avoided Dami like the plague. Especially when Yoohyeon started hanging out with Minji regularly._

_End of flashback_

“Why didn’t you tell me that you got hurt because you were protecting Dami?” Minji asked as she looked at Yoohyeon softly, and the tall wolf only blushed as she looked away.

“you didn’t like me showing my alpha side. Plus, I didn’t think you would like to know I was starting fights… I just didn’t want to look bad in front of you…” Yoohyeon said shyly, and Minji couldn’t help but smile.

“I never hated your alpha side. I just never was in a relationship before and didn’t know how to react. I just didn’t want to seem too easy to you.” Minji said as she smiled and hugged Yoohyeon gently before kissing her.

_‘and honestly, I have to admit… your alpha side is kinda hot…’_ Minji said as Yoohyeon blushed furiously, and Siyeon gagged.

“well, stop listening!” Minji teased as she stuck her tongue out at Siyeon and then looked back to Yoohyeon.

“I just want you to be yourself. You don’t have to act differently around me, and I'm sorry I made you feel like that…” Minji said as she frowned and stroked Yoohyeon’s head. The wolf sighed and leaned against her mate, and Dami had succeeded in helping Yoohyeon take her mind off of her family briefly.

“well… I guess I have a sister now. But she's dating one of my three moms… I don’t know how to think about this…” Dami said as the group snorted.

“So, does this make me your sister AND your stepmother?” Yoohyeon teased, and Dami gave her a horrified look at the thought of that, causing the wolf to giggle.

“what about your mate's sister dating one of your moms?” Siyeon asked, getting in on the teasing as Dami made funny faces.

“enough! Enough! The images running through my head are horrifying!” Dami said as she grimaced. The others laughed as they walked over to hug the two new siblings.

“Who knew that when I thought that you all were more like my family than my actual one, that I was actually right?” Yoohyeon said with a smile as she glanced at Dami with a genuine smile.

“now Gahyeon, I just want to say if you hurt my little sister-“ Yoohyeon went to tease as Siyeon smacked the back of her head.

“my best friend's younger sister is dating my younger sister. This is so weird, you know that? Plus, Gahyeon is a softie. If anyone would hurt someone, it would be Dami to Gahyeon!” Siyeon joked as the two wrestled jokingly.

Yoohyeon couldn’t help but smile. Even if the news was difficult to deal with, it was proof that she was exactly where she belonged right now. _‘my true family…’_ Yoohyeon thought to herself as she smiled softly, looking at her pack goofing off.


	31. Chapter 31

-A Special Gift-

After Yoohyeon and Dami found out that they were sisters, the two tried to spend more time together and learn more about each other.

“it's kinda funny that my partner in crime when I was a heavy prankster just happened to end up as your mate!” Yoohyeon said as she smiled and ruffled Gahyeon’s hair. The younger girl puffed up her cheeks in frustration as she tried to fix her hair with Dami’s help.

The four were lounging on the couch. Dami was leaned back with her arm around Gahyeon and Yoohyeon was on her other side with Minji holding her tightly.

Siyeon couldn’t help but smile as she watched the group. Yoohyeon wasn’t just Siyeon’s best friend but a great person overall, and it always upset Siyeon that the younger girl wasn’t treated properly. But after Yoohyeon found out about Dami and her parents, she seemed to be more comfortable with herself.

The wolf was starting to act more like the girl she used to know, and Siyeon felt proud that Yoohyeon was no longer being held back by her fake family. But she still wondered if Yoohyeon would really be able to fight them if it came down to it.

_‘I guess we will just have to see if it gets to that, huh?’_ Siyeon asked herself as she walked over to Sunmi, who was smiling like a dork at Chungha, who had fallen asleep in her lap again.

“you know, I have noticed that Chungha has been falling asleep less and less…” Siyeon said softly as she leaned against the wall observing the two.

“I know, I don’t think it was actually narcolepsy. I think there was something wrong with her energy.” Sunmi said as she stroked the sleeping girls face softly.

“Once she drained herself almost completely, and I gave her some of mine, I noticed that it seemed she wasn’t using her powers enough so her energy would overflow and cause her blackouts it also doesn’t help that she is always tired naturally…” Sunmi said as she gently stroked the sleeping girl's face as she smiled brightly.

“your so whipped…” Siyeon said as Sunmi looked up laughing.

“says the alpha that lets her mate dominate her…” Sunmi said, and Siyeon couldn’t help but choke and flush bright red.

“and where did you hear that?” Siyeon asked nervously. Sunmi laughed as the sleepy girl answered, startling Siyeon.

“because your room is right above ours. Plus, Bora isn’t very quiet…” Chungha said as she still had her eyes closed and snuggled into Sunmi’s hand and smiled sweetly.

“not all the time! We switch it up!” Siyeon said, but she wasn’t helping her case as the two giggled.

“what about switching something?” Bora asked as she walked into the room to see Siyeon a bright red and raised a brow at the situation.

“We were just talking about how your room is right above ours, and you two are not very… quiet… it seems Siyeon is slightly embarrassed.” Sunmi teased as Bora smirked and nodded.

“aww! Is my baby embarrassed? Bora asked as she grabbed Siyeon’s ass hard, causing the alpha to jump and pout.

“you are not helping!” Siyeon whined as the others giggled.

“But you do know that it works the other way too, right? You two aren’t very quiet, either. Are foxes naturally so loud?” Bora teased as Sunmi went red. Chungha giggled and just nodded as she shrugged.

“it’s a fox thing. Get used to it. I guess we will be each other's, loud neighbors!” Chungha said as she smiled widely and snuggled into Sunmi, leaving the older girl at a loss for words.

“Should we go and practice? We still need to get better control of our powers.” Bora asked as she tried to get the images of Sunmi and Chungha out of her mind.

Bora had still not let go of Siyeon, and Sunmi nodded vigorously. Excited for any change in the subject, and soon, everyone slowly filed outside.

Handong couldn't help but watch her mate as everyone walked outside. She was really impressed with Elkie’s changes after she changed her hair. Just like she had hoped, her more confident side started coming out, and the pack soon realized that she was just as sarcastic with her responses as Handong.

With training, Elkie was also able to use her ability to force almost all of the abilities the others have away safely. She was also able to disrupt Yoohyeon’s cyclones, which shocked Sunmi greatly. The knowledge that she could actually defend herself and others also greatly helped in Elkie’s confidence.

Yoohyeon’s new abilities were slowly starting to show as she learned to control her black flames with Chungha’s ice walls and with Dami’s suggestion, Yoohyeon tried to add her fire to her cyclone ability causing a panic as it went out of control until Elkie slammed the cyclone with enough force to knock it apart to the relief of everyone.

Gahyeon glared at the two as she let her ability flow through the ground to heal the plants that were ripped up and scorched by the flames.

“Sorry!” the two called at everyone, and Gahyeon just rolled her eyes at her mate and Yoohyeon. _‘why do I have a feeling that they both are going to get into trouble with their powers one day…’_ Gahyeon thought to herself as she listened to the plants thanking her and smiled.

But today they decided to split up the groups. Chungha took a lot of the group down by the lake to practice while Sunmi had Siyeon Gahyeon and Yoohyeon at their regular practice grounds.

“Gahyeon? We still haven’t really had you practice anything with your powers yet besides healing plants and each other. Do you want to try to learn how to use your powers offensively?” Sunmi asked as Gahyeon looked up at her excitedly.

“I will take that as a yes then.” Sunmi said as she giggled. “but we will need targets for her to practice on. Any of the wolves willing to be target practice for Gahyeon?” Sunmi asked as Siyeon and Yoohyeon shrugged.

Yoohyeon was the first to agree mainly because she didn’t see how plants could be too dangerous when fighting. She would learn her mistakes later, but for right now, she was confident that with her speed, she could easily dodge anything that Gahyeon could throw at her.

“ok, we will start with something easy, ok?” Sunmi asked as Gahyeon nodded. “try to trip up Yoohyeon as she runs. Excite the plants so that they want to catch Yoohyeon, and they will feel when she is close and try to snare her legs.” Sunmi said as Gahyeon nodded while listening intently.

“it seems that Yoohyeon doesn't take your powers seriously, let's show her that she's wrong. After all, if she gets hurt, you can just heal her.” Sunmi joked, and Gahyeon couldn’t help but laugh.

Gahyeon sent her powers out to the plants in the field, and they were excited to play with the goofy wolf. Gahyeon smirked, knowing that if Yoohyeon knew that she was known as the goofy wolf, she would pout heavily.

Yoohyeon quickly shifted and waited for Sunmi to give her the signal to start as Gahyeon closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “ready?” Sunmi softly asked, and Gahyeon nodded as she smiled. She was ready.

“go!” Sunmi shouted, and Yoohyeon bolted lightning fast as she zigzagged, trying to make herself a harder target to hit. Suddenly as Yoohyeon ran, she stumbled. Startled, Yoohyeon looked down to see the plants around her, grabbing at her paws as she ran.

Yoohyeon was stuck running and hopping like a bunny as she dodged the plants.

_‘what the hell?’_ Yoohyeon thought as she increased her speed to try to outrun the plants' reach.

“now try to wall her in. create walls of plants and lead her back this way.” Sunmi said, and Gahyeon nodded as she followed Sunmi’s instructions.

Yoohyeon hoped that if she went out of Gahyeon’s sight, she would be out of Gahyeon’s range, but as she ran away suddenly, a wall of thorns and bushes blocked her path. Quickly Yoohyeon slid as she did a complete 180 and ran the opposite was as she dodged all of the plants grabbing at her.

Yoohyeon thought that it would be easy, but soon she was starting to panic as every way she would turn, she would be walled in by plants that were too high to jump _. ‘what the hell do I do now?’_ Yoohyeon thought to herself as she felt her panic rising.

_‘go for the cause.’_ Yoohyeon thought, and soon, she was charging at full force towards Gahyeon. Her panic had taken over, and her thoughts were starting to be clouded as she only thought of how to get away from the grabbing plants and walls.

“somethings not right. Yoohyeon seems too panicked. Maybe we should stop…” Siyeon said as she walked closer to Sunmi and Gahyeon. Yoohyeon’s expression seemed wild as she panicked, and suddenly Siyeon realized what was going on.

“Yoohyeon! Look at me!” Siyeon shouted, but Yoohyeon couldn’t hear her over her own heartbeat and panting breaths.

“Gahyeon, if your holding back now is the time to catch her! She can't hear me, and she's finishing her transformation and doesn’t recognize us!” Siyeon shouted as Gahyeon looked at her sister in surprise before looking back at Yoohyeon, who indeed looked wild.

“ok, I will grab her. It will make her panic worse, though. Be ready. I will catch her when she gets close.” Gahyeon said as Siyeon shifted, ready to protect her sister just in case she needed to.

Yoohyeon was charging at full speed and closing in fast. She was now only a couple of meters away, and within seconds Yoohyeon snarled as she launched into the air only to be caught mid-air by strong vining plants that held her in the air no matter how much she struggled.

Gahyeon was now looking at Yoohyeon’s fangs that were very close to her face as the vines caught her and held her in place. She let out a sigh of relief.

_‘I wasn’t sure that they could hold her… but I'm glad they did.’_ Gahyeon thought to herself as she looked at the wolf struggling against her vines.

_‘Yoohyeon! Listen to me!’_ Siyeon shouted at Yoohyeon as she stood in front of Gahyeon, but the wolf was still panicking at the vines as she struggled and tried to rip at them with her teeth and couldn’t hear her alpha.

_‘Yoohyeon!’_ Siyeon called again this time, letting her alpha presence wash over the wolf, causing Yoohyeon’s struggling to slow as her eyes wildly searched for the presence she felt.

As soon as Yoohyeon’s eyes met Siyeon’s. The alpha could feel Yoohyeon was coming back.

_‘Siyeon?’_ Yoohyeon questioned slightly confused at what was happening. _‘why are you here? I was helping Gahyeon practice.’_ Yoohyeon asked, but Siyeon shook her head as she shifted back to help calm Yoohyeon more.

“that is over. You finished your transformation in the middle, and Gahyeon had to catch you…” Siyeon said, and she could see the shock in Yoohyeon’s face as the wolf looked down to find herself still suspended in the air by the vines.

“holy shit!” Yoohyeon said as she lost control of her wolf form at the sight of the situation she was in right now.

As her form shifted back to her human form, the vines shifted with her, and soon, her arms and legs were bound to each other as Gahyeon giggled.

“it seems the plants still don’t trust you yet. They don’t want to let go.” Gahyeon said as Yoohyeon whined at her inability to move.

“but now, my nose itches!” Yoohyeon pouted as Siyeon, and the others laughed.

“ok, what all did we miss?” Minji asked as she and the others walked up to see her mate tied up and looking like a vine-covered mummy.

“And why does the field look like a maze of bushes?” Dami asked as she looked at the aftermath of Gahyeon’s practice.

“oh, sorry!” Gahyeon said as she let her powers flow out, and soon, the plants in the field were happy as they shrank themselves back to how they were before they played with Yoohyeon.

“Yoohyeon just finished her transformation. Gahyeon had to catch her before she attacked her. It was a close call. And we have Gahyeon’s plants to thank for that.” Siyeon said as Yoohyeon looked at her alpha in shock.

“I tried to what?” Yoohyeon asked in horror as she looked at Gahyeon, who just shrugged.

“you didn’t get to me, and I know you weren't yourself. But right now, I'm curious to see if your wolf form will change.” Gahyeon asked as she looked over to Minji, who was walking over to examine her mate that was still being held by the vines.

“you know, this is a good look for you…” Minji teased as Yoohyeon pouted.

“it's not funny! My nose itches!” Yoohyeon pouted as Minji laughed and looked to Gahyeon, who had the vines relax their hold on Yoohyeon.

“oh, thank god!” Yoohyeon said as she itched her nose as soon as the vines released. Once that was done, Yoohyeon went to take a step forward only to realize that her legs were numb from the vines, and soon, she went face first into Minji’s chest.

“well, I guess you are happy to see me!” Minji teased as she helped Yoohyeon to stand as Yoohyeon clung to Minji as the blood slowly started to flow back into her limbs.

“so, do you still think that Gahyeon’s ability is useless?” Sunmi teased as she watched Yoohyeon cling to her mate as her legs still felt like jelly.

“nope! I have learned from my mistakes!” Yoohyeon said as Minji laughed and walked her over to sit down on an old fallen tree.

“well, I'm somewhat excited to see if Yoohyeon will look different. After all, we just found out she has part demon in her as well, and her powers are starting to show. Maybe her wolf form will be different like Dami’s.” Handong said as everyone looked at the wolf.

“I don’t think It will be too different. Dami showed odd patterns before her change, where I just looked normal.” Yoohyeon said as she massaged her legs.

“not true. Remember when I showed them the memory of you defending me? Your fur was shifting colors. The fur on your paws started to turn black and travel up your legs. For all, we know you may show even more interesting patterns than Dami.” Siyeon said as Yoohyeon looked at her with a confused expression.

“really? It did? I never paid attention to it. I was looking at you or the ones I had to fight.” Yoohyeon said, and Siyeon smirked.

“This is why you’re an unobservant wolf…” Siyeon teased as Yoohyeon rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at her alpha before testing to see if she could stand again. Luckily, she seemed to be fine now and carefully stood as she looked at everyone.

“only one way to find out, right?” Yoohyeon asked as she took a deep breath and shifted.

Everyone looked at Yoohyeon with shock. Her wolf form HAD changed. The long and lanky limbs were now muscular.

She wasn’t as bulky as Siyeon or Gahyeon, or as tall. Instead, she was a lean type or muscular that resembled her human form.

Her fur was also different. The creams and browns were still there, but black fur was threaded throughout her coat, starting at her paws and specifically her mane. It was black with hints of her cream-colored fur peeking through in faint stripes, and the fur was longer than normal and looked slightly shaggy. Black even showed around her muzzle and eyes.

It made Siyeon think that Yoohyeon’s demon side was going to hit her with a vengeance soon judging from how much dark fur appeared, and Siyeon was interested in how it would affect everyone. After all, it seems that Yoohyeon’s demon ability shared with her causing Siyeon’s now nicknamed napalm fire.

As Yoohyeon turned to look at the others, everyone went still in shock. Yoohyeon’s eyes were still the yellow-gold that they were before, but now they had a ring of black around them, making her look slightly possessed.

“well, at least I'm not the only weird one now!” Dami teased as Yoohyeon grumbled and looked around.

One thing that Yoohyeon noticed is that her senses were extremely sensitive now. She could even hear Gahyeon’s plants shifting in the soil near the surface and heard hints of noise from every living thing nearby. It was almost too much to take in, and soon, she shared what she was experiencing with Siyeon in a plea for help.

“Yoohyeon? Relax and take deep breaths. Your senses are probably very sensitive right now. Give it a couple minutes, ok?” Siyeon asked, and Yoohyeon could only nod as she leaned over against Minji for comfort.

“what's wrong?” Minji asked as she looked at Siyeon with a worried look.

“it seems that her senses are extremely strong right now. Wait, Dami, did you have the same issue?” Siyeon asked, and Dami nodded.

“The first couple of hours were intense, but after that, I got used to them. Now I just feel like normal.” Dami said, and Yoohyeon sighed at the ‘hours’ comment.

“well, instead of sulking, just shift out of your wolf form. It is less severe then.” Dami said as she rolled her eyes at her sister and walked over to check on Gahyeon.

Yoohyeon sighed and shifted out of her wolf form and hugged Minji tightly as she tucked herself against her body and cuddled.

“aww, so clingy!” Minji said as she hugged Yoohyeon tightly.

_‘you are not starting to go into heat, yet are you?’_ Minji teased as Yoohyeon went red and hid her face in Minji’s neck as she giggled.

_‘I can't even think of that right now! All I can think about is how much my head hurts!’_ Yoohyeon said as she pouted.

_‘Well, don’t worry, just tell me if you start showing signs of it, ok? I don’t want you struggling, ok?’_ Minji asked, and Yoohyeon could only nod.

_‘by the way, why are you wet?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Minji groaned.

_‘long story. Let's just say we all went for a swim unwillingly…’_ Minji said as she shook her head at the memory.

“So how did it go with everyone else?” Sunmi asked as everyone groaned.

“we almost drowned!” Chungha joked as Sunmi looked at her questioningly.

“We were practicing, and it was Handong’s turn to try and use her powers. She IS weather-based. But I think she is mainly water and is just able to use some of the other members' abilities.

For example, my ice ability for the hail, Yoohyeon’s wind abilities, and your lightning added together with Bora’s fire leads to everything Handong needs to affect the weather.” Chungha said, and Sunmi looked at the others in surprise and soon noticed everyone looked drenched.

“So why do you all look like drowned rats? I didn’t see any rain clouds, and I doubt a little rain did all that.” Sunmi asked as she waved a hand at the soaked members, and Chungha laughed. Handong looked apologetic at everyone.

“like I said, we almost drowned. She tried to use her powers, and suddenly water was seeping from the ground. We were able to handle that, but we forgot we were close to the lake, and soon Dami asked if we heard something. Next thing we know, a wave smashed into us, and we were sucked back into the lake as the water traveled back to where it came from!” Chungha said as she expressed everything with her whole body.

“I froze the top of the ice and helped everyone get on, and we walked or more like slid back to shore. If it weren't for Bora, we would all be freezing to death!” Chungha said as she joked.

Siyeon looked over to Bora and noticed the beautiful purple flames that surrounded her and noticed the others hovering nearby without getting too close. They knew that Siyeon would be uncomfortable with them close to her mate and smiled at her pack, knowing they must be freezing yet still kept their distance for her.

“well, should we all take a break? I think you all need warm showers…” Siyeon said as everyone perked up at her comments, and soon everyone was walking inside happily.

The idea of food seemed to make Yoohyeon feel better too, and soon, she didn’t seem to notice her stronger senses as she ate chicken after chicken as Sunmi laughed at her new appetite.

“oh, I got a message from one of my professors!” Gahyeon said as she looked down at her phone. She hadn’t checked it in a while and was having to go through all of her notices and messages when she found it.

“what does one of your professors want? We are on leave from school.” Siyeon said as she looked at Gahyeon with a look of confusion.

“I asked him to help me look for a specific book, and he says he found it!” Gahyeon said, looking excited.

“What book?” Dami asked, but Gahyeon refused to answer as she shook her head.

“it’s a secret!” Gahyeon said as she smiled at Dami. It was clear from Gahyeon’s reactions that the book was for Dami, and Siyeon couldn’t help but smile.

“he says my last chance to get the book is tonight, or he has to give it back to his seller! Is it alright if I go and pick it up really quick?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at Siyeon for permission. Siyeon frowned at the idea, but she knew she couldn’t baby her sister forever and nodded hesitantly, But exchanged a look with Dami.

“yes!” Gahyeon shouted as she got up and started getting ready. Dami slowly got up and followed her mate until they got into their room.

“before you go, I made you something…” Dami said hesitantly as she walked over to the desk and opened a drawer to pull out a package.

“I know I probably worry for nothing, but I made this with one of your vines. After you got your ability, I started hearing the plants too. I can't make them grow like you, but this one agreed to help me.” Dami said as she held out the package, and Gahyeon opened it gently to reveal three items.

One was a necklace that was made from a living plant.it was one of the ones that hugged her legs when she first learned about her powers. Gahyeon’s ability was feeding it, allowing it to stay alive outside the soil, and the charm was a cage formed by the plant that held the seeds of the deadly vine she had first met.

“it's beautiful!” Gahyeon said as she gently touched it, and the plant shook happily at the compliment.

“I only suggested a pattern, and it weaved itself into it. It’s the same with the others.” Dami said as Gahyeon looked at the other two items. One was a bracelet that was woven, and what looked like red gemstones was actually the seeds just like in the necklace.

As Gahyeon held it to her wrist, wondering how to put it on, the vine unwound itself carefully without dropping a seed and wound itself gently around her wrist. It looked absolutely beautiful to Gahyeon, and she couldn’t help but smile at both the plants and Dami.

“The last one is a belt, but the threads along one side are made of one of the vines. Without you showing, you could have the vine drop seeds that are hidden in the inside of the belt, leaving a trail or secretly lay a trap for someone without lifting a hand.” Dami said as she smiled.

“you have planned this out, haven’t you?” Gahyeon teased as she hugged Dami and kissed her deeply. After a while, they pulled apart breathlessly, and Dami looked at Gahyeon with so much love that it made Gahyeon blush.

“I know you worry, but I promise nothing will happen. Ok? I'm just going to go get a book!” Gahyeon said, but Dami pouted as her expression darkened.

“please wear them… it would make me feel better. I'm already debating sneaking out and following you…” Dami said, and Gahyeon laughed.

“ok! I will wear them. I promise!” Gahyeon said as she got ready and put on the necklace and belt carefully.

After a couple of minutes, Gahyeon had messaged her professor and was by the door as her pack looked at her worriedly. Each member held expressions of varying levels of worry.

“seriously! What's the worst that could happen?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at their expressions. “you all look like this will be the last time you will see me!” Gahyeon said as she shook her head and walked outside the door.

“Please tell me that she brought what you made her…” Siyeon asked Dami, and the younger girl nodded.

“I don’t know how it will work, but according to the book, I will be able to track her if I need to just from the matching items,” Dami said as she held up her wrist, showing a matching bracelet. Siyeon glanced at her neck and saw a matching one as well and sighed in relief.

“I'm just worried that he will go after Gahyeon to get to me…” Siyeon said as Bora hugged her tightly.

“isn’t that what we are expecting right now? If this is really a trap, at least we are ready. Isn’t that why you were staying up last night reading up on demon powers for Dami and Yoohyeon?” Bora asked, and Siyeon nodded as she sighed, but it still didn’t make her feel better.

“I just feel like I'm sending my sister out as a sacrifice…” Siyeon said as Dami rolled her eyes.

“I could tell that Gahyeon thought this was a trap right away and still is going without telling us like you thought she would. She obviously has a plan, and so do we.” Dami said as she tried to look confident, but everyone knew she was even more nervous than Siyeon if that was even possible.

“and we are ready,” Bora said as she looked into Siyeon’s eyes confidently.

“Look who’s talking, I'm the only one who can’t seem to pull out my powers yet…” Minji said sulkily as Yoohyeon smiled and hugged her.

“that’s ok because you’re a vicious kitty to whoever pisses you off. Powers or not!” Yoohyeon said as she dodged Minji.

“Minji, I know you are worried about your powers, and I think that the reason you can't use them yet is that your powers require more power than you have access to at the moment,” Sunmi said as she looked at Minji who just frowned in confusion.

“What I mean is your powers are probably going to be extremely strong. But the energy needed to manifest them is greater than what you have access to at right now. You probably won't be able to use them until Siyeon’s final transformation. But when you do, I feel sorry for whoever is in your path…” Sunmi said as she smiled sweetly at Minji.

“so, don’t take it so personally that you can't use them yet. Your deadly enough as it is!” Sunmi said with a smirk, and finally, Minji smiled as she looked out the door where Gahyeon had left from.

“so, do we follow her now or wait?” Minji asked as she looked at Siyeon for an answer as Siyeon sighed, unsure of the correct answer.


	32. Chapter 32

-Gahyeon-

Gahyeon had realized right away that the message that came across her phone wasn’t from her professor. Gahyeon was very close to her professor. He was one of the only people that would treat her normal when others wouldn’t. Their love of books, thanks to Dami, was also something that they talked about.

But the text in the message was filled with tiny errors that her professor just wouldn’t make. This meant one thing. It was starting.

Dami and Gahyeon had talked before about the possibility that Jackson would try to target her to get to Siyeon, and it seemed like normal Dami was right _. ‘what do I do now?’_ Gahyeon thought to herself as she walked towards the meeting place.

_‘I know I have to act like I have no idea what it’s a trap. But will that be as easy as I think?’_ Gahyeon thought to herself as she walked along, acting distracted in thought as she listened to everything around her.

Gahyeon had decided to do this because, as one of the few pairs in her pack that was mated and had finished their transformation, she was the safest choice. Plus, he would be hesitant to do anything to her because of both Siyeon and Dami, who she knew that he fears from their last meeting.

Handong wasn’t a choice either. If Handong went, they would probably kill her to try to get to Elkie. Jackson had made his dislike of vampires very clear over the years, so she wouldn’t ask any of them for help.

Her other choice was Sunmi and Chungha, but Gahyeon couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to one of them, leaving the other alone again. Both girls had suffered enough over the years.

This just left Gahyeon. Even if Jackson did something to her, her bond with Dami wouldn’t be broken, and he would suffer the punishment for messing with a bond. Gahyeon didn’t know what the punishment was, but she knew it was severe and that usually stopped most wolves from doing something stupid.

Soon Gahyeon heard footsteps approaching her from behind. Gahyeon closed her eyes as she continued to walk and listened to the plants around her. From what they said, around four males were closing in on her.

_‘well, here it goes… time to play the victim.’_ Gahyeon thought as a hand covered her mouth. She acted like she wanted to scream as she struggled weakly, but within seconds, she was unconscious from whatever they held over her mouth. But not before hearing shouts of panic and curses from her kidnappers.

Gahyeon woke up a bit later. She was unsure of how much time had passed, but what she did know is that she was in a dark room with her hands tied behind her back and her feet bound as she laid on her side on a cold cement floor.

Gahyeon closed her eyes and breathed in, triggering her vampire abilities looking for blood. There were hints of blood here and there from what she could smell, but nothing major which was a relief to her.

Next, Gahyeon triggered her wolf hearing as she slowed her breathing to hear better.

“I'm telling you! We must have grabbed her near some forest spirits turf! All the plants in the area flipped out as soon as we tried to grab her! Look at all of the scratches we got!” one man said. He sounded panicked as Gahyeon heard the shifting of some sort of fabric.

_‘he must be lifting up a sleeve or pants leg to show them… good babies!’_ Gahyeon thought as she thought proudly of the plants that decided to against their nature and try to help Gahyeon without her powers to fuel them.

“they are just flashy, but they don’t do anything! All I see is a couple of scrapes! Get over it!” a male said. At his comment, she could hear what sounded like the whiner straightening up.

_‘oh, so this guy must be someone with rank in Jackson’s pack…’_ Gahyeon thought as she listened. All of this would be useful to her pack, and she couldn’t miss anything.

“I have enough to deal with right now. That Chinese alpha is trying to raise a fuss because “we” lost his daughter… like I don’t have enough to deal with already…” the guy said as he sighed, and she heard him shift his weight from one foot to another. He was either nervous or naturally anxious.

“sorry JB, I know you are going through a lot. Why is that mutt still here anyway? Wasn’t he supposed to leave yesterday?” the whiny one asked as this JB scoffed.

“he wants to make a deal for that new drug we started producing. Jackson likes the idea of expanding into china because it would mean more money for him to try to enlarge his pack. The mutt likes just the drugs. As we saw from the fight with those bitches, those Chinese wolves have no true fighting experience.” JB said and paused briefly as he pulled something out of his pocket.

It crinkled like a small plastic bag, and soon, JB started talking again.

“With this, we don’t feel pain or exhausted until it runs out of our system. It's also not dangerous to us because our bodies are stronger than a human’s and can repair itself faster. The only downside is that prolonged use will kill your sense of smell…” JB said, and soon, Gahyeon heard the baggie being put back in his pocket.

“is that why Jackson couldn’t tell that that Chinese girl was bonded?” the whiney one asked, and she could hear JB laugh.

“partially. He lost almost all of his sense of smell when he was younger. This just got rid of it completely. Now, do you have your dose? You know that those bitches are probably going to come for their little one. You need to be ready.” This JB said, and soon, the two split up.

Gahyeon could hear that one of them was walking towards the door, and soon it opened to show a lean male enter. Gahyeon played like she was still unconscious as he walked his way closer to her.

The wolf kneeled down and checked her pulse. It took all that Gahyeon had not to flinch at his cold touch. Next, he brushed the hair out of her face and checked her forehead.

“slightly warm compared to me, but rumors are she's a hybrid. I don’t know if this is normal or a bad sign…” he said softly to himself, and Gahyeon recognized the voice. It was the one in charge. JB.

JB sighed as he flopped down beside her and looked at her with his head tilted slightly.

“why were we always told to avoid her? She looks so harmless.” JB mused as he thought the girl was still sleeping. “oh well… let's just hope Jackson doesn’t kill you…” JB whispered more to himself than to Gahyeon as he slowly got up and walked out of the room.

Gahyeon waited until she heard the click of the lock before she opened her eyes once more. _‘what was that about?’_ Gahyeon wondered as she tested the ropes on her wrists and ankles. _‘it won't budge…’_ Gahyeon thought as she struggled silently.

_‘now what?’_ Gahyeon wondered as she started to space out. Without knowing, she started searching for nearby plants. It was something she started doing when she was bored after her powers first showed themselves.

To Gahyeon’s surprise, there were plants underneath the concrete below her. Just like the first plant she had made friends with, these were old. Only roots remained as they lay dormant until they could find the sun again.

Gahyeon probed the plants as she asked them what they were. An image of a very dense looking vining plant flashed into her head. What caught her attention was that it was like one of the plants that Sunmi had mentioned before.

It reacted to something that touched it. Unlike the one Sunmi spoke about, this one wouldn’t retract on touch, but instead, it would snare things that came close without the need for Gahyeon’s powers.

_‘this could be helpful…’_ Gahyeon thought as she noted in her mind where all of the vines were under the floor.

Soon Gahyeon was snapped out of her distraction by the sounds of boots stomping quickly as they made their way to the door.

“Open it!” a familiar voice said, and soon, the door swung open as Jackson walked in. He acted like he was royalty. He wouldn’t touch anything and made his subordinates do everything for him, and quickly, a chair was produced so that he could sit in front of Gahyeon.

_‘great…’_ Gahyeon thought as she started to feel nervous _. ‘just what I needed…’_ Gahyeon mentally groaned as she heard him lean in for a closer look.

“Is she still unconscious?” Jackson asked abruptly, and JB was quick to respond.

“yes, I checked on her a minute ago and still no changes,” JB said coldly as he stood there.

_‘he sounds like he really doesn’t want to be here…’_ Gahyeon thought as she noted the cold way JB talked to Jackson.

Either Jackson was clueless to it, or he just didn’t care as he ignored it and moved on. “let me know as soon as she wakes up so we can play…” Jackson said, sounding excited and Gahyeon could swear she heard a faint sound of disgust come from JB.

“you know she is bonded, right? You know you will only make your situation worse if you do…” JB said and quickly after she could hear a loud smack, and she could only guess that Jackson had slapped JB.

“don’t be ridiculous! She's not old enough to have had her final transformation!” Jackson said as JB laughed.

“you would know if you actually listened to the reports from your scouts. She's a hybrid, and her transformation, as well as her mates, came early. If you weren’t always taking that damn drug, you would be able to smell it on her too…” JB said coldly, and she could feel that Jackson’s emotions were going wild at the moment.

“you are not messing with me, right?” Jackson asked menacingly. Jackson’s voice seemed closer to JB now, but JB seemed unphased.

“no, I'm not messing with you. Ask one of our scouts who can still smell if you don’t believe me. If you touch her, you are only going to make yourself worse…” JB said, and soon, another smack was heard.

“I'm not going crazy!” Jackson screamed at the top of his lungs, and Gahyeon could hear some of his subordinates’ flinch at the outburst. Again, JB seemed unphased.

“When I agreed to help you form this pack, you weren't like this… you didn’t want to become like your uncle. Now, look at you…” JB said mournfully.

Gahyeon was curious, so she probed JB’s emotions. To Gahyeon’s surprise, JB’s emotions showed that he was truly sad at what Jackson had become, and soon, Gahyeon understood JB’s actions earlier.

_‘he's not like Jackson. He also sounds like the second in command. If something happens to Jackson, maybe this pack can still be redeemed…’_ Gahyeon thought as the group left her room, ‘if Siyeon leaves anyone alive at the end of this,’ Gahyeon thought, but she was soon distracted as she felt Dami’s mind nearby.

_‘GAHYEON?!?’Dami shouted in Gahyeon’s head as she fought to herself, trying not to wince at the loudness._

_‘I knew you would come…’_ Gahyeon said, trying to sound mad. But Dami could feel the relief that Gahyeon felt just at knowing Dami was close enough for her to hear her mate.

_‘don’t even try to joke right now! We are on our way. Be prepared. Jackson left a nasty message to Siyeon, and she's livid… if the building is still standing when we are done, I will be surprised.’_ Dami said, and Gahyeon could practically feel her eyes roll.

_‘the others with you?’_ Gahyeon asked, and she was shocked to know that she could only hear Dami.

_‘yes. We are all on our way, and it looks like its war with Jackson’s pack. Siyeon is beyond pissed…’_ Dami said with a sigh.

_‘why can't I hear them then?’_ Gahyeon asked, and she could hear Dami mentally giggle.

_‘your necklace. Siyeon found one of my books was about demons and their powers. Those items I gave you are like a link to the two of us. It’s how I could find you so easily,’_ Dami said as Gahyeon fought a smile.

_‘remind me to hug you and Siyeon after this…’_ Gahyeon said as she felt relief wash over her knowing that they were close.

_‘oh, but I may have some interesting info…’_ Gahyeon said as she shared her memories of JB and the whiney wolf and soon, Jackson.

_‘What is this new drug? Is it really that dangerous?’_ Dami asked, but Gahyeon didn’t know the answer to that. She hadn’t seen any wolf on it so far.

_‘All I know is that he said that they can't feel pain and don’t feel tired. That sounds extremely dangerous to me. It reminds me of the stories of rabid wolves. We all know how dangerous they could be. So, warn the others and please… be careful…’_ Gahyeon pleaded.

_‘believe me. We are ready for them…’_ Dami said, her voice going cold.

_‘what about Elkie? Her stepfather is here…’_ Gahyeon asked worriedly, and Dami laughed.

_‘oh, she’s VERY excited to meet him. It seems like she has finally found her confidence to stand up to him. It also didn’t help that they kidnapped you. She seems to like you…’_ Dami teased, and it made Gahyeon smile.

Dami asked Gahyeon how she was, and Gahyeon explained how she couldn’t free herself. Dami didn’t like the idea of Gahyeon being tied up when the fighting began, so she thought deeply before an idea popped into her head.

_‘Gahyeon? What are the ropes that are binding you made out of?’_ Dami asked as she prayed for the answer she was looking for.

_‘some kind of natural rope judging by how rough and scratchy it is. It's not smooth like synthetic. Why?’_ Gahyeon asked, and Dami just grinned.

_‘that means it was made of plants, Gahyeon. See what happens if you pour a little bit of your power into it.’_ Dami said as she prayed that her idea would work.

Quickly Gahyeon poured some of her powers into the bindings, and to her surprise, the ropes started to feel alive again. As soon as her power stopped flowing into it, the ropes went lifeless again, but now Gahyeon knew what Dami meant.

Gahyeon quickly forced a bit of her power into the bindings, and they fell apart as they tried to go back into their original form. It made Gahyeon sad that as soon as her powers faded, the plants fell apart back into the individual fibers of the rope. Lifeless.

_‘well? Did it work?’_ Dami asked her voice full of anxiety.

_‘yes. I'm free.’_ Gahyeon said as she moved her wrists to get the feeling back into them and then her ankles.

_‘make sure you’re ready, oh, and when Siyeon is in range, expect to hear a lot of yelling…’_ Dami said as Gahyeon groaned.

_‘she must be really mad, huh?’_ Gahyeon asked, feeling sheepish as Dami giggled.

_‘you have no idea…’_ Dami said as she looked over at a VERY worried Siyeon running full force towards where Dami was leading them.

Siyeon was running hard as her paws pounded against the ground. They decided against cars because it would make too much noise. They didn’t want to lose the element of surprise, but Dami was worried that she was pressing herself too hard. She hasn’t finished her transformation, so her stamina isn’t as good as everyone else's.

_‘be prepared, and we will give a signal when we start. Ok?’_ Dami asked, and Gahyeon agreed as she struggled to stand on her numb legs.

Gahyeon had finally regained her strength in her legs and started searching for more plants. To her surprise, there was a nasty vine that loved twining its way through rocks and cement as it climbed. It would make easy work of the building with a bit of her power.

As she continued to probe the area with her powers, she realized that she was able to somewhat map out the area. The plants that ware weaker were covered by concrete, and the flourishing plants outlined where the sunlight could reach. She didn’t know what the building looked like inside, but a map of the outside may be helpful for Siyeon and the others.

_‘Dami?’_ Gahyeon asked as she waited anxiously for a response.

_‘yes? Is everything alright?!’_ Dami asked nervously, and Gahyeon couldn’t help but smile at the worried tone in her voice.

_‘yes, I was trying to find more plants nearby when I realized that I can somewhat map out the outside of the buildings. I thought you all may like that info…’_ Gahyeon said as she waited for a response.

Gahyeon could feel the shock that Dami felt at what she just told her, and then she could almost hear the gears of Dami’s mind turning as she planned.

_‘can you show me?’_ Dami asked, and Gahyeon complied.

_‘amazing! Gahyeon, you have no idea how much this helps!’_ Dami shouted, making Gahyeon wince at the outburst.

_‘ouch!’_ Gahyeon said as she pouted, causing Dami to laugh.

_‘Sorry, we should be getting close, so you should be able to hear Siyeon and the others soon. Oh, do you happen to know how tall the building is? Or if there are different levels?’_ Dami asked. Gahyeon paused as she thought about the answer.

_‘Hmm, I can try to see if one of the vining plants along one of the walls can trail up to see how tall it is. As for how deep that shouldn’t be a problem. I just need to sense for roots below the concrete…’_ Gahyeon said as she closed her eyes and started calling to the plants.

_‘ah, here!’_ Gahyeon said as she shared two images. One of the vines at the side of the building going up three stories, and the other mapping how deep the building went. The images told Dami that the building was like a warehouse that was at least three stories tall and also had a basement level.

_‘do you see what I see?’_ Dami asked as she looked over the image in her head.

_‘if you are asking if I noticed what looked like a tunnel underground, then yes. Do you think you can enter there? Or maybe split up and hit them from both sides?’_ Gahyeon asked as Dami hummed in satisfaction.

_‘you know exactly how I think. Siyeon and Bora and Chungha can go through the tunnel. The others will go with me to attack the outside to draw everyone's attention. They will just think that Siyeon is too afraid to show up until we attack from within too…’_ Dami said, and Gahyeon could almost feel her grinning.

_‘Gahyeon?’_ Siyeon asked. Her voice was panicked as she waited nervously for a response.

_‘Siyeon? Are you all in range now?’_ Gahyeon asked as she heard her sister sigh.

_‘no, just Dami and I. I guess my range is longer now. thank god you are safe…’_ Siyeon said, and Gahyeon could feel some nervous energy dissipating slowly.

_‘Dami said you were alright, but I still worried…’_ Siyeon said as Gahyeon giggled.

_‘don’t worry, we're fine. Dami? Is three enough? What about sending Yoohyeon with Siyeon Bora and Chungha? I’m pretty sure that a lot of Yoohyeon’s fake family is here. If they don’t see her, then they may let their guard down. Plus, I think it would be a good thing to have Siyeon with Yoohyeon for this…’_ Gahyeon said. Both Dami and Siyeon agreed as they thought about Yoohyeon’s trauma, and soon, their teams were set.

Siyeon, Bora, Yoohyeon, and Chungha would try to find the underground tunnel that Gahyeon had found while Dami, Minji, Sunmi, Handong, and Elkie would attack head-on as a distraction.

_‘please be careful, everyone…’_ Gahyeon said as she wished for her friends and family to leave this unhurt.

_‘we will be. Be safe, Gahyeon. I'm coming for you. I promise…’_ Dami said as they went quiet and told the others about the plan.


	33. Chapter 33

-Dami-

Dami was trying to remain calm, but it was hard knowing that her mate was in the lair of a lunatic. Subconsciously Dami was clawing the dirt as she felt the cool earth on her paws to calm herself when she felt another wolf rub against her in an attempt at comfort.

As Dami looked over to the wolf, she was staring into the yellow-black eyes of Yoohyeon. A soft whimper rumbled from Yoohyeon’s chest as she nuzzled her sister.

_‘you’re worried, aren’t you?’_ Yoohyeon asked as she pointed her nose at Dami’s paws. The younger girl looked down and sighed.

_‘yes. Aren’t you too? I know the last time you were in a situation like this, it left you traumatized…’_ Dami said worriedly as she nudged the shoulder of her older sister.

_‘a little bit… I can't lie. I can't forget what happened back then… but more than my fear, I don’t want Gahyeon to experience the same things I did… we need to do everything we can to save her. At least he can’t use the fear of breaking your bond against her. I-I think that was what I was afraid of the most…’_ Yoohyeon said as she glanced over at Minji.

The older girl had just looked away to listen to Siyeon, so Yoohyeon didn’t notice the sad expression her mate was giving her. She didn’t know that Minji had heard everything.

_‘Minji… now is the time for revenge for Yoohyeon, but just don’t get yourself hurt in the process… you know Yoohyeon would never forgive herself if you got hurt because of her…’_ Siyeon said as Minji nodded sadly.

_‘I know. But every time I look at her, I worry about what she has suffered because of me. I should have known that Jackson wouldn’t leave us alone after being humiliated. I should have been protecting her… I can't forgive myself for that… Can you please show me what happened to her?’_ Minji pleaded, but Siyeon shook her head.

_‘it's not for me to show you. I feel horrible as it is making her live it again to show me. If she gave me permission, that’s one thing, but not now. not before a fight.’_ Siyeon said as Minji nodded. She understood what Siyeon meant, but her mind took her to darker places, and she couldn’t help but feel rage boiling just below the surface, waiting to erupt at any second.

No one seemed to notice the slight changes happening to the vampires. Everything was tot tense at the moment, but slight changes were in store for the vampires. Their eyes were slowly becoming more yellow than red as Siyeon came closer to her final transformation.

_‘everyone! Gahyeon has mapped out the area with her plants. So, we are not going in blind. Gather around, and Dami will share it!’_ Siyeon said, and soon, all eyes were on Dami.

_‘here is the map that was given to me by Gahyeon…’_ Dami said as she shared the memory with everyone.

_‘wow… this is amazing. Did we know that she could do this?’_ Chungha asked Sunmi.

_‘I didn’t even think about using the plants' roots as a way of mapping. You all surprise me all the time…’_ Sunmi said in amazement as she looked at the map in her head.

_‘is that a tunnel?’_ Handong asked as Siyeon and Dami nodded.

_‘it seems like another entrance or most likely exit so that if anything happens, Jackson has a way to escape. Siyeon Bora Yoohyeon and Chungha, can you go through the secret tunnel and cut off their escape? It will also allow us to attack them from inside as well as outside once their guard is down.’_ Dami said, and the girls in question nodded.

_‘as for the rest of us, we will attack from the front and distract them, allowing the others to enter the tunnel safely. But there's something to be wary of…’_ Dami said as she shared the conversation that Gahyeon had overheard earlier.

_‘drugs?’_ Yoohyeon asked in shock.

_‘how bad can they be? I mean, really?’_ Handong said, but Elkie’s eyes went wide at the mention of the drug.

_‘I think I've seen it… my stepfather was challenged by a wolf right before I escaped. The wolf seemed unkillable. He looked wild, and no matter how much damage he took, he didn’t fall. It wasn’t until he finally bled to death, did he finally stop. If we are going up against a pack that is all on this, we have a problem on our hands…’_ Elkie said as she shared the memory of the wild-looking wolf as it fought with no care for its own life.

Near the end of the fight, the wolf's mouth was foaming from exhaustion, but he just couldn’t feel it as he kept pushing himself until his body just physically couldn’t handle it anymore. The girls all tensed up watching the fight.

_‘that’s your stepfather?’_ Dami asked as she memorized the other wolf. Elkie nodded.

_‘don’t worry, we will keep him away from you.’_ Dami said, but Elkie shook her head as she gave a look of pure determination.

_‘no, he's mine. He may have killed my father and controlled my mother, but I will show him he can't control me anymore. He's mine…’_ Elkie said. Her confidence was shocking, seeing as just a couple of days ago, she was the complete opposite.

_‘not yours, OURS. I believe we BOTH have a score to settle.’_ Handong purred as Elkie nuzzled her mate.

_‘ours.’_ Elkie said as Handong snuggled into the long reddish fur of her mate for comfort. She was worried that her friends would get hurt, and Elkie’s scent calmed her greatly.

_‘just remember to keep your cool and also remember that Jackson has sided with Yoohyeon’s fake family as well as the Chinese pack. It means their numbers are in the hundreds or maybe greater while we have been in hiding. That must be why it’s in a giant warehouse that is several levels. Expect enemies everywhere, and don’t let your guard down.’_ Dami said as she looked at every one individually.

_‘and please, you all are family to me. Please be careful so that we ALL can go home together. Ration your powers because we are going against huge numbers and remember that we are a pack. No going off on your own, please?’_ Dami asked as Siyeon watched in pride.

Dami knew that Siyeon was too anxious to give their plan, so Dami did it for her, and she didn’t disappoint Siyeon.

_‘if something does happen to me… I know I left my family in the right hands…’_ Siyeon thought to herself softly.

Dami jumped as she heard the soft whisper of Siyeon’s thoughts. She wasn’t sure if it was the demon blood running through her veins or if she really was an alpha like Siyeon said, but Siyeon’s words made Dami’s heart ache.

_‘she must be so scared right now…’_ Dami thought as she watched as Siyeon constantly glances at Bora as the vampire talked with the others.

Dami remembered the conversation the night they had to flee Minji’s home. Siyeon must honestly feel like she won't make it out of this alive. She knew she shouldn’t take it personally. It wasn’t because Siyeon didn’t trust or believe in her pack, it was just her anxiety and fear getting the better of her.

_‘how hard must it have been to keep her secret hidden. Even from her family for fear of exactly this moment…’_ Dami thought as she worried about her alpha.

_‘is everything alright? I can feel that your upset…’_ Gahyeon asked making Dami jump in surprise.

_‘I’m fine, it just seems like Siyeon is stressing. We are about to split up and start our plan. You ready? Remember to stay calm. Also, don’t forget the gifts I gave you…’_ Dami said as Gahyeon smiled. The younger girl’s fingers were playing with her necklace, so Gahyeon couldn’t help but smile.

_’oh, believe me, I can't forget them.’_ Gahyeon said happily, but suddenly, Dami felt a wave of panic.

_‘what's wrong?’_ Dami asked as she stood at alert, startling the rest of her pack.

_‘I think I hear someone coming. I don’t know if its Jackson or not. Shit! I need to lay down again and act like I'm still unconscious!’_ Gahyeon said as she quickly flopped onto the ground and got back into the same position.

-Gahyeon-

Gahyeon just barely got back into position and closed her eyes when the door opened, shining in blindingly bright light from the hallway. In strode Jackson with JB and two other males.

“still asleep, huh? Well? Is she bonded?” Jackson asked the two strangers coldly.

Gahyeon struggled to stay completely still as the two wolves shifted and walked closer. Her hair fluttered from one of the wolves' breath as he took in deep breaths and paused. The second wolf was walking around and very rudely nudged Gahyeon’s ass with his nose as he took a deep breath.

Her heart was beating fast, and she hoped that they couldn’t hear it or they would realize that she was awake. Finally, the two walked away and shifted back.

“she is definitely bonded. She also smells funny, I don’t know what it is, but she doesn’t seem to be a full wolf. Be careful of her. She may be dangerous…” one of the males said as the others nodded in agreement. He was silent and didn’t say anything.

“FUCK!” Jackson screamed as he stomped out of the room in a fury. JB only shook his head sadly as he watched his once friend storming away and turned around.

“thank you for not mentioning that she's still in heat. Even if she’s bonded, he will do something stupid. Guard her, please. We three saw for ourselves what their pack can do. If she is harmed in any way, our lives are forfeit. I hate to say it, but this may also be our last chance to rid ourselves of him…” JB said as he glanced at Jackson, who was stomping away then down at Gahyeon.

_‘_ _we will protect her, don’t worry.’_ The once silent one said as he shifted back into his wolf form and sat by the door like a guard dog as the other boy did the same. JB nodded and walked out the door as he carefully closed the door, trying not to wake up Gahyeon.

Once the door was closed, Gahyeon heard shuffling as one of the wolves made themselves comfortable.

_‘you can stop pretending to be asleep. We know you are awake.’_ The one who talked first said as he sighed of boredom.

Gahyeon flinched but continued to lay there as the male sighed.

_‘we won't hurt you.’_ The silent one said as he stretched. His nails scratching softly on the concrete as he sighed and repositioned himself. The silence in the room was driving everyone crazy.

_‘leave her alone. If I were her, I would be afraid of what's going to happen to my family or me. You can't blame her.’_ The other one said as he yawned.

_‘you don’t really think that everyone supports him, do you?’_ the quieter one asked as Gahyeon stayed in place.

_‘Dami? What do I do?’_ Gahyeon asked as she quickly shared her memories of what is happening.

_‘Should I talk to them? They had to notice that my wrists and ankles aren’t bound anymore, but I'm still not sure of them. Could this be a trap?’_ Gahyeon asked in a panic.

Dami quickly thought about all of the possibilities.

_‘the best thing is to be cautious. Expect it to be a trap, and if it's not, then well, isn’t that a pleasant surprise?’_ Dami said as Gahyeon mentally agreed with the girl.

_‘either fake a nightmare or act like your starting to wake up. But don’t give any signs that we are on our way. Feel free to probe them for information, but don’t give them anything in return. Ok?’_ Dami asked, and Gahyeon nodded as she started acting like she was having a nightmare.

Gahyeon thought of something to speed her heart rate up and started to groan as she would move slightly.

“what’s wrong with her?” the more talkative one asked now in human form as he approached Gahyeon.

Carefully he gently touched Gahyeon’s forehead. Luckily, she was naturally warmer than other wolves, so with the sweating caused by her panic, he feared she may be sick.

“she’s too warm and sweating!” the talkative one said, and soon she felt another set of hands on her. They weren't as gentle, but they weren't rough either. More businesslike as he quickly checked her pulse on her neck then wrist.

“I can't tell if it’s just a nightmare or if she's really sick. I have heard that hybrids are either warmer or colder than normal…” the quiet one said as he carefully straightened Gahyeon out and put their shredded clothes under her head as a pillow.

“what now? Should we ask JB to come back or something?” the talkative one asked, but the other shook his head.

“it would alert the others. We don’t want everyone knowing she’s here and trying to get a look at her. You remember that wolf before…” the quiet one said. Gahyeon was shocked at how sad he sounded.

_‘who is this other wolf that they are talking about?’_ Gahyeon asked herself as she listened to the two talk.

“Yoohyeon, her name was Kim Yoohyeon. Like I could ever forget that name… the three of us were basically banished from the pack for trying to stand up to Jackson because of what he did to her…” the more talkative one was now silent, and Gahyeon could feel true sadness and remorse radiating off of him.

“if only we didn’t back down that day. It still disgusts me that her own family suggested that plan. Just so that that old woman can say that her family is part of the biggest pack in town… disgusting…” the quiet one said, and Gahyeon couldn’t believe her ears.

“I'm not going to make the same mistake this time. Even if Jackson kills me, he's not touching this girl…” the talkative one said as he looked protectively at Gahyeon.

Gahyeon felt chills running down her spine at the idea she may find out what happened to Yoohyeon. _‘should I ask them? I think Yoohyeon should know if it was her own family that willingly offered to turn her over first. If she knew it wasn’t even Jackson's idea, maybe she would feel easier fighting them…’_ Gahyeon wondered as she thought about what that would mean.

_‘maybe it's best not to know…’_ Gahyeon thought to herself as she listened quietly.

_‘I’m sure Yoohyeon would have told us if she really wanted us to know, and maybe this will be too much information for her to take in right now… I need to ask Dami first…’_ Gahyeon thought as she tried not to move.

_‘Dami?’_ Gahyeon asked nervously as her pack got into position.

_‘what's wrong?’_ Dami asked, and Gahyeon couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Dami was always thinking the worst whenever she would say her name.

_‘I may have some info about what happened to Yoohyeon, should I acknowledge them and ask about it?’_ Gahyeon asked, forgetting that Dami is Yoohyeon’s little sister for the moment. The fact was still new and slightly hard to accept.

_‘What did you find out?’_ Dami asked, and Gahyeon quickly shared the memory and realized a little too late about her mistake as she felt anger radiating from her mate.

_‘oh, shit…’_ Gahyeon thought to herself as she mentally smacked herself.

_‘I’m sorry… I keep forgetting you’re her little sister. Maybe I should have asked Siyeon on this one and not you…’_ Gahyeon apologized, but Dami assured her it was alright.

_‘it’s good to know. I was feeling bad about fighting the people that raised Yoohyeon… but not anymore…’_ Dami said as Gahyeon felt a cold chill roll across her body. Dami’s tone was threatening, and Gahyeon didn’t know how to take her mate's alpha-like sides.

_‘I don’t know the right answer for this, though. On one side, I want to know what happened to my sister, but on the other side, I want to respect her privacy. Maybe she doesn’t tell us because it will be too much for either her or us…’_ Dami said as she thought to herself.

_‘I will let you decide. I trust you and will trust your decision.’_ Dami said as she Gahyeon thought of what to do next.

_‘well… I guess it’s time to wake up…’_ Gahyeon thought as she started to mumble and stir, causing the boys to look at her worriedly.

As she stirred, the quieter wolf walked over to check on her. Sadly, she forgot that he was naked and woke up to a face full of soft male wolfy bits in front of her face.

“eek!” Gahyeon squeaked as she jumped backward in shock.

“what's wrong?” the quiet wolf asked, completely unaware of what startled the younger girl.

The other wolf, however, started laughing at his clueless friend as he tossed a spare pair of shorts at his friend.

“why? Oh, OH!” he shouted as he quickly struggled to get the shorts on as Gahyeon looked away in horror. It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen one before. But she really didn’t want such an up-close view of a stranger’s.

“Sorry!” the quiet wolf said as he stood up and backed away with his hands up, showing he meant no harm.

“I'm sorry, I wasn’t trying to do anything wrong to you, I promise!” the quiet wolf said as he rested his back against the wall.

Gahyeon looked at the two. The quiet one was tall, whereas the one sitting on the floor with his back against the wall looked slightly shorter, but Gahyeon would have to wait until he stood to see, and if he was pantsless too, she would rather him continue sitting.

“Yugyeom, I think you are just scaring the poor girl more.” The shorter guy said as he shook his head at his friend.

“jinyoung, it’s not funny! I don’t want to scare her like that other girl!” the taller wolf said as he looked at Gahyeon apologetically.

“what girl?” Gahyeon asked cautiously, and she noticed right away that both boys froze at the question.

“We don’t want to scare you, so we won't tell you. But just know you are safe with us. We bet our lives on it.” The shorter boy said as he locked eyes with Gahyeon.

“But I want to know… I want to know what will happen to me if your lying…” Gahyeon said as she acted scared of the two.

“we wouldn’t lie to you!” the taller one said as he tried to reassure Gahyeon, but the animated gestures he was using to try to seem more friendly only made him look slightly crazy. Gahyeon didn’t know what to think about these two.

“well, if you won't tell me about this other girl, can you tell me why Jackson is like this?” Gahyeon asked, and she could see their expressions darken.

“he wasn’t always like this…” the shorter boy said as he sighed and ran his fingers through his black hair.

“he has been slowly losing his mind. It must be a punishment for taking a female that found her mate but hadn’t bonded yet by force. He broke her bond. And as if that wasn’t bad enough. He was forced to do it and had no choice. But now he's becoming like the one that made him do that all those years ago…” the taller one said as he shook his head.

“We should have put a stop to him earlier… but how can we kill a friend? Especially when you remember how sweet and kind he used to be… it's hard…” the taller one continued as he frowned.

“so, going crazy slowly is the only punishment he got?” Gahyeon asked, shocked.

“it's usually more severe, but because he was forced to, it seemed less severe however it has started getting worse very rapidly lately. It was difficult to keep him away from you. I was worried it would lead to a fight…” the shorter one said as he frowned.

“We were hoping he would find his mate and they would be able to help him, but I'm wondering if he doesn’t have one due to what he did. I'm not sure about that but all of these years and he still hasn’t found his…” he said, and the taller one nodded sadly.

“so, because he took away someone's mate, he lost his?” Gahyeon asked, and the two nodded.

_‘Well, isn’t that a bit of karma…’_ Gahyeon thought to herself as she took in everything she heard. ‘but that doesn’t seem like enough punishment to me…’ she thought as she looked at the two in front of her.

“But why are you standing up to him now?” Gahyeon asked, catching the two wolves off guard.

“We don’t want to become monsters like him. We helped him create this pack, and it was never meant to become like this…” the short one said as he shook his head.

“If someone doesn’t stop him, he will spread that drug all over and get even stronger. We have to stop him NOW. We were hoping to ask your pack for help, but who would believe us? We have been his right-hand men for years…” the tall one said as he frowned.

“I know you probably don’t believe us, but we are serious. Wait, did you hear that?” the shorter one asked as he heard a commotion outside. Quickly the two shifted back into their wolf forms as they positioned themselves in front of Gahyeon in a protective stance.

The door started to open slowly. The two started a deep growl making the person opening the door freeze before his face peeked through the door. The two instantly quieted as he slipped inside quietly.

“they are here. I can smell them. Don’t leave her alone. You know as soon as Jackson realizes they are here, all hell will break loose!” the newcomer said as he nodded politely to Gahyeon.

“there here? Already? Are you sure?” the shorter one asked as the newcomer rolled his eyes.

“who has the strongest nose in this pack?” he asked with a frown.

“you do Youngjae…” the taller one said as he rolled his eyes.

“exactly, so we need to make sure that she is protected! After I leave try to block the door!” he said as he went to duck back out.

“with what?” the shorter one said as he swept his arms around, showing the empty room.

“ok, fair enough. Just keep her safe then, ok?” he said as the others nodded and ducked out the door.

Gahyeon touched her necklace, removing one seed, and walked over to the door.

“what are you doing?” the taller one asked curiously.

“barricading the door,” Gahyeon said as the two tilted their heads in confusion.

Gahyeon gently placed the seed down. It was buzzing with excitement at the possibility of growing and Gahyeon couldn’t help but smile at the little seed.

She slowly let some of her power flow into it, and within seconds, the seed shot roots down through the concrete until it struck rich soil. Once it was well rooted, the plant burst to life as the familiar blood-red thorns shot up, and the vines worked their way into the wall anchoring it securely.

The door may open, but there was no way that someone would be able to get through the thick thorny vines to get to them inside the room. And if they tried, the numbing effect would render them immobile for several minutes, at least.

Gahyeon turned around to see the two wolves in the opposite corner from her looking both stunned and terrified.

Gahyeon rolled her eyes as she flopped down and waited for her rescue. _‘oh great… my protectors are scared of a little plant…’_ Gahyeon thought to herself as she sat down and waited for the signal.


	34. Chapter 34

-Dami leading the attack-

_‘Dami, we are almost in position. Start when you are ready!’_ Siyeon said as she and the others waited silently by the tunnel. Hunkered down in the tall grass.

They were hoping that the two wolves guarding the tunnel entrance would leave their post so that they would be able to enter completely unnoticed. So now everything rested on Dami.

_‘alright. We are in position too. You are about to hear us…’_ Dami said as she looked around at her group.

_‘ready? Remember, we want to get them into a panic. Once we are almost on them, we howl. Not before that. It will catch them off guard as we crash into them.’_ Dami said, and the others nodded.

_‘remember ration your powers. Minji, please be careful. We don’t know how your power will manifest itself, so be careful and no splitting up!’_ Dami said as the group nodded.

_‘ok, let go!_ ’ Dami said, and soon the pack was barreling at full speed towards Gahyeon and Jackson's crazy pack.

They were in perfect formation and running completely silent as they approached, but it just seemed too easy. How could they have not smelled them by now?

They were finally in range, and as Dami gave the signal, the pack let out a howl startling the wolves that seemed completely unaware of their approach.

Soon Dami and her pack were met with swarms of young wolves running to meet their challenge. They seemed to come from everywhere as they prepared to defend their home.

The two packs crashed into each other powerfully. Dami was shredding through wolves like they were nothing as Sunmi zipped in and out of the enemies taking out the ones she felt were the most threats, but they noticed right away that the wolves they were fighting just wouldn’t go down.

Wounds that would usually render a wolf useless seemed to do absolutely nothing as they would just stand up again and rage forward.

_‘it has to be the drug! They just won't go down!’_ Dami said as she fought to not get overwhelmed by the larger numbers.

Dami decided to test something as a smaller wolf that had been giving her problems lunged at her. She instantly caught the wolf's head in her large jaws, and with a bone-crunching bite, the wolf stilled in her jaws.

_‘go for the head of the smaller ones! They can’t keep fighting if you crush their skull or rip out their throat!’_ Dami said as she weaved in and out of the enemies.

Soon their tactics changed as wolves finally started to fall, but there was an issue with the vampires.

Minji was using her speed and zipping in and out, but she wasn’t able to do as much damage as the others, and soon, she was separated from the others as she was surrounded.

Minji tried not to panic as she looked at the group that surrounded her, and suddenly she recognized them. They were part of Yoohyeon’s fake family.

A soft growl rumbled from Minji’s chest as she watched one wolf walk forward. It was the wolf that stared Yoohyeon down when they encountered Jackson and his pack last time.

_‘so that bitch couldn’t face us herself but sent her mate as a sacrifice for us instead? This makes everything so easy for us…’_ the wolf said as rage radiated off of Minji.

“tough talk for one who could never beat Yoohyeon at ANYTHING. Jealous, are we?” Minji said as her eyes blazed, showing the gold ring as it crept up, covering the red. Something was happening to Minji, but both Minji and the others were too busy to notice it.

_‘jealous of that runt? I think not!’_ the wolf said as Minji scoffed as she tensed. She could feel the wolves around her, preparing for their attack. Her senses seemed to be stronger as she heard the wolves nervously paw at the earth as they shifted their weight, preparing for the attack.

_‘its at least ten against one. Not very fair odds, are they?’_ Minji thought to herself as she breathed in slowly and let her instincts take over.

The mouthy wolf lunged in, but when he landed, Minji wasn’t there. He spun around in confusion when he looked up and met the very large golden eyes of a giant cat. Almost as large as Dami in her wolf form and extremely muscular. The snow leopard that was once Minji smashed a strong paw down, crushing the wolf's skull as she swiftly spun around using her long tail to create some space as well as smashing some unlucky wolves away.

Minji lunged in and locked her jaws around the throat of one wolf and shook it furiously until she heard a snap, and the wolf stilled, and soon, she was off on her next target.

Dami looked over worried that Minji went missing when she heard a very feline roar erupt from the center of a group of wolves and soon they went flying as a large cat that Dami knew had to be Minji roared and spun around taking out wolf after wolf until the last few ran away in terror.

Minji quickly looked around for her pack spotting Dami and bolted over.

_‘Sorry! I got separated by Yoohyeon’s family!’_ Minji said as the two started ripping apart the wolves in front of them.

_‘nice cat form!’_ Dami said as Minji laughed.

Dami was amazed. Unlike when her tail and ears were out in human form, her cat forms colors were reversed. Her fur was black with white spots and eyes that blazed a golden yellow with only a hint of red around the edges. It was an amazing sight to see.

_‘thank you. It feels really nice too!_ ’ Minji said as she roared and smashed a paw down on a wolf that tried to sneak up on Dami, crushing its skull instantly.

_‘Handong! Let your instincts take over!’_ Minji said to Handong as the vampire glanced over to Dami and Minji, meeting her best friend's eyes as she looked at the large cat in shock and nodded.

‘ _Elkie, I'm going to try something. Watch my back!’_ Handong said as Elkie spun around to guard her mate protectively.

Just like Minji, the gold ring in Handong’s eyes was growing like it was battling for dominance, and suddenly Handong felt a shiver run along her body as it changed, and soon large tiger paws clawed at the dirt as she opened her eyes. The wolves around her shrank back in shock. Handong’s ears like Minji’s were now pointed like a wolfs, but everything else was completely feline.

Handong stretched, feeling her muscles stretch and shift as she let out a satisfied purr. Elkie spun around and looked at her mate in wonder. Handong was as tall as Minji, which meant she was much taller than Elkie, but the wolf wasn’t intimidated. Instead, she was amazed by how Handong seemed to love the feeling of her tiger form.

Elkie smiled. It was how each wolf felt when they went into their wolf form, and she was glad that her mate could experience it even though the situation was slightly different.

Soon Handong released a terrifying roar as she crashed into the wolves that finally gathered enough nerve to attack the large feline.

She roared as she spun around. Fighting with claws and tail leaving bodies in her wake. Handong was indeed ferocious as she fought her way towards Gahyeon.

Handong could easily take out two wolves out with a swipe of her deadly paw. She was the same size as Minji, but the tiger was much stronger than the snow leopard, and it showed as she carved a path with her large paws towards the door.

There wasn’t much opposition outside, and the ones that were outside had almost no fighting experience. So, they knew that they were in for a fight when they entered the building, but they were ready.

Soon no one was left outside, and Dami looked around at her members. Besides a scratch here or there, her pack was untouched.

Dami couldn’t help but laugh as she looked at everyone. They were all covered in blood, but what made her laugh was Handong and Minji, who had blood covering their paws, making them leave large kitty footprints as they slowly walked towards the building.

_‘remember, expect traps and ambushes at every corner. We didn’t use our powers on the last fight. But I feel that will have to change shortly. Just don’t overexert yourselves ok?’_ Dami asked as she looked at the others. They nodded confidently before looking back at the door they were about to burst through.

_‘once I open the doors, we attack, ready?’_ Dami asked, and the others nodded in silent agreement.

Dami focused on the large metal double doors of the warehouse with her powers, and soon they heard a creak before the doors went flying into the building. Yelps of pain and terror echoed inside as Dami used her control over metal to clear a space inside.

She and the others charged in as soon as the doors gave in, and soon they were surrounded by what looked like hundreds of wolves in the large warehouse room.

_‘fuck, well, at least I got a few with the door…’_ Dami said as she gave the signal, and her pack lunged into the wave of wolves coming at them.

They were getting quickly overwhelmed as more of the enemy kept coming. It was like a never-ending swarm of wolves. No matter how many Handong or Minji took out, it just wouldn’t end as they started to get swarmed, but within a second, their enemy was launched several feet back, allowing Dami and the pack to have a quick breather and regroup.

Dami nodded her thanks to Elkie, who nodded back as they faced the enemy again.

_‘their numbers are too large! I'm going to use the shadows! Prepare for darkness!’_ Dami shouted, and within seconds, the warehouse went dark. It was no longer an illusion. Dami was able to use the shadows to her advantage, allowing her to easily move around the others unseen as she and the others thinned out the numbers greatly while they were blind.

_‘We have taken out at least a fourth of them! Drop your shadows, Dami! you don’t want to exhaust yourself!’_ Elkie said, and soon, the shadows retracted back towards Dami.

As soon as the wolves could see, they realized their shortened numbers. Dami could feel panic spread across the rival wolves.

_‘fuck with their emotions! Project fear! Hopefully, with a push, some will flee!’_ Dami said as she Handong and Minji projected fear onto the others. Just like Dami had hoped, some wolves ran in fear. It wasn’t much, but every number counted. Every wolf that her family fought was a possibility of losing someone close to her, and Dami wouldn’t let that happen.

_‘not many left…’_ Dami said jokingly as they looked at more wolves coming out of the doors in the back.

_‘what do you count as many? I think we need to teach you your numbers again!’_ Minji joked as they formed a protective circle as they protected each other's backs and prepared to face off against the wolves.

-Siyeon-

Just like Siyeon had hoped, as soon as Dami’s howl was heard, the guards ran to defend the front like idiots allowing Siyeon and her pack to slip into the tunnel unnoticed.

_‘idiots…’_ Siyeon said as she walked along the tunnel that was just tall enough to fit her wolf form, but she knew that she would be at a disadvantage in the tunnel and turned to Bora, who had their clothes.

Quickly Siyeon shifted with Chungha and Yoohyeon, and the three got dressed. Soon the four were walking silently through the tunnel towards Gahyeon and her guards.

_‘Gahyeon, is everything alright?’_ Siyeon asked, and Gahyeon assured her everything was fine as she showed Siyeon the two boys cowering in the corner just from one vine, and Siyeon had to fight a snort.

_‘well, if they are surprised by that…’_ Siyeon said as she grinned. She could feel her sister found it funny too.

_‘oh, here are what the others that may help us look like!’_ Gahyeon said as she shared images of JB and Youngjae.

_‘just be careful. I don’t know if we can trust them yet.’_ Gahyeon said, and Siyeon agreed. Why would these wolves just help them and let Siyeon and her pack attack their friends and family? Siyeon wasn’t sure and couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

_‘do you think it’s because they just want to take over Jackson's pack after he's gone? Like using us to take out Jackson so that their hands aren’t dirty?’_ Siyeon asked, but Gahyeon wasn’t sure.

_‘anything’s possible.’_ Gahyeon said as she mentally shrugged.

_‘Just please be careful…’_ Gahyeon said as Siyeon smiled.

_‘we will. Stay safe! And… you know I love you, right?’_ Siyeon said as she felt Gahyeon’s laughter.

_‘yes, I know. And I love you too. Please be careful…’_ Gahyeon said worriedly as they went silent, and soon, Siyeon was focused back on their goal as they walked down the dark tunnel.

The tunnel was musty and damp. It made the girls scrunch up their noses as they also picked up the hint of urine and other foul scents in the water at their feet.

_‘great… sewage… I'm going to need to bathe for a week to get the stench off of me!’_ Bora said as she looked at her mate. Siyeon was looking rather squeamish as she dodged things that she would rather not think about. Bora couldn’t help but smile.

_‘aww. Is my big strong alpha squeamish to a couple of mice?’_ Bora asked when Siyeon had a mini freak out when one ran across her foot.

_‘not mice! RATS! Big difference!’_ Siyeon said as Bora fought the urge to laugh.

_‘no, you will know when it’s a rat…’_ Yoohyeon said as she dodged the scurrying creatures as well.

_‘at least their blood doesn’t taste too horrible.’_ Bora said as the three girls turned around as they looked at her in horror.

_‘what? Would you rather we drink human blood?’_ Bora asked as Siyeon looked at her with a horrified expression.

_‘what?’_ Bora asked again as Siyeon paled.

_‘please tell me you have never kissed me after drinking rat blood…’_ Siyeon said as Bora snorted and looked around quickly to see if anyone heard the noise. Luckily, no movement. Not a sound as Bora let out a mental sigh of relief.

_‘no! when Handong was on the run and came here all the way from China, she had to feed on what she could. She would drain the rats and cook them for her cat until they got here.’_ Bora said as Siyeon nodded.

She knew that Handong had a hard time while on the run from China, and now she was going to face the cause of it all.

_‘I hope that Handong keeps her cool when she sees Elkie’s stepfather. I worry that she will do something stupid and let her emotions take over…’_ Siyeon said as she looked at Bora, who shrugged.

_‘we won't know until it happens. All we can do right now is trust her, right?’_ Bora asked, and Siyeon had to agree. And she definitely believes in her family.

_‘ isn’t it TOO quiet? Also, it seemed too easy to get inside the tunnel…’_ Chungha said for the first time since she entered the tunnel.

_‘I feel like WE are the ones walking into a trap and not the other way around…’_ Chungha said as they walked the long tunnel.

Soon they heard shuffling farther within the tunnel and froze.

_‘quiet you idiot!’_ they heard faintly around the corner. Just like Chungha expected, it was indeed a trap, but they had poor planning. They waited where the tunnel widened up. This would allow them to be in their wolf forms, but it also allowed Siyeon and the others to be in theirs as well.

_‘it would have been wiser for them to just fight us in the narrow hallway here… now we will have the space to shift…’_ Siyeon thought to herself with a shake of her head.

_‘fools! Why don’t they just mind speak?’_ Bora said as she rolled her eyes _. ‘even I know that was stupid!’_ Bora said as she looked at her mate.

_‘I think that someone purposely alerted us to the trap…’_ Siyeon said as she listened to the one who spoke slowly, walking away.

_‘well, I don’t know if this is a good thing or an even bigger trap…’_ Siyeon said as she looked at the others.

_‘guess we won't know until it happens…’_ Bora said back as she hugged her mate nervously.

Bora could feel the anxiety flooding through Siyeon. It was so strong that it was also affecting her now, and the contact soothed both girls slightly.

_‘you ready for this?’_ Siyeon asked as she looked at the others. They nodded, and soon Siyeon looked at Yoohyeon.

_‘Dami taught you how to use the shadows, right?’_ Siyeon asked as Yoohyeon nodded.

_‘yes, I can’t last as long as Dami can, but it's enough for us to deal with this group, no problem.’_ Yoohyeon said as Siyeon smiled.

_‘well then, let's go greet the enemy then, shall we?’_ Siyeon said, and soon shadows crawled along the walls. Siyeon could hear startled shouts as the enemy panicked, but it was too late… soon they were completely engulfed in shadows.

“now!” Siyeon shouted as she ran forward and shifted as soon as she had enough room. It was a large room where about twenty wolves were waiting for them, but Siyeon and the others made quick work of them.

What Siyeon didn’t know was that Bora was starting to feel the slight changes as the other vampires, as she fought the gold ring of her eyes grew bigger, and she could feel that her fangs were much longer than normal.

Bora decided to ignore it, but when a wolf went to surprise Siyeon when her back was turned, Bora launched forward instinctively in a rage and let loose a ferocious roar that echoed down the tunnel and walls leaving even Siyeon stunned as a large black leopard crushed the wolf that tried to attack Siyeon in its jaws.

_‘behind you!’_ Bora shouted as she spat out the wolf in her jaws and lunged forward as she swiped a strong paw smashing a large paw into the wolf immediately launching it into the wall with a crunch where he lay still.

_‘what the hell?’_ Siyeon shouted once the fight was over. The other two walked over to look at Bora’s sleek and muscular feline form in admiration.

_‘Woah…’_ Yoohyeon said as she reached for Bora only to have her hand smacked away by Bora’s tail.

_‘Siyeon touches first.’_ Bora said teasingly to Yoohyeon as the wolf rolled her eyes.

_‘if Siyeon pets you, we are never getting out of this tunnel…’_ Yoohyeon said as Chungha nodded in agreement causing both Bora and Siyeon to pout.

_‘fine… go ahead…’_ Yoohyeon said as she tried to hide her amusement.

Siyeon shifted back and gently ran her fingers against Bora’s silky black coat. The girl's skin twitched as Siyeon’s fingers ran through the dense fur. A very deep purr rumbled out of Bora’s chest as she closed her eyes and nuzzled Siyeon with her large head.

To Siyeon’s surprise, Bora’s cat form was larger than everyone would have expected. She was as tall as Siyeon in her wolf form and incredibly strong. One swat of her paw and wolves her size went flying across the room.

Without thinking, Siyeon shifted back into her wolf form as she let out a low rumble of satisfaction as she nuzzled Bora back.

_‘What a weird pairing… don’t you think?’_ Chungha asked as Yoohyeon nodded.

_‘yeah, Minji and I would look a lot cuter together, don’t you think?’_ Yoohyeon teased but was soon smacked with Bora’s tail.

_‘ouch!’_ Yoohyeon said as she rubbed her arm and scowled at the large feline.

_‘well, let's get going, you lovebirds… They may need backup.’_ Chungha said as she felt Sunmi struggling above them.

That quickly snapped the two out of their snuggling as they quickly shifted back to their human forms and started down the dark hallway again.


	35. Chapter 35

-are we there yet-

_‘Are we there yet!’_ Yoohyeon grumbled as she followed the others. The tunnels seemed to lead on forever in a maze of basement rooms. Siyeon knew that Gahyeon was in one of those rooms, but finding her was going to be a chore.

As she tried to think of the map that Gahyeon had made with the plants, an idea hit her.

_‘Dami? Are you busy?’_ Siyeon asked as she thought about her idea. Dami was struggling against the huge numbers as the group fought when Elkie suddenly freed up some space as she forced them back.

_‘I have a second, what do you need?’_ Dami asked quickly.

_‘Gahyeon can map with plants, can you do it with metal? Metal is all in the walls of this building…’_ Siyeon said as Dami’s eyes went wide.

_‘Why didn’t I think of that?’_ Dami said as Siyeon chuckled.

_‘Guess I'm not a useless alpha after all, huh?’_ Siyeon said jokingly as she waited for Dami’s response.

_‘you are never a useless alpha! And one map coming up!’_ Dami said as the others covered her while she let her powers flow over the building and through the floors as she felt all of the metal around her.

Quickly she was able to visualize the walls with the wires and metal bars inside them. Even the plumbing helped, and soon, Dami had an idea. Her fire ability meant she could also sense heat that ran through the pipes. Luckily there was a large steam pipe that was used when the warehouse was operational.

_‘be prepared… it's going to get a little steamy in here!’_ Dami said as she burst the pipe that was by the door that the enemy was flooding from. She could hear yelps of pain, and their vision was clouded with a thick layer of steam, but it didn’t affect their pack.

_‘This is nothing, we have trained in Sunmi’s mist until we could fight blindfolded!’_ Handong said as she felt for water pipes in the floor. Soon the water was erupting from the walls taking out wolves that would be foolish enough to walk close.

_‘now that we have the enemy distracted, here's the map!’_ Dami said as she shared the map with everyone, including Gahyeon.

_‘perfect!’_ Siyeon said as she signaled for the group to start moving. The four snuck by several groups of wolves. Chungha would block the doors with her ice, knowing that the wolves couldn’t break it from the inside.

_‘well, at least that’s a few less to fight…’_ Yoohyeon said as she walked the hallway and froze as she sniffed the air.

“Well, well, well… look what we have here?” a voice rang through the hallway, grabbing the girls' attention.

“if it isn’t my disrespectful daughter…” the woman in front of them said with a smile. She had expected Yoohyeon to freeze in fear, but instead, the wolf stood tall as she glared into the eyes of her fake mother.

“of course you would be here… here to leach off of Jacksons pack, are we?” Yoohyeon said with a smirk as she watched the woman's veins bulge.

“what did you say? You dare talk to me like that? Is this how you treat your mother?” the woman said as she took a step closer. Soon low growls were heard from the three around Yoohyeon, causing the older woman to freeze.

“if by mother, you mean a lying bitch that stole me away from my REAL mother and father and then reported them to the government, then yes, this is how I will talk to you…” Yoohyeon said coldly as she stared the older woman down. But Yoohyeon’s eyes were showing the black of her wolf form, and the woman just couldn’t keep the eye contact and ended up looking away as Yoohyeon laughed.

“oh, what? Not confident now that you are in front of me?” Yoohyeon asked as she took a step forward. Shadows started radiating off of Yoohyeon like smoke as her anger rose.

“you took me away from my mother…” another step.

“then you bragged about me to the town…” another step was taken towards the shrinking woman.

“and then you outcast me without telling me why? You leave my stuff by the road like TRASH? You then try to act like my mother? ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?” Yoohyeon shouted as her eyes went completely black. She was halfway to the woman who was cowering, but soon she straightened as she heard wolves coming to her rescue.

The woman's cocky attitude was back as she looked at the others. “why Yes. I don’t deny any of that. And what can you do to stop me?” the woman asked as she looked behind her at one of the wolves and flicked her head at Siyeon and her pack.

“get them.” She said coldly as the wolves surged forward in the narrow hallway.

Yoohyeon laughed as she looked at who she once thought of as family charging at her to kill her when her rage surged.

With a roar, Yoohyeon let loose a wave of black flames. Shrieks of pain echoed in the halls as Yoohyeon walked through the crowd of burning wolves she used to call family as she slowly towards her fake mother.

“not so confident now… are we?” Yoohyeon asked with a low rumble as she walked over to the woman. She recoiled as Yoohyeon leaned in, her black eyes that seemed to blaze in a black fire made the woman nervous.

“you think that you scare me?” the woman asked as her voice quivered. She was trying to stand her ground, but Yoohyeon towered over the smaller woman causing her to lean backward uncomfortably.

“yes, I do…” Yoohyeon said as black flames flickered across her body. The woman could feel the heat radiating off of the black flames as her eyes went wide.

“monster…” the woman said as Yoohyeon scoffed.

_‘Yoohyeon, what are you going to do? Are you going to finish her or let her live?’_ Siyeon asked as she watched the woman cowering backward.

_‘I don’t want to become like her… unlike what she thinks, I'm no monster. I will let her live as long as she doesn’t say anything else to piss me off…’_ Yoohyeon said as she sneered at the woman and turned away and walked back to her pack and went to her place beside Siyeon.

Seeing Yoohyeon stand beside Siyeon like a beta made the older woman's blood boil.

“what are you? Stupid? You are an alpha! A fucking alpha! Why do you grovel to that chosen bitch? It should be your place, not hers!” the woman shrieked as her face went red.

“I thought when I suggested the plan to Jackson that it would snap you out of this foolishness and you would return to your rightful place as an alpha or he would at least kill that bitch you call a mate! but no… you act like a lowly slut to some VAMPIRE. I should have told Jackson to just kill you…” the woman said as everyone froze.

“what?” Yoohyeon asked as she turned around to look at the woman again.

“When you suggested the plan? The plan where Jackson held me captive for DAYS AND TORTURED ME MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY? That plan? THE SITUATION THST STILL GIVES ME NIGHTMARES!?! That was YOUR idea?” Yoohyeon asked in a rage as the wind started to circle around the girl.

_‘Yoohyeon…’_ Siyeon said softly, trying to comfort the upset wolf, but Yoohyeon just shook her head.

_‘don’t…’_ Yoohyeon said as her rage flared. The girl just couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“This is my TRUE family. My TRUE sister is fighting as we speak. My MATE that you called a bitch is with her. Minji means EVERYTHING TO ME. SO DON’T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HER OR MY FAMILY!” Yoohyeon yelled as the wind grew stronger in the small hallway.

It was too much for the old woman as she stumbled back and looked behind her to run.

“oh, I don’t think so!” Yoohyeon yelled as she let her flames enter the cyclone that was forming. The old woman looked back in terror as she saw the flames spinning wildly as they scorched the walls leaving black flames slowly burning their way through the walls.

Yoohyeon looked coldly at her. Memories of the woman beating Dami when she was homeless and tiny flashed through Yoohyeon’s mind as her eyes blazed.

Without hesitation, the old woman bolted down the hallway only to hear the wind scraping at the halls as it chased her. She tried to run as fast as she could, but it wasn’t fast enough. She could hear the cyclone approaching, and soon, she could feel the heat getting stronger on her back.

Panic rose in the old woman's chest as she tried to shift, but her anxiety was too high. She as unable to shift, and her human form was now slow from lack of training. If she had kept up her skills, she would have been able to escape it. Her own laziness was leading to her downfall.

She looked back just in time to see the black cyclone make contact with her as it snatched the old woman inside.

Siyeon and the others heard the shrieks from the old woman as the fire cyclone slowly ripped at her flesh, ripping chunks from her body as it burned her alive and gently scattered her ashes along the hallway in what sounded like a very slow and painful process.

“Yoo…” Siyeon said as she watched Yoohyeon’s shoulders shake. “she was a monster… how could she do that to her own daughter… don’t feel bad for what happened to her…” Siyeon said as she walked over to Yoohyeon.

“I, I know that. She truly was a monster… but a monster or not, how could she do that to me when she raised me like a daughter?” Yoohyeon said weakly as her knees felt weak. It wasn’t the emotion that made her knees give out, but the strength she put into the cyclone.

Siyeon and the others waited with her for a couple minutes as her stamina and energy returned, and soon, Yoohyeon was ready to move on.

“you good?” Siyeon asked as Yoohyeon nodded.

“I'm good. Let's get Gahyeon out of here and finish this…” Yoohyeon said coldly as she stood.

After a couple of small skirmishes, the group made it to where Gahyeon was being held only to find the vine that guarded the door quivering in anger.

“somethings wrong…” Siyeon said as she walked over to the vine.

“that’s one of Gahyeon’s special seeds. And it doesn’t seem happy. Let me see if I can figure out what's wrong. Foxes are more in tune with nature than others.” Chungha said as she walked forward and gently touched the vine as she closed her eyes.

“one of the ones Gahyeon trusted betrayed her and took her somewhere after she made the vine let them in. It says it told her not to trust the skinny one. One of the boys that protected her is inside injured. Will you let us in so that we can get to him?” Chungha asked sweetly to the plant, and soon, the thorny vine shifted out of the way, and the four walked in to see one of the two that were charged to protect Gahyeon.

“Should we try to reach Gahyeon?” Yoohyeon asked, but Siyeon shook her head.

“if it looks like she is possibly calling for help, they may kill her…” Siyeon said grimly as she looked around the room nervously. Her eyes finally laying on the bleeding wolf that Chungha was heading towards.

Chungha walked over and felt for a pulse. It was there but weak, and judging from the blood, it wasn’t looking good. The only thing that kept him alive was that the vine that guarded the door. It had let one thin vine trail over to him and helped him fight against the pain as it numbed his wounds and protected him from going into shock.

It didn’t look good for the injured wolf as Chungha noticed his pale skin and how much he was sweating. “unless…” Chungha thought aloud as she walked over to the vine.

“I know it will hurt, but can I have one of your thorns?” Chungha asked softly, and after the plant thought for a second. Chungha carefully removed a long thorn when the plant agreed and walked over to the injured wolf.

“he will die soon if I don’t do anything. The inside of the thorns holds a jellylike material similar to what is in aloe. However, we know it has numbing abilities. But if you add a bit of cold to it as well as some energy, it can help slow down bleeding and help heal wounds…” Chungha said as she chilled the inside of the large thorn and with Siyeon’s help rolled the boy over so that he was lying flat.

“it's pretty deep… Chungha said as she looked at the bite marks on his throat that still bled sluggishly.

“hold him down just in case he freaks out when he comes back around…” Chungha said as the three held the wolf down as Chungha applied the cold gel to his wounds. It glowed a mint green color as Chungha’s energy mixed with Gahyeon’s lingering energy from the plant and went into it, and soon, she let her healing energy flow into him.

It took a minute or two, but soon, his eyes started to flutter open.

“what… what happened?” he said weakly before he realized that he was being held down.

Panic set in as he struggled only to have Chungha push his chest down to stop him from moving.

“We just tried to heal you. This isn’t how we expected you to show your appreciation…” Chungha said as she looked at the injured wolf sadly.

“well, you can't blame me for panicking when I wake up pinned to the ground…” the wolf said weakly as Chungha nodded.

“true…” Chungha said as she nodded to the others, indicating it was safe to let him go.

“what happened? And where is my sister?” Siyeon asked worriedly as the wolf looked up at her apologetically.

“I'm sorry… we trusted JB. He came in saying that the fight was over, and he was going to bring Gahyeon to you. But when I let my guard down, he attacked me. I knew something was off…” jinyoung said as he shook his head in despair at his foolishness.

“As I was fading in and out of consciousness, I heard him tell Yugyeom that I was a traitor and sided with Jackson…” the wolf said as he shook his head. He had a massive headache from a slight lack of oxygen earlier.

“I could tell by Yugyeom looked at me that he believed JB. Please don’t kill Yugyeom. He honestly is a kind person and is only trying to protect your sister. He doesn’t know that JB is lying…” the wolf said as he closed his eyes.

“what's your name?” Siyeon asked as she leaned down to look at him eye to eye.

“Jinyoung…” he said weakly, unable to look at her or even open his eyes well as Siyeon looked worriedly at Chungha.

“he's just exhausted from the healing and probably has a massive headache. He needs to rest and heal.

“share your memories with me?” Siyeon asked Jinyoung. He hesitated nervously for a second before sharing the images of what happened. He wasn’t lying, and the one he called Yugyeom definitely looked like he was trying to only help Gahyeon.

Siyeon nodded as she thought about something. Her fingers drumming against her thigh as she thought.

“Chungha... Your form can still fit through the hallways, and you are extremely fast. Can you take him outside and meet up with us once he is safely hidden?” Siyeon asked as the boy passed out.

_‘why bother with him?’_ Yoohyeon asked curiously when Siyeon shared his memory.

_‘he truly is against Jackson and tried to protect Gahyeon. That alone makes me want to spare him, but the pack will be a mess unless someone can lead it. Otherwise, this pack will break up and have pack wars as they fight for power…’_ Siyeon said as she looked at the sleeping wolf.

_‘I think he would be a good choice. I will take him…’_ Chungha said as she shifted, and they got the boy situated on her. Luckily, he was in shorts, or Chungha would have refused to carry him.

Soon Chungha was sprinting down the halls as she ran to the tunnel to bring Jinyoung to safety.

_‘Yoohyeon, your senses are stronger probably due to your demon blood. Try to see if you can pick up Gahyeon’s scent…’_ Siyeon asked nervously as Yoohyeon shifted and sniffed the air. Her eyes were shifting between yellow and black as she pulled on her different sides in an attempt to find Gahyeon’s scent.

Yoohyeon frowned. “his blood is so strong that it's covering up her scent really well. Maybe if I try out in the hallway…” Yoohyeon said as she shifted back so that she could fit through the door and by the vine safely.

_‘alright… let's see…’_ Yoohyeon said as she sniffed the air. Her nose scrunched up as she looked over her shoulder, worriedly at Siyeon.

“what's wrong?” Siyeon asked as Yoohyeon shifted back.

“um… I don’t know if it’s a coincidence or not, but Jackson's scent is also near Gahyeon’s…” Yoohyeon said as Siyeon’s eyes widened in panic.

“We need to move. NOW!” Siyeon said as the others nodded and ran down the hallways. Yoohyeon was in the lead as she tracked the scent until there was a large room that emanated Jackson's scent.

_‘This is Jackson's room… he's inside, but Gahyeon went past him. Should we deal with him first before we lose the element of surprise?’_ Yoohyeon asked as she looked at Bora and Siyeon. The two thought for a second.

_‘I would rather wait for Chungha to return first. Chungha? Are you close?’_ Siyeon asked as she waited for the fox's response.

_‘yes, I'm close. Maybe a minute or two away. I hid Jinyoung safely and left a surprise for anyone that tries to approach him but us…’_ Chungha said as Siyeon smirked.

_‘we found Jackson. We are going to attack before we lose the element of surprise. Try to hurry…’_ Siyeon said as Chungha promised to hurry as she ran.

_‘well… let's get ready for this…’_ Siyeon said before Yoohyeon stopped her.

_‘wait… I have a plan…’_ Yoohyeon said with an evil smirk as she looked at the others. Her eyes blazed a mischievous black as she looked at the room of the one that caused her so much pain.

_‘want to know what it is?’_ Yoohyeon asked as she smiled. Siyeon wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into, but she nodded as Yoohyeon started to explain.

-Jinyoung and Gahyeon-

Gahyeon looked at the two wolves that were cowering against the wall as she shook her head.

_‘bunch of chickens… it’s not even attacking them or anything!’_ Gahyeon thought to herself as she rolled her eyes.

“you know…. It's not going to eat you or something…” Gahyeon said as she rolled her eyes again.

Jinyoung was the first one to straighten up and look at the smaller girl.

“well, you can't blame us… we have never seen anything like that!” Jinyoung said as he eyed the plant nervously.

It shook its branches at him making him jump as Gahyeon giggled. She liked this plant. It had a funny sense of humor and liked making the boys cower in fear.

“now that’s not nice…” Gahyeon scolded the plant as she mentally smiled at the plant. It swayed happily, knowing that Gahyeon liked its joke.

“What IS that? I have never seen anything like it before…” the taller one named Yugyeom asked as he looked at the plant from across the room.

“it's one that was thought to have gone extinct. Its parent plant was dormant with only a root base before it sprouted.” Gahyeon said as the younger one nodded.

“But why do they act so alive around you?” he asked again as he looked at the plant that was swaying and taunting him nervously.

“they don’t usually move or react to humans because it takes too much energy that they could instead use to grow. They seem to get excited around me and act out as you can see…” Gahyeon said with a smirk as she nodded to the vine sneaking along the bottom of the wall making its way towards the cowering boys.

“now behave…” Gahyeon said as Yugyeom jumped when it touched his ankle.

“My ankle is numb!” Yugyeom said as he looked at the tiny prick mark on his ankle.

“is it poisonous? Will it kill him?” Jinyoung asked worriedly. Gahyeon just shook her head.

“No, it won't do anything but make him numb for a bit,” Gahyeon said as she smiled.

“it just wanted to show off a bit,” Gahyeon said as Yugyeom slowly reached for the plant nervously. Once he was an inch away, he hesitated, but the plant made the jump and closed the gap as it gently twined itself in between his fingers careful not to prick him.

“I think it likes you. It likes how you jump around it.” Gahyeon said as the younger wolf smiled at her and then the plant.

“This is amazing!” he said in wonder. Jinyoung, on the other hand, was completely fine being on the other side of the room from it.

Soon the door clicked open. Gahyeon could hear a startled shout as she recognized JB’s startled voice.

“Jinyoung! Yugyeom! You in there?” JB shouted through the plant as the two responded.

“were here, and everything is safe,” Jinyoung said as he stood nervously. Yugyeom still had the plant exploring his hand and arm, so he remained seated.

_‘let him in.’_ Gahyeon said to the plant, but it hesitated.

_‘what's wrong?’_ Gahyeon asked it, but it told her it had a bad feeling about this wolf. After some coaxing, the plant finally shifted over, allowing the wolf inside.

“Finally!” JB said as he glared at the plant. Suddenly Gahyeon had a feeling that the plant was right. Something was wrong with JB’s behavior.

“The fight is over. Your sister is waiting for you. I am to bring you to her…” JB said as Gahyeon looked at him in shock. She knew it wasn’t true. She could feel that her sister and the others were still fighting. But she knew it would be safer for her and the other two who didn’t sense anything wrong if she went with him and played along.

“Bora’s here?” Gahyeon asked as JB nodded.

“yes, and Bora asked me to bring you to her,” JB said, but Jinyoung’s expression changed as he looked at JB in confusion.

JB could sense that Jinyoung was onto him, and when Jinyoung looked back at Gahyeon to smile as he hid his anxiety. He turned around to see fangs sink into his neck as JB shook him in his wolf form. He couldn’t even scream as JB clamped down on his throat, and once he stopped moving, the wolf dropped him as he looked at Yugyeom.

“what have you done?!?” Yugyeom shouted as he ran over to Jinyoung and knelt down to check on him. The wounded wolf's eyesight was blurring as he looked up at his friends.

“Jinyoung is a traitor. I just heard Jackson saying that he had Jinyoung keep tabs on us…he is a spy. If I didn’t do it, he would have killed the girl when we walked out of the room. Then we would be next…” JB said as he looked at Jinyoung with fake sadness.

Yugyeom was young and believed JB as he stared at Jinyoung with a look of complete betrayal.

“how… how could you? I trusted you…” Yugyeom said as he shook his head and stood as he escorted Gahyeon out the door safely.

Jinyoung struggled to warn them. To tell Yugyeom that it wasn’t true and that he was walking into a trap. But he was too weak as he started to lose consciousness.

The last thing that he remembered was the intense pain before he felt a vine gently coil up his arm as the pain dulled, and he sighed in relief as he lost consciousness.


	36. Chapter 36

-Ambush-

Dami and the others stood in a ring as they panted and looked around the room. The fight had finally subsided thanks to Dami using the steam pipes to block their entrance, but that is only temporary. Once they think of another way around, the fight will begin again. Until then, they enjoyed the small breather that they got.

Dami looked around at her pack, and when she did, she noticed that everyone, including herself, was coated in blood from head to toe. Especially Minji and Handong. The two looked around constantly as their ears and tails twitched. Listening to any noises that would hint at a possible ambush.

_‘we look disgusting…’_ Dami said as she felt her fur sticking in places as the blood started to thicken and dry.

_‘ugh… yuck!’_ she said as she stepped in a squishy mess that used to be a wolf.

Handong’s paws were a thing to be feared. And the bodies of the wolves around proved it. Minji learned she liked pouncing as she tore through enemies where Handong would literally smash them out of existence only to leave a bloody mess behind.

_‘I know. And that’s weird for me to say because I'm a vampire. I should love blood, but right now, it disgusts me…’_ Minji said as Handong nodded in agreement. They had never been coated in so much blood old and new alike to cause it to cake on their bodies like this before. It felt very unpleasant.

_‘Well, I could always call water, but we know what happened last time…’_ Handong joked as she looked for a water source. She looked up and noticed the fire sprinklers and smiled.

Soon the sprinklers started just over the girls. The cool water felt amazing on their overheated bodies as it slowly soaked through their fur. Sighs left the group as they enjoyed the mini shower as the blood and gore from the previous fight washed away.

_‘MUCH BETTER!’_ Dami said as she shook the last of the water out of her fur and looked around. Everyone looked refreshed and ready for another fight as they looked at her with confident expressions.

_‘Are we ready to start moving again?’_ Dami asked as the others nodded in agreement. She couldn’t help but feel proud of how far she and her family had come. They were standing against overwhelming numbers but were holding their own.

_‘well, let's not keep them waiting…’_ Dami said as she leads the others deeper inside the building. Dami and the others found a small hallway and followed it as Dami mapped their way.

_‘I’m pretty sure that a trap is up ahead, so be prepared. Also, we have people that are behind us… they think they have us cornered. Let's make sure they know how wrong they are…’_ Dami said as the others gave toothy smirks as they stalked down the hallway that was just barely large enough to fit the girls.

_‘noise up ahead… it’s almost like someone is alerting us…’_ Dami said as she remembered her conversation with Gahyeon.

_‘maybe this JB or Youngjae… either way, don’t let your guard down if you see them. Spare them but don’t trust them. If they show any signs of betrayal, end them. We don’t want to put everyone at risk for one stranger…’_ Dami said as the others nodded in agreement.

_‘im grateful for the help, but I just don’t trust it…’_ Minji said as she sniffed the air. Her whiskers pushed forward as he cautiously tasted the air with her mouth open.

_‘I smell something odd, Dami, do you smell it?’_ Minji asked as she looked at Dami. She knew that the wolf had a superior sense of smell and waited as Dami took in a deep breath.

_‘that smells like Elkie…’_ Dami said as she looked to Elkie. She gave a confused look as she stared at the two.

_‘I think your mother is here. And if she is in that room, it means…’_ Dami said as Elkie’s eyes flashed silver. They were used to Siyeon’s eyes blazing with strong emotions, but this was new for Elkie as her eyes blazed with rage as she stepped forward.

_‘you sure she's in there?’_ Elkie asked as the two sniffed again and nodded.

_‘a smell that is like yours but not exactly. Definitely a relative…’_ Dami said as she looked at Elkie, whose fur started to bristle as she snarled silently while taking silent steps closer.

_‘he thinks he will be able to use my mother against me to make me come back with him…’_ Elkie said as she struggled with her anger.

_‘don’t worry, I will go for her right away and keep her safe. You go and show him we are not as easy of a target as he thinks…’_ Handong said as she nuzzled Elkie with a silent purr. The feeling of the rumbling from Handong’s chest soothing the wolf as her mind cleared from the rage that was threatening to take over.

_‘no, WE will fight him. Punish him for your parents too. I still can't forgive him for what he did…’_ Elkie said as her ears drooped slightly. Handong head-booped Elkie gently, trying to make her feel better and to thank her. It worked.

_‘we ready? Here’s the plan. Separate her stepfather from everyone else and guard Elkie’s mother. He is Elkie’s and Handong’s.’_ Dami said as everyone nodded, remembering what he looked like to separate him.

_‘take out the others as soon as you can. Also, keep her mother away, we don’t know how she will react when they fight him…’_ Dami said as the others understood. She was basically held captive by him, but she could have some Stockholm syndrome when the fighting starts.

_‘I will get her out of the room and to safety.’_ Sunmi said as the others nodded. She was the fastest, and they were sure that no one could catch her if that was her plan.

carefully Sunmi sniffed the air to get the scent and froze. _‘she’s bleeding… and her heartrate seems slow. She may be unconscious, but this is still too low. Something is wrong. I think this has now turned into a rescue mission as well as revenge…’_ Sunmi said as everyone looked at her with wide eyes.

Handong could feel a wave of rage radiating off of Elkie and shifted from paw to paw nervously. She was worried about her mate.

_‘alright. Let's do this then…’_ Dami said as she silently counted down. As soon as she gave the signal, they moved as one as they charged into the room.

The wolves waiting in ambush were completely caught off guard as Dami and her pack ran in and started tearing wolves apart while separating them into smaller groups that were easier to control.

_‘I've got her!’_ Sunmi said as she slung a woman that was bound and unconscious upon her back and ran out the doors careful not to drop the unconscious woman as she bounced limply on her back.

-Outside-

Carefully Sunmi ran outside and quickly found a place to hide the woman where the wolves in the area couldn’t find her. It was in the forest surrounding half of the warehouse. After Sunmi quickly healed Elkie’s mother just enough to make her comfortable but not have her wake up, she went to return to her pack when she felt the fur rise on the back of her neck.

_‘somethings not right… the forest Is too quiet…’_ Sunmi thought as she looked around and spotted the issue. She instantly laid flat. The tall grass hiding her as she watched an insane number of wolves slinking out of the forest stealthily. This wasn’t the normal wolves that they fought so far. Those wolves had no true fighting experience, but this group was clearly different.

Everything about them screamed that they were extremely dangerous _. ‘well, I guess it’s finally my turn to earn my keep in this pack, huh?’_ Sunmi thought to herself as she slowly crawled closer on her belly through the tall grass towards the stealthy pack.

_‘if I don’t do something, they will pin the girls down. And I'm sure another group is probably entering the tunnels as we speak… this isn’t good.’_ Sunmi thought to herself, worried.

_‘girls, we have a problem…’_ Sunmi said as she showed them the wolves slinking towards the building.

The girls were shocked when they saw the group. Every one of them knew THIS group was dangerous.

_‘I’m going to take them out. Chungha? There is probably a pack coming through the tunnels you had entered through, mind blocking it off with some of your ice?’_ Sunmi asked as Chungha slid to a stop, she was almost back to the others, but this was a huge situation.

_‘Siyeon?’_ Chungha asked. She knew she was supposed to regroup with the others, but this was important.

_‘go. Block the path, and if you can, get to Sunmi, that’s a lot of wolves, I don’t want her sacrificing herself for us…’_ Siyeon said as Chungha breathed out a sigh of relief. She feared the same thing for her mate, and soon, she turned around and sprinted with all of her strength to block the tunnel and get to her lover in time.

_‘wait for me, baby! Don’t you get yourself killed!’_ Chungha thought to herself as she launched down the hallways running up walls so that she wouldn’t have to slow down for turns. Finally, she reached the tunnel and heard the soft sounds of movement.

_‘oh no, you don’t!’_ Chungha thought as she sent a barrage of ice shards down the tunnel. She heard yips of pain and quickly walled off the tunnel with a chunk of ice at least four feet thick.

_‘it's blocked!’_ Chungha shouted as she sped through the halls.

_‘ok, then get to Sunmi,’_ Siyeon said as Chungha gladly obeyed the order. She didn’t even stop when she would run into packs of wolves while following Dami’s map. Instead, she would blow right past them while launching ice shards as she went before they even had time to react, and soon, she was near the surface.

-Sunmi-

Sunmi was just in range when one wolf paused and sniffed the air cautiously _. ‘shit, well, there goes the element of surprise…’_ Sunmi thought to herself as she quickly stood. Her fur shimmering with lightning before launching a huge bolt of lightning taking out a small row of wolves, including the one that was unlucky enough to catch her scent.

Yelps erupted, causing the pack to turn around defensively ready for a fight as Sunmi casually walked up snarling as lightning flickered across her fur dangerously.

_‘fox, we are not here for you… we are after the chosen and her pack. Leave before you forfeit your life…’_ a wolf with an accent said as he stepped forward. His eyes were a light golden-brown that was bright compared to his shiny black fur. He was lean and clearly skilled. The pack before her also seemed to follow his orders while their alpha was absent.

_‘Bambam, that fox is one of them. They have two foxes…’_ a taller wolf said as he stood beside him. He was a light brown and looked somewhat lanky but still looked like he would be a threat in battle.

_‘Are you sure about that mark? Not many foxes tend to help anyone but their own kind.’_ Bambam said, but the wolf beside him nodded.

_‘I’m sure of it.’_ The taller wolf named mark said as he looked at the fox, sizing her up. She snarled as his eyes drifted over her body, and he snarled back cockily.

_‘We need to end this quickly and get to JB. He has the girl. That means that the two ones to fear will be helpless. They won’t do anything for fear of him hurting the girl.’_ Mark said and Sunmi could feel her blood boil at how they talked about Gahyeon and the ones that cared about her.

_‘fine, deal with her. Let's go mark.’_ The first wolf said coldly as he turned around without a second thought and walked towards the warehouse.

Sunmi growled as soon as they turned around, but he wolves around them quickly, blocked her path to the two, and now she was surrounded.

_‘well, here we go…’_ Sunmi said as she let her emotions take over, causing the lightning to zip wildly over her fur like a protective shield as she watched the group closing in on her.

A small wolf was the first to make a move as it lunged at the fox but was blasted out of the air by a bolt of her lightning.

The pack froze for a moment in shock before their anger rose, and as one, they lunged. Sunmi’s speed came in handy as she zipped through the wolves blasting lightning as she went trying to take as many wolves out in one shot as she could.

There were so many wolves around her that she couldn’t even attempt to count it as she looked around quickly, looking for another opening.

One stupid wolf decided to lunge at her back, landing on her while the lightning coursed over her fur. Frying the wolf as he shot off of her and landed with a thud as one last soft whimper emanated from his chest, and he was gone.

But his sacrifice was for a reason. The lightning weakened, and soon, they were swarming her, trying to break through and sink their fangs into her flesh.

Pain shot through her as she felt teeth puncture her neck by her shoulder. The wolf refused to let go as she struggled, and soon another wolf latched on. This time grabbing her rear leg on the opposite side. She yelped in pain as she was pinned there. Soon more swarmed her as she was held down.

_‘so, this is how it ends? Chungha…’_ Sunmi whispered to herself when something blasted into the wolf that was holding her neck. She felt an icy breeze and looked up startled.

_‘you called me?’_ Chungha asked as her fur bristled with ice shards making her look more like a porcupine than a fox.

The wolves turned their attention to Chungha, thinking that Sunmi was too weak to do anything. They lunged in sheer numbers at her but were launched backward as the shards she built up in her fur launched out like the blast radius of a bomb taking out large numbers of wolves as they struggled to remove the ice shards that were now growing to cover the wolves completely.

_‘nice!’_ Sunmi said weakly as she struggled to stand. The bite on her rear leg was worse than she thought.

_‘thanks, I got the idea from Elkie’s power!’_ Chungha said as another blast launched from her taking out several wolves at once.

Sunmi was pretty sure that it was broken and wasn’t looking forward to having to set it for it to heal. She limped as she struggled to make her way over to Chungha, but she just couldn’t do it. Instead, Chungha made her way over to her mate. Soon they were back to back, protecting each other.

Sunmi could feel Chungha’s tail gently hugging her and couldn’t help but smile as she felt her mates healing powers go through her tail as Sunmi’s wounds started to heal except for her leg that had to be set first. Soon her energy was back and with it her lightning.

Chungha smiled as she felt the lightning crossing over her body as well. It was causing the ice shards to buzz in her fur, and the wolves around them looked on in worry.

They were afraid to attack after easily half of their numbers had been taken out by two foxes. But they knew that they wouldn’t make it out alive if they showed up to JB without finishing the two in front of them.

Slowly they gained their courage back as they launched at the two. Sunmi was careful with her leg, but it didn’t slow her down much anymore as she and Chungha zipped through the wolves as lightning and ice blasts through wolves leaving the earth scarred in their path.

The two noticed that when they fought together, their power seemed stronger, and it showed as they devastated the rival wolves' numbers. Soon only ten wolves were left in front of them. But the wolves that remained also seemed to be the most skilled.

It wasn’t going to be an easy fight. The ones in front of them seemed to easily dodge the foxes’ attacks and vice versa.

_‘we are at a stalemate. We can't do anything. They even easily dodge our abilities… I don’t like this… the girls aren’t ready to go up against wolves like this…’_ Chungha said worriedly as Sunmi nodded.

_‘that means we can't let them reach the girls. We also can't forget the wolves that tried to enter the tunnel as well. They will probably arrive any minute. Let's try to deal with this in another way…’_ Sunmi said with an entertained voice.

Sunmi had been feeling something she tried to ignore most of the fight, but this time she didn’t ignore it. She felt for the hints of power that the other girls possessed creeping up inside her and found what she was looking for. Just like they suspected, their powers were starting to share, and Sunmi quickly pulled on Yoohyeon’s flames as the two crept into one of the craters left by Sunmi’s lightning.

_‘what's your plan?’_ Chungha asked as she stood by the injured fox protectively.

_‘Yoohyeon’s demonic fire. The ground here was turned to glass by my lightning. It leaves a slippery surface for wolves to stand on, also when Yoohyeon’s fire touches it, it will become molten again. It will limit the places that they can walk safely. All we have to do is learn from Gahyeon’s practice with Yoohyeon…’_ Sunmi said as Chungha chuckled.

_‘herd them right where we want them and cut them off…’_ Chungha said as she smiled ferociously at the wolves.

_‘exactly…’_ Sunmi said with a smile as she nuzzled her mate. Their eyes not leaving the enemy as she watched them slowly approaching as they growled lowly.

As soon as every wolf was on the glass, Sunmi launched the fire sealing off their exit. The wolves spun around in shock and panic as their escape route was blocked and quickly turned to look at the two foxes who bared their teeth at them.

_‘you think a little fire will keep you safe?’_ one wolf said as she sneezed a laugh at them.

_‘no, I think I'm cutting off your escape, you fools…’_ Sunmi said as more fire launched around them, they spun in a panic as they realized the molten glass was slowly running at them like lava. The wolves were trapped and had nowhere to run.

They were spinning around panicking as Sunmi surrounded them with the black flames.

_‘I feel kind of bad for them...’_ Chungha said as she watched the fire start to engulf the wolves.

_‘me too, but it’s better than risking ourselves…’_ Sunmi said as she winces at the howls of pain emanating from the center of the ring of fire. They saw the wolves burning alive, and the stench of burnt fur and flesh burned their noses and clung to their fur.

_‘at least that will serve as a message to the ones that are hiding in the forest. It seems this scene is making them second guess their ideas to fight us…’_ Sunmi said as they let their illusions wash over them.

The wolves cowering in the forest as they listened to their friends burn alive watched as two nine-tailed foxes walked out in front of the flames. All of their tails flowing behind them as they snarled ferociously.

Panic spread throughout the group, and soon half of their numbers retreated at the sights of the illusions. The wolves that were left were not stupid enough to try to take on the foxes on their own and silently slunk back into the shadows of the forest to hide until the fighting was over.

_‘I have a feeling that this fight isn’t over, but we will have to deal with the stragglers once the main fight is over.’_ Sunmi said as she looked one last time at the now still pile of wolves in the ring of fire.

Chungha quickly shifted back into her human form and, with one swift motion, set Sunmi’s leg with a sickly snap.

Sunmi barely held in the yelp of pain that struggled to come out, but as soon as the pain hit her, so did Chungha’s healing energy. The soothing feeling numbed the pain, and soon, Sunmi felt good as new.

_‘Sorry, baby…’_ Chungha apologized to Sunmi. But the older fox just shook her head in understanding. A broken leg at a time like this puts everyone at a huge disadvantage.

She nuzzled Chungha, who was still in her human form tenderly, and son Chungha shifted back. She had some bad news to deliver.

_‘We need to hurry, Gahyeon is missing and the one she thought she could trust, this JB turned on his own friends and almost killed him. And now this JB has her…’_ Chungha said, startling Sunmi.

_‘Why didn’t they tell the rest of us?’_ Sunmi asked but knew the answer right away.

_‘Dami…’_ Sunmi said as Chungha nodded.

_‘Gahyeon is Dami’s weakness, and if she knows that she is held captive, her whole strategy will fall. Its killing Siyeon to know her sister is missing and can't do anything about it. She has found Jackson and about to confront him.’_ Chungha said as Sunmi nodded.

_‘where should we head next then? Elkie is going up against her stepfather, and Siyeon is going up against Jackson. I hate for us to split up again…’_ Sunmi said as she nuzzled her mate while they ran inside the building.

_‘I hate it too… but we are needed. Please stay safe…’_ Chungha said in almost a whisper when they both froze.

_‘do you smell Gahyeon?’_ Sunmi asked as she looked at Chungha, who could only nod.

_‘new plan… we go after Gahyeon. Now. Something doesn’t smell right!’_ Sunmi said as the two foxes turned towards Gahyeon’s scent and bolted down the hallways.

_‘Siyeon! We have Gahyeon’s scent! We are going after her. Is everything alright with you? Or do you need help?’_ Chungha said as she paused.

_‘no, we are good. go after my sister…’_ Siyeon said softly. If Chungha had not been distracted with Gahyeon’s scent, she would have noticed something off with Siyeon’s voice. But right now, only Gahyeon’s scent was in her mind as the two sped down the hallways.


	37. Chapter 37

-Elkie’s Revenge-

Dami and the others quickly rounded the others up, leaving Elkie’s stepfather in the center of the room. His pack desperately tried to fight and get over to him, but Dami and the others were having none of it. One idiotic wolf tried a rescue attempt by darting underneath Minji’s large cat form only to be pounced to death.

_‘that was stupid for one so small to run underneath a cat…’_ Dami said as Minji laughed.

_‘I just couldn’t help but pounce him! Is this my cat side coming out? If I start chasing yarn balls, someone hold an intervention…’_ Minji said as Dami snorted.

_‘remind me to tell my sister what you just said. I think she will have another mental breakdown like when she first saw your ears…’_ Dami said as she and Minji giggled while fighting the wolves that were desperate to get to Elkie’s stepfather.

_‘that’s it!’_ Minji said when one wolf nipped at her tail. Only SHE could bite her tail, and maybe Yoohyeon if she was good.

She quickly pounced onto the back of one unsuspecting wolf, causing her to land into the middle of the group of wolves. With a roar started spinning around and slashing wolves down one to two at a time while smashing them into walls with a strong swipe of her tail.

_‘looks like someone angered the kitty…’_ Dami said as Minji ignored her and continued to take her rage from the tail bite out on the other wolves. Only SHE could bite her tail.

After a couple minutes, Dami and Minji finished the wolves off and quickly stood at each exit to block his escape route just in case he decided to flee.

Elkie and Handong stood in front of the man that ruined their lives so many years ago as they let out low growls. The two slowly stalked over as he tried not to panic. That failed when his tail brushed the back wall.

_‘shit!’_ he said as he quickly glanced behind him before spinning around to keep his eyes on the two.

_‘well, looks like I found you…’_ he said as Handong laughed.

_‘more like WE found YOU…’_ Handong said as a growl so deep rumbled out of her chest that he could practically feel it.

_‘this wouldn’t have happened if you would have just obeyed! Look at how many wolves lost their lives? How many WILL lose their lives? Half of Jackson’s pack defected to me! You think you will be able to survive when they attack from the outside? You will be pinned and massacred! All you have to do Is come back to me, and this all will be over. No more lives will be lost…’_ he said with his eyes wide with fear.

He talked big, but the attack should have already started. The fact that the others were not here yet meant that something went wrong. But he hoped that he could bluff his way out of it.

_‘you think I would believe you? Why would I go back to a person that sent one of his packmates to rape me in my sleep!?!’_ Elkie yelled as her eyes blazed the silver hue that he feared.

_‘that was all a misunderstanding! I said I would like him to become part of my family! I never told him to try to do that to you!’_ he said desperately as Handong’s eyes blazed gold at the mention of someone threatening her mate.

The large feline snarled, showing large and wickedly sharp fangs as she stepped closer.

_‘you DARED to try to break our bond? For what? Because you don’t like vampires? Yet you KILLED MY PARENTS? For that exact knowledge? Do you know how insane that sounds?’_ Handong said as his eyes went wide in shock.

_‘YOU are Handong? But how? You are a vampire…’_ he said in shock as Handong chuckled as she growled.

_‘wouldn’t you like to know… you missed the opportunity. If you never tried to break us up, I would have probably tried to do the same thing the book said. I would have joined your pack to be beside Elkie. But YOU destroyed that. You destroyed everything that you ever wanted…’_ Handong said as she laughed.

He looked utterly dumbfounded at the news. But it was too late for regrets. They all knew it. It was also way past the point of apologies. The girls wanted blood, and they would get it.

We debated pleading for his life, but he could feel that it was too late as he looked at the rage and hatred in the eyes of the girls before him.

Dami and Minji had just blocked the escape routes when he tried to make a run for it. He aimed for Minji’s side, but she roared and slashed out with one dangerous paw causing him to skid to a stop and turn around with a gulp to face Handong and Elkie.

_‘you don’t want to do this. You are too soft for it! You will never forgive yourself!’_ he said as he panicked and backed up towards another wall.

_‘I think we will feel just fine after. NO ONE will mourn for you… This is the punishment you deserve…’_ Handong said as she lunged forward.

Elkie circled around so that they were on either side, and Handong landed a grazing swipe along his side, slashing him open enough to hurt but not enough to be life-threatening. She wasn’t going to go easy on him. He was the one that took her parents from her, and she almost lost her mate because of him. After all these years being separated from her mate while longing to be beside her, this death would be slow and painful.

He winced at the slash, and when he looked at Handong, Elkie made her move, biting into the back of his neck. With one fast move, she went up on her hindfeet and pulled. He went up in the air and was thrown across the room and skidded on the ground on the side with the slashes Handong left him, leaving a bloody smear on the ground where he slid.

He had a hard time getting his feet underneath him. He couldn’t believe first that Elkie would even try that and second that she was strong enough to pull it off. The last he knew chosen or not, she was weak just like her small size. He was also several inches taller than her, yet with a powerful move, he went flying across the room.

Finally, he managed to get his footing only to see a very large tiger slowly stalking over to him. A wave of panic washed over him as his eyes met the gold eyes of Handong and soon, he tried to run past her only to feel his left hind leg snatched from underneath him and soon, he was dragged backward as Handong held his hind leg in her powerful jaws and laughed.

_‘you can't escape me that easily!’_ Handong said with a rumbling laugh as she bit down with those powerful jaws. There was a sickening crunch as he screamed out in pain. Her jaws crushing the bones in his leg right above his paw.

Handong spat out his leg and watched him scramble away while holding up his broken leg. Elkie looked pleased as she walked over and nuzzled Handong, who purred while leaning into Elkie lovingly.

It was now Elkie’s turn as she stalked over growling with a look that made her look insane with her pale silver-blue eyes. Her head low and ears forward. Showing she was confident in what she was doing and not afraid.

It wasn’t what he would usually see. Usually, her ears would be back as a sign that she feared him, but she didn’t fear him anymore, and he for once started to feel true fear as he watched her approach slowly with wide eyes.

_‘what are you going to do? You can't kill me! What about your mother? You will leave her defenseless without a pack!’_ he screamed as Elkie laughed.

_‘being packless is better than having a pack but living with you…’_ Elkie said as she lunged in. She snapped at one of his paws, and he just barely dodged. The fact that he dodged made him gain slight confidence, and he decided to lunge forward, falling into Elkie’s trap.

As soon as he was airborne, Elkie sent a strong blast of her power, launching him backward to crash into the wall. His vision darkened slightly when his back smashed against the wall. His breath caught in his chest as he fought not to lose consciousness. But he refused to go down without a fight.

Handong laughed as she walked over to Elkie and nuzzled her with her large head. _‘nice one!’_ Handong said as she rubbed against Elkie affectionately. The wolf wanted to show him that he couldn’t touch her anymore. And she wanted him to learn the hard way.

Elkie grinned as she watched him shake his head and struggle to stand. She was impressed that he was still able to stay in his wolf form, but he was always more animal than human anyway. So she wasn’t THAT surprised.

_‘you can't touch me. No matter how hard you try… you will NEVER be able to touch me again!’_ Elkie shouted, but Handong couldn’t help but feel that there was something behind that comment. Some deep trauma and without knowing she let out a deep growl as her eyes flashed to the wolf who looked at her in fear.

_‘my turn…’_ Handong said as Elkie stood back. Handong bolted past her, charging full speed at him. His eyes went wider than they have ever seen them as he struggled to run with the broken leg.

It was now Handong toying with him. She would knock him over with a light swipe of her paw and laugh as she watched him struggle to get back up and run. Elkie got in on the fun too as she darted in and out, snapping her fangs just inches from his face causing him to balk in panic.

He finally had an idea as he ran towards a corner. His goal was the small package in the corner of the room. As soon as he arrived, he put a paw on the bag before grabbing a corner of the plastic with his fangs and pulled. A white powder created a cloud of dust as he breathed in the powder from the air.

His eyes dilated, and his pain from his wounds started to fade as the new drug took effect. His heart rate increased, and so did his breathing, causing the drug to rapidly spread throughout his body and coursed through his veins.

Suddenly he felt invincible as he faced his doom. The broken paw didn’t hurt anymore, so he tried to stand on it, but the bones were too crushed to let him stand as his leg gave out. With an angry snarl, he looked at the two that caused the situation that he was in right now.

Carefully he positioned himself so that his back was placed at the wall to prevent sneak attacks, but he also cornered himself as well.

_‘I will show you what happens when you don’t OBEY!’ h_ e yelled as he charged and leapt into the air. He expected another blast from whatever strange power that Elkie had, but instead, one large paw swatted him out of the air like it was nothing.

He skidded against the rough concrete floor for the second time as he stood and growled.

_‘well, he can stand up now…’_ Handong said as Elkie nodded.

_‘let's just hope he also remains as stupid as I remember.’_ Elkie said as she watched her stepfather warily. This new drug made her nervous, but she didn’t fear her stepfather anymore. Instead, the only thing she felt for the man was hatred.

_‘should we just end this?’_ Handong asked as they stalked over to him. Elkie wasn’t sure of the correct answer. Yes, she did want this to end. But on the other hand, she believes he should suffer more for everything he has done in the past.

_‘I will show you what happens when you side with a vampire BITCH instead of with family!’_ he said as he pawed at the concrete floor while shifting from paw to paw. His body buzzing with energy as the drug coursed through his veins.

Quicker than he had moved before, he lunged and snapped at Elkie, almost landing the bite if Handong hadn't come to the rescue at an incredible speed to swat him out of the air again with a large paw. It was actually something that Handong enjoyed as she batted him away.

Handong stood in front of Elkie protectively as a low growl rumbled out of her chest.

_‘I will show you what this ‘vampire bitch’ can do…’_ Handong said as she squared off against the drugged-up wolf.

With a snarl, he charged again, trying to use his new speed against the tiger, but Handong didn’t go through all of that training with Sunmi to be sloppy in her footwork.

Easily she dodged and sliced her claws against his good side ripping open new wounds, but it didn’t seem to faze him as he stood quickly and faced her with a snarling grin.

_‘see? I won't go down that easily…’_ he said with a cocky expression as he circled the large feline. Handong stood her ground as he circled, thinking that she was insane for taking her eyes off of him.

Once he was behind her, he lunged only for the vampire to swat him out of the air with her powerful tail. With a strong flick, he went crashing into the wall again with a crack. He definitely broke something but still seemed to feel nothing.

But that soon changed as the tiger continued to toy with him. His body was now badly battered, and wounds that bled sluggishly all over his body. The effects of the drug also started to fade, and with it, his energy.

His broken leg started to ache him and was his first sign that he was in trouble. All of the wounds he had would soon catch up to him, and he refused to go down alone. With one last-ditch effort to at least take out one of them, he charged towards a wall with a trick up his sleeve as Handong chased him.

Handong chased after him, and when he quickly turned around to kick off with his one good leg, he thought that he could at least get one bite in on the vampire as he aimed for her throat, but he was mistaken.

Handong was ready for him. Her cat reflexes allowing her to twist mid-air as her powerful jaws clenched down on the back of his neck as she caught him mid-air and lifted up her head, exposing his vulnerable throat to Elkie, who launched forward without a thought and bit down.

He knew he was done for as soon as he was caught, but it wasn’t Handong that did the killing blow. They both did. As soon as Elkie latched onto his throat, he managed to squeak out a whimper right before they made their final move together. On Handong’s signal. The two pulled apart as Elkie ripped his throat out.

Elkie quickly spat out the chunk of flesh she had in her jaws, but Handong wasn’t done. She held him there as he struggled until his energy and blood finally drained, and he remained still.

He was now gone, and his body hung lifeless from Handong’s jaws, but with a powerful shake of her massive head, they heard his neck snap as she released him as his limp body went flying into the wall with a crunch and lay there. Still.

Elkie looked over to Dami, who nodded in approval at the gory mess in front of her. She knew that it was what he deserved for everything he did to not just Elkie but Handong too, who was like one of her mothers. It was fitting that the killing blow was done by both of them. Even in revenge, they did it together.

The thought of together made her miss Gahyeon. She went to quickly check on her mate, but Gahyeon didn’t respond. It was almost like Gahyeon was blocking her, and Gahyeon had never done that before. That meant that something was wrong. Dami felt a chill run through her veins as she feared the worst and turned to the others.

_‘try to reach Gahyeon! I think something is wrong, she won't talk to me!’_ Dami said as she started to panic. Minji looked at her in shock, and after a failed attempt at contact, she shook her head. Dami’s anxiety started to rise as she looked at Handong and Elkie, still nothing.

The fur on the back of Dami’s neck started to rise in panic and fear. Something wasn’t right. Gahyeon would never ignore them unless something was wrong. Dami’s mind was taking her down darker and darker thoughts when Sunmi contacted the group.

‘Dami, someone took Gahyeon. We are on her scent. I know I was supposed to come back to you… but this seems important…’ Sunmi said as Dami sighed a small sigh of relief. At least someone has a hint of where her mate is.

_‘go after her. She is ignoring us and refusing contact… that’s not a good sign…’_ Dami said as Sunmi looked worried at Chungha.

_‘it's not like Gahyeon to ignore us, this seems really bad… we need to hurry…’_ Chungha said as Sunmi nodded while they increased the pace.

Dami didn’t know what to do now. Their whole point was to be a diversion. She knew that they should look for any stragglers that may get in their way on the way to Siyeon, but she couldn’t help but worry for Gahyeon.

It was Dami’s job to safely lead the others while Siyeon went after Jackson, but she could feel her logic slipping as her worries for Gahyeon grew.

_‘I can’t be like this! I can’t be weak! It can get the others killed! I know Gahyeon can protect herself. After all, she has her plants with her…’_ Dami said to herself as she tried to calm down. The others waited calmly for her orders. They knew that this must be a difficult situation, so they gave her some time.

After a couple of deep breaths, she decided that they needed to go after Siyeon. The choice was an excruciating one, but she remembered how terrified Siyeon was over the last couple of days and just couldn’t leave her.

_‘we go to Siyeon… we have to trust in Sunmi and Chungha. I also don’t like how quiet Siyeon is being either. So, we need to start moving. Now…’_ Dami said with slight hesitation before turning down the hallway they needed and started running.

The others silently followed her. They knew that she was struggling, and nothing that they could say would make her feel better. One way or the other, she felt like she was choosing one life over the other. She felt like she was turning her back on her mate. They all just hoped that this was the right choice.

The group ran along the halls, looking at their surroundings. They finally made it to one of the halls Chungha had run down. It was evident by the frozen wolves scattered along the halls with ice shards protruding from their bodies.

Their bodies were frozen in positions of panic and terror as they desperately tried to rip out the ice shards futilely.

_‘God, I hope that the ones that are actually on our side are not among the casualties… it looks like Chungha was too much in a panic to check who her targets were…’_ Minji said as they dodged and leapt over bodies.

_‘that’s IF any of them are truly on our side. Let’s not let our guards down. Something just doesn’t feel right…’_ Dami said as the others agreed and followed behind her silently.

Occasionally they would run into a small pack of wolves here or there. Most had seen the carnage above or below and fled on sight. But that made them nervous. That meant that there were wolves still inside that could unite and soon have larger numbers.

They didn’t like being outnumbered. It didn’t matter if they were real threats or not. It was still a risk that the girls didn’t want to take.

_‘how much farther?’_ Minji asked. She was starting to feel nervous too, Yoohyeon was with Siyeon after all, and both girls were now silent.

_‘not much farther…’_ Dami said as she turned to go down a hallway and growled. The halls were now getting too narrow for the girls to run down in their wolf or cat forms. With one last growl of annoyance, Dami shifted and started to run down the hall on foot.

The girls all followed her lead, and soon the four arrived at the room that reeked of Jackson. The girls looked at each other in panic as they heard Bora shrieking and ran inside the room.

Dami and the others stood in the doorway in shock as they looked at Bora, clutching Siyeon, who lay in a bloody pool on the ground. Judging from Bora’s cries, it didn’t look good for their alpha.

Bora was clutching Siyeon to her chest as tears wracked her body. The girls could hear slight gasps coming from Siyeon, who struggled to breathe as she clutched onto Bora desperately.

Bora looked into Siyeon’s pleading eyes and nodded.

“I know, baby… I know you love me…” Bora said as Siyeon smiled softly and raised a hand to cup Bora’s cheek weakly.

With what strength remained, Siyeon brushed some of Bora’s tears away. The alpha's eyes started to tear just at the thought of leaving the love of her life alone, and the sight of Siyeon’s tears streaking down her now pale cheeks was just too much for bora to take.

Bora’s sobs became uncontrollable as Siyeon’s hand gently dropped from her cheek. The wolf's eyes never blinking again as she stared up, blankly into Bora’s eyes.

Bora held Siyeon’s now lifeless body as she stroked her hair. “it’s alright, baby… I’m here… I won't let you go by yourself…” Bora cried as she clutched her chest like she was in excruciating pain.

The girls didn’t know if it was just grief or the loss of her soulmate, but they looked on in horror as Bora slowly leaned down to kiss Siyeon’s lips and soon went still. Not even a breath.

Dami was in complete shock as she felt her blood run cold at the sight in front of her.

_‘no… I promised she would be ok… I promised we would protect her…’_ Dami thought to herself as she went to take a step forward, but Minji caught her and shook her head.

With a flick of the head, Minji pointed at Jackson, who stood on a small platform that obviously held his bed on it. He deemed completely ecstatic as he laughed at Siyeon, who was struggling to stay with Bora.

_‘something isn’t right… Yoohyeon isn’t anywhere to be seen, and she would never leave the others in a situation like this…’_ Minji said as Dami turned back to the room and looked around. Even with her strong senses, she couldn’t smell her sister or even Bora or Siyeon for that matter, and they were right in front of the girls.

Dami wasn’t sure what would kill her sense of smell until she looked at Minji. Minji was looking at her with a look of hope. It could only be one of two options, and Dami prayed for one option in particular…


	38. Chapter 38

-Yoohyeon’s Plan-

Siyeon stood there in shock as she listened to Yoohyeon’s plan. It wasn’t what she was expecting, but she had to admit that she liked it.

_‘there are several wolves in there ready for us to make an appearance. It may be too many for us to deal with without Chungha. Mainly because I bet that Jackson will bolt as soon as we are distracted with his guards.’_ Yoohyeon said as Siyeon breathed in deeply. She could smell a faint scent of others, Yoohyeon’s sense of smell was incredibly strong after her transformation, and it only got stronger as her demon blood started to surface.

Siyeon knew that if Yoohyeon said that there were too many to handle, then she should believe her, but the look that she was giving made her nervous.

_‘so, what is your plan?’_ Siyeon asked nervously as Yoohyeon grinned evilly.

_‘make him think he won, and then crush him after…’_ Yoohyeon said as Siyeon turned her head slightly in confusion.

_‘how?’_ Siyeon asked as Yoohyeon held that same grin.

_‘an illusion. As far as he knows, you are killed, and Bora falls after you die. While he is celebrating, we take out his guards. That way, he won't run away until we are ready to deal with him… how does that sound?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Siyeon looked at her in surprise before looking at Bora.

_‘what do you think?’_ Siyeon asked as she looked at Bora.

_‘well, I don’t like him thinking that he has won. Even if it's for a second, but we need a diversion if we want to get anything done. I don’t want to risk anyone just so that he doesn’t feel like he has won. Let's do it.’_ Bora said as her tail swished angrily.

_‘your tail is showing…’_ Siyeon said as she felt it brush against her bare leg.

_‘yeah, I have a hard time pulling it back after shifting. Is that normal’?’_ Bora asked, but Siyeon didn’t know the answer. She had never met a vampire that could turn into a cat besides Bora.

_‘There is only one downside. I can't control who sees and who doesn’t once the illusion starts, so if the others walk in, they will see what Jackson sees, so let's try to get this done quickly before Minji, and the others go on a rampage…’_ Yoohyeon said as she gave a look of urgency.

_‘if Minji knows I'm going up against Jackson…’_ Yoohyeon said as she trailed off. They knew that the subject of what happened to Yoohyeon was a very sensitive topic to both Yoohyeon and her mate. The vampire would be livid, knowing that she would lose a chance to rip him to shreds.

_‘ok, Yoo is right. We need to do this fast. Ok?’_ Yoohyeon said as Bora looked around.

_‘Chungha should be back soon…’_ Bora thought before getting interrupted by a message from Sunmi.

_‘girls, we have a problem…’_ Sunmi said as she showed them the wolves slinking towards the building.

The girls were shocked when they saw the group. Every one of them knew THIS group was dangerous.

_‘I’m going to take them out. Chungha? There is probably a pack coming through the tunnels you had entered through, mind blocking it off with some of your ice?’_ Sunmi asked as Chungha slid to a stop, she was almost back to the others, but this was a huge situation.

_‘Siyeon?’_ Chungha asked. She knew she was supposed to regroup with the others, but this was important.

_‘go. Block the path, and if you can, get to Sunmi, that’s a lot of wolves, I don’t want her sacrificing herself for us…’_ Siyeon said as Chungha breathed out a sigh of relief before contact was broken again.

_‘shit, they are trying to pin us down. But this doesn’t feel like something that Jackson would do…’_ Bora said as she looked at the others.

Siyeon quickly gave Chungha the ok to seal the tunnel to stop them from being pinned, and soon, Chungha was running to go find her mate and fight the other pack that tried to pin them in, but that put them in a tight spot. They would have to fight the pack of wolves with just Bora and Siyeon as Yoohyeon would hide to control the illusion.

Yoohyeon couldn’t be interrupted for fear that the illusion would fall, and Jackson would escape.

_‘just because Chungha sealed off the tunnel doesn’t mean that there are not some small rat holes that the piece of trash can escape through…’_ Bora said as Siyeon fought the urge to snort at her mate's comment. It was very obvious since their last encounter that Bora despised Jackson, and it made her highly protective of Siyeon.

Siyeon didn’t mind it in the slightest as she felt Bora wrapping her tail around Siyeon’s leg subconsciously in a gentle tail hug. She smiled and tried to push out all of her anxiety and doubts as she faced Yoohyeon.

_‘ok, I feel like we are running out of time… let's do this… Yoo?’_ Siyeon asked once she gained her composure and confidence back as Yoohyeon closed her eyes as shadows swirled off of her like black smoke.

The smoke soon spread and slowly crept into the room and hallway unnoticed from the others as Siyeon noticed that she no longer could smell anything, and her ears felt muffled.

_‘I’m dulling the air so that others can't smell anything. It may make the others panic if they get here before we are done, but let's hope that it won't take that long…’_ Yoohyeon said as the illusion starts to take effect.

Siyeon could see the illusion that Jackson was seeing, but she could also see the wolves hidden around the room and just like Bora had said, down a secret hallway that seemed to lead away.

_‘alright… we are now in a room that we can shift in, Bora?’_ Siyeon asked her mate to get her attention. When Bora glanced at her, she was surprised as she felt Siyeon’s lips connect to hers with an urgency, Siyeon’s anxiety couldn’t be banished permanently, and Bora could feel it radiating off of her mate as she desperately pulls Bora closer to her so that her whole body pressed against Siyeon who let out a silent sigh of contentment at the contact.

Bora gently ran her fingers through Siyeon’s hair, comforting the wolf as she kissed her mate passionately like it would be their last.

_‘ok… let's do this…’_ Siyeon said slightly breathless once they finally broke apart. Bora nodded as the two shifted once they entered the room.

Yoohyeon’s illusion was strong, the wolves didn’t notice the girls until they were practically right on them. But once they were spotted, the pack fought viciously.

Siyeon grabbed a smaller wolf by the back of his neck and shook him like a terrier until she heard the sound she was looking for. The snap signaling her to move onto another target as she dropped him and faced another target.

She couldn’t help but feel a little funny as she fought. It was like she was on autopilot, her fighting even more ferocious than usual as she ripped into wolves. But she couldn’t help but feel like she was watching her body move without her say.

_‘is this feeling a side effect of Yoohyeon’s illusion?’_ Siyeon wondered as she ripped into the tender spot on a wolf's throat with a snarl.

_‘I just don’t feel right…’_ Siyeon thought as she looked at Bora. She was surrounded, and a flood of panic washed over Siyeon as she fought desperately to get to her mate, but it wasn’t needed.

Bora fought viciously with claws and tail as she spun around, keeping the wolves at bay and choosing her next target. It seemed like this was Bora’s element. She thrived in her cat form as she fought without fear. Ripping and shredding into the ones foolish enough to come closer to her.

Siyeon’s anxiety seemed to ease as she watched her mate, but she knew she couldn’t let herself be distracted, and as she turned around, a wolf lunged at her.

Siyeon watched in what felt like slow motion as the wolf’s fangs that were bared and ready came closer to her only to be blasted out of the air with a gorgeous purple flame. Siyeon was glad that Yoohyeon dulled their senses because she was pretty sure the smell of burnt hair and flesh would make her nauseous and cling inside her nose to haunt her.

_‘Thanks…’_ Siyeon said gratefully to Bora. She didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt exhausted. Compared to Bora, Siyeon had barely fought, so she didn’t know why she was suddenly feeling so lethargic until weird shivers started rippling down her body.

_‘oh…’_ Siyeon said as she felt small surges of power as lightning flicked across her fur like protective snakes. Carefully Siyeon stood and faced her enemies and took in a deep breath to clear her head as the weird surges of power left her feeling dizzy.

_‘Bora… I can't do this… help…’_ Siyeon said weakly as she staggered. The sound of helplessness in her voice startled Bora as she took her eyes from the wolves temporarily to look at her mate. The wolves took this opportunity to leave bites and tears along the vampire’s body as she looked at Siyeon, who was slowly getting surrounded as she staggered.

While Siyeon tried to stay on her feet, a message from Sunmi and Chungha arrived.

_‘Siyeon! We have Gahyeon’s scent! We are going after her. Is everything alright with you? Or do you need help?’_ Chungha said as she paused.

_‘no, we are good. go after my sister…’_ Siyeon said softly as another wave of dizziness washed over her, and with it came nausea.

Panic and rage swelled deep in Bora’s chest as she looked at her mate in danger, and quickly, she bulldozed her way over to Siyeon to stand in front of her protectively as she let out a low growl while her tail swished angrily. Her instincts taking over as she guarded her mate that seemed to be in danger.

_‘come any closer, and your life is mine, you mutts…’_ Bora said as her eyes blazed golden while she bared her fangs ferociously. Blood from wolves that got too close dripping from the threatening fangs.

It was a sight to fear as they stared at the large black feline, but they refused to back down as they stalked closer, thinking that their superior numbers would give them the upper hand against the lone feline.

She was now injured, and this was their opportunity to take her out and gain praise from Jackson for killing Siyeon’s mate.

One wolf lunged in early only to watch as Bora moved like a black blur to latch onto his throat as she bit down powerfully. His blood running into her mouth, and with one gulp, her wounds started to heal. The sight caused the others to take a step back nervously now that the leopard seemed to be healed and now full of energy again. Her exhaustion was completely gone.

_‘shit! GET HER!’_ one wolf shouted as they lunged at Bora. If Bora wasn’t distracted by the enemies in front of her, she would panic as Siyeon collapsed behind her knocked out of her wolf form as the dizziness took over her.

Bora fought ferociously as she crushed wolves left and right, all the while continuing to block them from her mate. But soon reinforcements came from the secret hallway, and soon the vampire was feeling overwhelmed.

One particularly large wolf lunged at Bora while she was preoccupied with three in front of her. She looked up in a panic when a white blur launched over her to slam into the large wolf knocking him on his back as a beautiful white wolf with silver-white fur stood above him as she ripped out his throat.

The bright red blood stark against the beautiful white fur and Bora couldn’t explain what she was feeling as the white wolf looked in her direction, and Siyeon’s beautiful vivid green eyes blazed back at her protectively.

_‘I don’t know how I knew it was you, but as soon as I saw you, I just knew… white fur?’_ Bora said with a smile as Siyeon laughed.

_‘it’s a shock to me too, ok? I thought I would go completely black. Not that the white fur would take over!’_ Siyeon joked as they backed up to each other and fought the wolves that attacked them together.

_‘damn! I'm the short one again!’_ Bora noticed as the white wolf was larger than her.

_‘I had just caught up to you, and it didn’t even last 24 hours!’_ Bora said as Siyeon laughed while blocking a wolf from trying to attack her mate from behind.

_‘I’m more excited to test out this new stamina… I guess we will have to wait until after this is over, though… pity…’_ Siyeon teased as she noticed Bora’s large ears perk at that, and with a loud roar, Bora tore through the line of wolves as Siyeon laughed and tried to keep up with the excited feline.

_‘guys, the illusion is nearing its end, how is it on your side?’_ Yoohyeon asked from her hiding spot as Bora and Siyeon looked at the carnage in front of them. Bodies lay everywhere before them, some alive and mostly dead. The ones still alive decided to stay down as the two looked in the direction of Jackson. They could see him celebrating like a little kid as illusion Siyeon took her last breaths.

_‘I know it’s an illusion, but just seeing that makes my heart hurt…’_ Bora said as she nuzzled the large white wolf beside her affectionately.

_‘I know, watching you so upset, it hurts…’_ Siyeon said as she nuzzled the large feline back as her eyes glanced at the door.

_‘oh shit…’_ Siyeon said as Bora looked up to see what startled Siyeon. She looked up to see Dami and the others looking on in sheer shock.

_‘oh, shit indeed…’_ Bora said as she watched Dami look up to Minji. But their look quickly changed to one of hope.

_‘oh good… I think they realized it’s an illusion…’_ Yoohyeon said as she silently walked up behind them, causing the pair to jump.

_‘sorry, it's still dulling our senses, and I forgot…’_ Yoohyeon said as she looked at Minji with a worried expression.

_‘well, are we ready to end this?’_ Siyeon asked as she looked to Bora, who nodded.

_‘alright, let's go with the last of your plan. You go to Minji and the others. They need to know that you are safe and that this is only an illusion.’_ Siyeon said as she and Bora shifted and walked over to their illusionary selves.

“well… this is an interesting sight to see…” Siyeon said as she leaned over and looked at her body on the ground. Jackson jumped at the sight of two Siyeon’s as she laughed.

“oh, don’t tell me you really thought you could kill me that easily, did you?” Siyeon asked as she slowly stood up to face the one that caused all her problems.

“what? How? “Jackson sputtered as he looked on in disbelief.

“vampires can cast illusions… you didn’t know that, did you?” Siyeon said as she took Bora’s hand and held it tightly as she faced Jackson.

The sight of the vampire made his blood boil as he looked on in rage.

“that vampire bitch is still alive too? What a useless pack! Guards!” Jackson yelled as he turned around, and Yoohyeon let her illusion fall.

Jackson looked on at the devastation around him as his eyes went wide in panic. His first reaction was to panic and run, but Yoohyeon stepped out of his escape tunnel as she shook her head and laughed.

“not this way…” Yoohyeon said with an evil smirk as her eyes blazed black. Her demon blood chasing away the panic and fear she used to feel at the sight of the insane alpha before her.

He quickly spun around to the doorway to see Minji and Dami guarding it with matching dark smiles. He was trapped, and he could feel it. For the first time in a long while, he felt true terror as he knew all his choices finally caught up with him.

“what are you going to do? Kill me? You will never walk out of this building alive!” Jackson shouted confidently as Siyeon laughed.

“what wolves would avenge an insane alpha that only caused his pack pain and torment? You really think your pack would mourn you? they only followed you because they feared that if they didn’t join, you would hurt them or just because you held power…” Siyeon said with a smirk.

“no one will mourn or avenge a wolf like you. One that was more animal than a person. Actually, I take that back… that is an insult to all animals to compare a piece of slime like you to them.” Siyeon said as she stood there confidently.

“and you think that they would follow you if you weren't chosen? They just want the power that comes with you!” Jackson shouted as Minji laughed.

“if I wanted power, I would have accepted my uncle's offer to join his family. Bora Handong and I are from the three most powerful vampire families. Power and money mean nothing to us because we have it already…” Minji said as she rolled her eyes at the wolf.

“but that hybrid didn’t have a pack, and she needed it for her own protection!” Jackson said as Siyeon laughed.

“Dami is the strongest of all of us. Even without a pack, I bet she would be able to take on anything!” Siyeon said confidently, shocking Dami at how confidently Siyeon stated it.

“and that hybrid is the one I named my successor if anything happens to me. She is a better alpha right now than you will ever be!” Siyeon said confidently as Dami instantly straightened as all eyes went to her.

It was news to the pack, she didn’t want to tell them to worry them, so this was the first time any of the girls besides Dami and Siyeon knew this fact.

“and I would definitely mourn and definitely avenge Siyeon. whereas you will be forgotten like a bad memory…” Dami said as she glared at the wolf, which caused her family so much stress and anxiety.

“so, I have something to ask. JACKSON…” Siyeon said as she spat out his name like it left a bad taste in her mouth.

“why me?!? Why did you focus on me? Why the obsession with me?” Siyeon asked as Jackson laughed while rubbing his face exhaustedly.

“because you were probably meant to be mine…” Jackson said softly as he looked at her with an expression the girls couldn’t decipher.

“I lost my mate. And when I saw you, I was instantly drawn to you. I wondered if you were my destined mate that I lost…” Jackson said as Siyeon laughed.

“I have ALWAYS been Bora’s mate. I was drawn to her the first time I saw her. Before I was old enough to understand that I what love or attraction was. Whoever your mate was destined to be, it wasn’t me.” Siyeon said as Bora gently squeezed her hand lovingly.

“and I have always been drawn to Siyeon. Minji and Handong would constantly groan every time I would mention her or watch her from across the room. We are not just mates, but soulmates. Whoever you were destined to be with it is not Siyeon, and your obsession with her destroyed you and your whole pack.” Bora said as Dami stepped forward and shook her head as Elkie walked more into view.

“half of his pack was destroyed. The other half defected to Elkie’s stepfather and JB. You wouldn’t make it out alive even if we spare you. Oh, but don’t get your hopes up, because we won't. You have messed with my family, and we are not stupid enough to leave a threat to live to come back another day…” Dami said as she shifted.

Her appearance striking fear into him as he looked at the two different colored eyes. Soon she was followed by the others, and for the first time, he saw the vampires' transformation as Minji and Handong stood before him.

“what? How is that even possible?” Jackson said as he looked at the group in shock. Quickly he looked to Bora and noticed that the red eyes were almost gone and instead replaces with a yellow-gold that blazed as she stared at him with anger.

“what? You thought that we were just helpless girls? That vampires were weak?” Bora said as she shifted and now stood before him with her black fur shining as the markings shown under the florescent lights.

“All of them are my family. Every one of them means more to me than you can ever know. And you took one of my family, if you thought you would make it out alive after this, you are wrong.” Siyeon said as she shifted and stretched, showing him her new wolf form.

He stared at her in shock. He was too late anyway. She has had her final transformation, and as a chosen, there would be no way he could beat her.

Jackson sighed in defeat as he looked at the beautiful white wolf in front of him.

“you weren't like this before Jackson… what changed you?” Elkie asked as she still stood there in her human form.

“you don’t know what I've been through… what I have been forced to do…” Jackson said as Minji laughed.

_‘yet once that was over, and your choices were yours to make, you did the same things that you were forced to do. Am I right? That means you are just like the one who started all of this!’_ Minji said with a snarl of hatred as she remembered all of the times Yoohyeon would wake up with nightmares sweating and shaking in terror. The only thing that would soothe her was Minji’s arms as she clung to her mate desperately.

It was like Yoohyeon was afraid to let her go for fear that she would disappear, and Minji felt helpless. The only thing shew could do was hold her and tell Yoohyeon how much she loved her. But she always felt helpless. If she had checked on her right away, maybe Yoohyeon wouldn’t have had to suffer. That thought tortured Minji every night as she watched Yoohyeon weather she slept peacefully or not.

_‘I think this is Minji’s fight more than mine…’_ Siyeon said as she and Bora traded spots with Yoohyeon and guarded the door as Yoohyeon went over to her mate and shifted.

Minji could tell that she got to Jackson as his face started to turn red.

“I'm nothing like him! How dare you compare me to him!” Jackson shouted as he took a step forward.

“he was a monster! All he liked to do was control people and play with them like toys!” Jackson said as the veins in his neck bulged while he shouted.

_‘and how are you any different!’_ Yoohyeon shouted as she stood there, shaking in rage.

_‘did you forget what you did to me? How you tortured me every day? How you threatened to take Minji away from me? Just the memory of your hands coming at me make me disgusted!’_ Yoohyeon shouted as she took a step closer as shadows swirled around her.

_‘you… TOUCHED MY MATE!?!’_ Minji roared as she lunged at him. Quickly Jackson jumped out of the way and shifted into his wolf form. He was a large brown wolf, but his body was scarred with old injuries, including one scar that ran from between his eyes to down his nose.

_‘so that’s why his sense of smell was so bad… why didn’t his injuries heal? Why did he scar like that?’_ Siyeon asked as she looked at the scarred wolf.

_‘remember the rumors of wolfsbane or nightshade killing wolves? It doesn’t, but what it does do is stop the rapid healing. I'm assuming this is what happened to him…’_ Dami said as she looked at the wolf.

_‘It makes sense, why else would he be in a hospital for so long… but how did you find this out?’_ Elkie asked as they looked at his scars carefully.

_‘one of my rare books was from Europe from a group that called themselves werewolf hunters. In it, they would coat their weapons in it, thinking it would poison the wolves, but instead, it only stopped the rapid healing ability until it worked its way out of their system.’_ Dami said as she looked at Elkie.

_‘if it goes back to normal after working out of your system, that means…’_ Elkie said as she looked at Jackson.

_‘yes, the person that did that to him kept dosing him so that he healed slowly…’_ Dami said as Elkie cringed at the thought of being in such pain for so long.

_‘that sounds terrible, but it doesn’t forgive what he has done. He may even be way worse if the rumors are true…’_ Handong said as she watched Minji circling the scarred wolf as she snarled.

_‘I may be cornered, but I won't go down easily!’_ Jackson shouted as the others laughed.

_‘is that the go-to saying for all male wolves facing their doom?’_ Minji asked as she laughed.

_‘Elkie’s stepfather said the same thing. And we still ripped him to shreds.’_ Handong said confidently as he noticed the blood that covered Elkie and Handong.

_‘I’m different from that old wolf…’_ Jackson said as he watched Minji as she circled.

Quickly Minji lunged in but missed as Jackson dodged easily.

_‘well, he can run away well…’_ Dami said as Handong snorted.

_‘forget about me?’_ Yoohyeon asked as she appeared behind him and bit the back of his neck to throw him at Minji, who was waiting.

Jackson went flying right into Minji’s jaws as she grabbed him on the back of his neck with her fangs and held him with her paws and, in true cat fashion, kicked her back feet, feeling his skin on his back shredded as he shrieked in pain and panic.

She let him go. Determined to make him suffer for what he did to Yoohyeon. He limped away as he looked for an escape route but found none. The wounds on his back burned like fire as he limped forward. One kick slashed his back leg deeply, and he could feel the blood running down it through his fur.

Jackson could tell his injuries were severe as every step sent waves of severe pain through his limbs, but he refused to be killed like some animal. Slowly he took careful steps to face the two, and before he knew it, he was trapped in an illusion or what he would call a nightmare.

Jackson couldn’t move as he relived every traumatic thing that happened throughout his life. Every injury he felt like new, and every time he hit or abused someone, it reflected onto him while he was frozen in place and unable to stop it.

Every time he would strike a younger pack member to every time he would take advantage of a human woman, he felt it all, and finally, it was his time to relive the trauma he gave to Yoohyeon, and his eyes went wide.

He knew what he did to Yoohyeon was extremely wicked, but he would never admit that he regretted it after. He didn't know where that side of him that loved to see the fear in Yoohyeon’s eyes came from, and it terrified him. But in the end, that side took over, and he was finally experiencing the torture that he made everyone else feel.

Minji watched the nightmare that Jackson was going through as he heard all of the things Jackson said to her. Every time he would beat her for mentioning Minji’s name. The constant threats of breaking her bond with Minji.

It wasn’t physical trauma that took its toll on Yoohyeon but the mental trauma. Yes, she was beaten, but the threat of taking away the person that meant most to her was her worst fear, and he used it against her and tortured her with it.

Several times he had made her believe that Minji was gone, or he was about to break her bond, and to this day, it leaves Yoohyeon with some separation anxiety that she tries to hide from Minji and the others.

Being separated from Minji for this attack was torture to her, but she remained silent, trying not to worry the others.

For once, Jackson was able to feel just how much his mental torture did to someone. He used to think that it was ok because he didn’t hit them, but now he was understanding he was wrong as he felt Yoohyeon’s fear. Her terror every time he would enter the room, or just the mention of his name would bring.

He finally understood what they meant when they said he became the monster he hated. He couldn’t deny it anymore. Feeling the absolute terror that he caused to the girl standing in front of him. Seeing the anger and hatred in her eyes.

He felt like he was looking at himself as he looked at his uncle all those years ago. Yoohyeon’s expression was the same one that he held, and his heart sank. He now understood why he lost his mate. He deserved it. Everything was his own fault. He only used his uncle as an excuse. He could see it all now.

Once the nightmare was over, and its grip loosened, he staggered forward. Barely catching himself as he looked at the two.

_‘going down too easy won't ease their pain. They deserve the revenge they crave for…’_ Jackson thought to himself as he took a breath and struggled through the pain as he turned to face them and with the last of his willpower charged the two.

It was done in a matter of seconds as Yoohyeon and Minji fell upon him, and soon, he was still.

_‘he still thought he could take us down after all of that?’_ Minji asked as she looked at his still body in front of them.

Elkie noticed the change in Jackson’s expression and knew what he did. But kept silent. They deserved the revenge they desperately needed. Elkie wasn’t going to mess with that.

Siyeon walked over and looked at his body and sighed.

_‘it's over…’_ Siyeon said as she looked into Bora’s eyes as her anxiety started to ease.

_‘now let's go get the baby!’_ Bora said as they nodded and turned around to head after Gahyeon.

‘ _Siyeon! We found Gahyeon, but it seems to be bad. We need backup…’_ Sunmi said as she shared what she saw.

JB stood there with a knife to Gahyeon’s throat as several wolves stood around them. These wolves looked like dangerous fighters, and the sight of them made her nervous.

_‘the ones on his left and right are the ones that led the attack we fought off earlier. These wolves are no joke, and half of the group we fought ran away. So, there could still be wolves anywhere… they seem dangerous. I think the two behind him are from Elkie’s stepfather's pack. They seemed foreign.’_ Sunmi said as Elkie got a better look at them, and her eyes went wide.

_‘yes, they are young and vicious. Be wary of those two. One is named mark, and the other one is Bambam. They were my stepfather's enforcers, and after being practically raised by him, they feel no remorse anymore. You can't reason with them at all…’_ Elkie said as she looked at the others with a worried expression.

_‘they need backup… now. Those are two extremely dangerous wolves…’_ Elkie said as the fur on the back of her neck went up.

_‘now. We move now!’_ Siyeon shouted as she and the others shifted from wolf to human and back and forth as needed as they ran down hallways that would be too narrow for their wolf forms to run through.

_‘hold on… we are coming…’_ both Siyeon and Dami thought as they ran alongside each other as they headed towards Gahyeon at full speed.


	39. Chapter 39

-Gahyeon-

Siyeon and the others ran in a panic as they rushed to Gahyeon. They were unsure if they should try to contact her in such a dangerous situation, and it was driving both Siyeon and Dami insane.

_‘Will we make it in time?’_ Siyeon asked Dami as they made their way down the hallways through the large warehouse basement and up towards Sunmi Chungha and Gahyeon.

_‘I hope so… I can't live without her…’_ Dami said as anxiety washed over her. Siyeon looked at her worriedly. She felt the same way because Gahyeon was her sister, but Gahyeon is Dami’s mate. Their attraction was strong enough that the girls swore that they are also soulmates.

The thought of losing both of them was too much for Siyeon to even think about. Suddenly a wave of power washed over everyone as their speed increased. It felt like electricity buzzing in their limbs as they ran faster than previously possible. They didn’t know what caused it, but everyone zipped at lightning speed towards the surface. Their minds only on one thing. Gahyeon.

_‘what is this?’_ Siyeon asked Dami as the younger wolf shook her head. She didn’t know, but something was happening to them. As Siyeon looked around at the others, her eyes froze when they locked onto Minji. Her snow leopard form as beautiful as ever, but her eyes were glowing an odd color. As Siyeon looked around, she noticed the faint color around each of her packmates.

_‘is this Minji’s power?’_ Siyeon asked Dami as the younger wolf looked over and noticed the odd situation.

_‘I don’t know…’_ Dami said as they neared Sunmi’s location.

Gahyeon was being held outside with all of the wolves that defected from Jackson. JB managed to keep a tight grip on her as he held her still with the knife against her throat. And the memory of that image made Siyeon and her packs blood boil.

_‘Sunmi, we are almost there. What does it look like now?’_ Siyeon asked as Sunmi shared what she was seeing. She and Chungha were hunkered down flat in some tall grass, trying to hide as they watched. Siyeon and Dami noticed right away that something was different.

_‘where are the two enforcers?’_ Siyeon asked as she looked carefully again. They were just missing.

_‘I don’t know… they walked away, and now we can’t-‘ Chungha’s_ response was cut short, and the others couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong.

-Sunmi and Chungha-

_‘I don’t like the look of this…’_ Chungha said as she looked around carefully. They had lost sight of the two enforcers, and they were told that they were extremely dangerous.

They nervously looked over to Gahyeon, who held still as blood trickled down her throat as he carelessly put too much pressure on the knife.

Chungha fought the urge to charge the wolves when she saw the youngest’s blood fall, but Sunmi leaned against her in an attempt to calm her younger mate.

_‘I don’t like it either… All we can do is hope that the others get here quickly…’_ Sunmi said as she looked at the scene before her.

_‘it's not like we can take them all on by ourselves…’_ Sunmi said as Chungha silently sighed in agreement.

They didn’t like this situation at all. Especially with what happened to the wolf that tried to help Gahyeon from the beginning.

He still was lying in the grass in front of Gahyeon, and she couldn’t take her eyes off of his still form. It was the same wolf that protected her with Jinyoung. Yugyeom now was still in the grass. The scent of his blood wafting in the air.

He had attempted to protect Gahyeon from JB and the others as soon as he realized that he was tricked, and he managed to injure several wolves. He fought valiantly, but in the end, the one he trusted from the beginning was the one to end the fight as his fangs sank into the younger wolf's throat.

It was a struggle for the foxes to stay hidden and not blow their cover as they heard Gahyeon scream at the sight of the young wolf falling, but they could tell that it was too late for him.

_‘they are possibly worse than Jackson. That was his own friend. He lied to him and killed him without even an ounce of remorse… and now Gahyeon has to stare at that poor boy's body…’_ Sunmi said as her ears went flat in sadness.

_‘I still don’t see that other boy, the one that seemed to be helping us behind the scenes… I hope he wasn’t captured or killed…’_ Chungha said as she snuggled against her mate to soothe both herself and Sunmi.

_‘I think Gahyeon is doing something…’_ Sunmi said as she squinted at the girl carefully. She didn’t mean to change the subject, but she could see Gahyeon’s aura fluttering. Her emotions were all over the place, but it also looked like a faint string of her power was slowly flowing off of her down her leg and into the ground.

_‘before your parents passed, did they teach you to see auras and powers?’_ Sunmi asked Chungha, who shook her head.

_‘I somewhat learned how to on my own, but I'm sure it is flawed compared to someone who was taught…’_ Chungha said as she struggled to see what Sunmi saw.

Suddenly Sunmi shared what she was seeing, and Chungha could see the faint trail of power that seeped into the ground.

_‘is she planning to do something with the plants?’_ Chungha asked as she looked closely.

_‘I don’t think so… I think she's trying to heal that boy… she can't take her eyes off of his body…’_ Sunmi said as Chungha gently nodded, careful not to make the grass around her move.

_‘she should really be planning her defense. But we know that she can’t NOT help him. But it is Gahyeon after all…’_ Chungha said worriedly as she looked over to her mate.

Sunmi’s golden fur was camouflaged with an illusion to dull its vibrant colors as they hid in the grass, but she still looked beautiful to Chungha.

_‘I hope we all can make it home tonight. I just met everyone, but they are already like my family…’_ Chungha said as she carefully looked back at Gahyeon.

They were laying there quietly when a message from Siyeon and the others finally came through.

_‘Sunmi, we are almost there. What does it look like now?’_ Siyeon asked, and the sound of Siyeon’s voice in their heads made them feel hope.

Quickly, Sunmi shared what she was seeing with Siyeon and the others, and just as expected, they recognized that people were missing.

_‘where are the two enforcers?’_ Siyeon asked as she looked carefully again. They were just missing.

_‘I don’t know… they walked away, and now we can’t-‘_ Chungha said when suddenly she went silent mid-sentence.

_‘Chungha? CHUNGHA! Is everything alright? Sunmi? Fuck!’_ Siyeon shouted as she and the others finally made it to the surface close to where the two that went silent were at.

-Siyeon-

Siyeon and the others ran at full speed to see the two missing enforcers standing over Sunmi and Chungha.

Quickly the pack dropped to the ground silently as they tried to hide out of sight from the two while silently creeping closer.

“no, don’t kill them. Its bad luck to kill a nine-tailed fox. There are rumors that they turn into monsters or their ghosts haunt you for killing them…” the one called Bambam said as he stopped mark and made him release the large rock he held in his hands.

“by the time they wake up, it will be too late anyway.” He said as mark nodded and the two walked casually over to JB and took their places on either side of him.

Siyeon looked at the scene before her in shock as she stared at the two foxes' unconscious bodies. The two that could heal besides Gahyeon are now out of the fight, and it worried the alpha greatly.

_‘please let them be ok…’_ Siyeon thought to herself as the pack slowly crept closer to the rival pack. They wanted to get as close as possible before anything happens. She looked around carefully one last time when something in the distance caught her eye.

There among the trees was a small pack of wolves slightly hidden from view. They looked nervous but ready to fight.

_‘Dami, do you see that?’_ Siyeon said as she pointed with her nose.

_‘is that a pack of wolves? Why are they not with the others? They look like they hate JB according to the glares that they are giving him…’_ Dami said, but Siyeon just had to take her word for it. After all, Dami’s demon eyesight was greater than Siyeon’s wolf eyesight.

_‘so, what do we do now? Do you have a plan?’_ Yoohyeon asked as she looked around nervously. She didn’t like the weird feeling that she was getting.

Something was off, and it made Yoohyeon’s fur stand on end. The energy in this field felt very hostile, and it made her shift her weight nervously as she looked around while they crept through the tall grass.

Luck wasn’t on their side, though. A bird was playing in the tall grass and startled when the wolves got closer. Soon the rival wolves were alerted to the girls as the bird flew into the air, shrieking an alarm call.

Siyeon sighed as she stood up, and soon the others followed. They spread out and stood in front of the large rival pack confidently.

“well… look who we have here!” JB said as he tightened his hold on Gahyeon. She winced as the knife bit into her neck a little more.

_‘what do you want? Why are you doing this? Jackson and Elkie’s stepfather are both gone. You all are free to do what you want. Why hold my sister hostage?’_ Siyeon asked as she watched JB smirk.

“you really think that I just wanted to be free of Jackson? No, I wanted to run this pack PROPERLY. Unlike him, I won't use my packmates like he did. And they all willingly follow me!” JB said with a smirk.

_‘so, it WAS the pack he was after… any signs of Youngjae?’_ Siyeon asked her sister. Now that Gahyeon knew that they were safe, she allowed Siyeon’s messages to go through.

_‘no, he was nearby, though. I know because the plants told me, but he left when JB attacked Yugyeom…’_ Gahyeon said as Siyeon thought carefully.

_‘I’m not sure if he is with us or against us after seeing his friend get killed…’_ Siyeon said as she looked around carefully.

_‘Dami? How is your energy? You ok to dull their senses and blind them? I don’t want them to see us coming when we go in for the attack.’_ Siyeon asked as she scanned the surroundings one last time as she watched the pack in the tree line.

_‘my energy isn't the greatest right now. But I should be able to hold it long enough to get Gahyeon out of his grasp…’_ Dami said as Siyeon nodded worriedly.

She would ask Yoohyeon for help, but she held the illusion for Jackson for so long that Siyeon was sure the wolf must be severely drained.

Something was off, and it made Yoohyeon’s fur stand on end as she carefully sniffed the air and tasted blood. The energy in this field felt very hostile, and it made her shift her weight nervously as she looked around.

_‘I don’t think we can really come up with much of a plan for this. It makes me nervous. Dami? Can you blind them on the count of three? As soon as they are starting to feel the effects, we move in to save Gahyeon, ok?’_ Siyeon asked everyone as they agreed and stood at the ready.

Minji was watching the knife that was cutting Gahyeon. Every drop of blood running down the younger girl's neck was like torture to Minji. She didn’t like seeing her family in this kind of situation. She didn’t like seeing Gahyeon wince in pain every time he got careless with the knife.

It made Minji clench her jaw as she pawed at the earth nervously as she looked on as she heard Siyeon start slowly counting down. Minji’s muscles tensed as she readied herself for the signal.

_‘three…’_

_‘two…’_

_‘one…’_

_‘NOW!’_ Siyeon shouted as Dami let the shadows erupt from her body as they snaked rapidly across the field towards JB and his group. Except he anticipated this move. As soon as he noticed a change in either Yoohyeon or Dami, he quickly dragged the knife across Gahyeon’s throat before she had enough time to call on her plants to help her.

_‘NO!’_ both Dami and Siyeon screamed as a stunned look came across Gahyeon’s face as her front was painted crimson with her own blood. She fell slowly from his grasp to fall beside Yugyeom’s body.

Dami’s mind went blank as she watched her mate fall as her eyes went blank. The image playing in her head on loop as she was forced out of her wolf form and sank to her knees in shock.

Siyeon wasn’t much better. She shifted out of her wolf form, and Bora had to hold her back from blindly running forward to get to her sister's still body.

‘ _baby… it's too late…’_ Bora said as she fought back tears while holding onto Siyeon tightly. Bora couldn’t lose Siyeon too. Siyeon turned into her mate's chest as she cried while Bora held her tightly.

Minji and Yoohyeon, however, were another story. Instead of frozen with grief, they were energized by rage. Their eyes blazing as they growled lowly. The longer fur of Yoohyeon’s mane standing up as her anger rages, and shadows swirled around her like smoke as she looked at JB with pure hatred.

Suddenly Handong and Elkie felt a shift in the air as something changed within Minji. A faint pink glow was around her as well as Yoohyeon. One second they were there, and the next, they just vanished as rival wolves toppled over or went flying with fountains of their blood erupting from them left and right.

Elkie and Handong stood beside the unconscious bodies of Sunmi and Chungha as they watched the massacre before them. Elkie was only able to catch flickers of an image with her special eyesight passed down from her father's side. It looked like she would catch glimpses of Minji and Yoohyeon for a split second before another wolf would fall.

JB jumped back in shock as one wolf after another started falling without a sign of their attackers. Panic started rising as he dropped the knife and turned to run. But his escape path was cut off. The pack that had been staying back had slowly started creeping closer as Siyeon and the others tried to face JB and this dangerous pack.

-Minji and Yoohyeon-

Minji felt a shift in herself and looked over to Yoohyeon. They noticed that everything seemed frozen around them. No frozen wasn’t right. Moving extremely slowly a better choice. The faint pink glow around them now blazed as Yoohyeon gave Minji a surprised look.

_‘if this is what I think it is. You won't have much time. We need to take these bastards out fast!’_ Yoohyeon said to her mate as Minji nodded.

The two ran forward at the wolves that were too slow to move out of the way. Minji and Yoohyeon shredded through wolves left and right as they ran through their lines, and soon, Minji was taking out her anger at losing her packmate out on the defenseless wolves.

She pounced into a large group and slashed at them with her large deadly paws and tail as wolves went flying around her. It looked like an invisible slow-moving tornado was traveling through the pack in real-time as wolves went flying without knowing what hit them. One second they were alive, and the next, they were gone as their limp bodies went flying through the air to land with a crunch.

Yoohyeon ran through the enemy groups while sending out her deadly cyclones infused with her dark flames as she tore through the wolves on the opposite side of Minji. The smell of burnt fur and flesh wafted throughout the field as they annihilated the enemy wolves.

Minji’s rage just wouldn’t fade as her last images of Gahyeon circled through her head. Just the thought of it made Minji see red as she grabbed onto one wolf by the back of the neck and bit down harder and harder until she heard the satisfying crunch she was going for.

The two made fast work of the enemy. Soon it was just JB and his two enforcers that were blocked by the pack that Siyeon spotted earlier. Minji debated taking out the other pack too just in case, but she noticed the hatred in their eyes as they stared JB down and decided that they weren't her enemy.

She slowed down as a wave of exhaustion hit her. This was the first real time she had activated her new ability all the way, and it seemed to take an extreme amount of energy to keep it up.

As her body started to feel heavy, she turned to look at the body of Gahyeon. Dami was on the ground with Gahyeon as she cradled Gahyeon’s lifeless body to her chest. Dami’s expression broke Minji’s heart.

After all of the years of watching Gahyeon from afar, she didn’t get much time to truly be with her, and Minji couldn’t help but feel guilty.

_‘if I had only let Dami talk to Gahyeon sooner…’_ Minji thought as she felt herself sway slightly as her exhaustion caught up with her.

_‘it's not your fault. You and the others were only trying to protect her. Release this. you are about to make yourself pass out…’_ Yoohyeon said softly as she leaned against Minji as she slowly nodded and leaned against Yoohyeon for support as the wolf felt the odd air return to normal.

Yoohyeon didn’t notice how little she heard while Minji used her powers until the sound flooded back to her, taking her by surprise slightly.

What hit her first, though, was Dami’s wails of grief. Her cries traveled through the field. They sounded so heartbreaking that anyone that heard them knew right away that she had lost someone very important to her. It was a cry so sad that you could feel the grief in your bones.

Siyeon was in shock as Bora held her tightly. This was the thing that she feared the most. That someone that she loved would die because of her. It was eating away at her while Bora tried to comfort her mate. But Gahyeon was her sister, it wouldn’t be very easy to get over this.

Yoohyeon looked around at her pack that was divided into smaller groups to take care of each other as they mourned the loss of their youngest, but she knew that she had to do something.

Yoohyeon slowly walked up behind JB and the other two who happened to be surrounded by this rogue pack.

_‘It looks like not everyone agrees with your leadership…’_ Yoohyeon said as she let her demonic alpha aura waft over the group.

JB froze at the feeling and turned around slowly to face Yoohyeon. He didn’t know what was more terrifying. Looking into Youngjae’s angry and betrayed eyes or the eyes of the wolf that had shadows swirling off of her like black smoke as she slowly stalked closer.

_‘you thought that you could kill one of my packmates and get away with it? I don’t think so… I can still smell her blood on your hands… Right now, you can't move…’_ Yoohyeon said as JB scoffed and went to take a step until he noticed the pools of shadows at his feet holding them there like he was in quicksand. He looked at the other two, and they were in the same situation.

JB quickly went to lean down and try to pull his feet out of the shadows but noticed he suddenly couldn’t move at all. The only thing he could do is blink as he stared at Yoohyeon with a look of terror as the dark alpha walked slowly closer.

_‘I want to rip you to shreds extremely slowly right now, but I'm not the only one who wants to do that, now am I?’_ Yoohyeon asked as she looked behind him to Youngjae and his pack.

“you are right. You are not the only one who wants his blood. We trusted him! We all hated the things that he did to you, we decided to help that girl so that another incident like what happened to you would never happen again. But then Jinyoung went missing, and all I found was a room full of his blood. he then killed Yugyeom, who trusted him and looked up to him like a brother!” Youngjae shouted as JB winced at the hatred behind his once friend's voice.

“I'm not dead yet…” a voice said as Yoohyeon looked over her shoulder to see the wolf that one of Gahyeon’s plants took a liking to earlier.

Jinyoung was struggling to walk forward as he glared at JB. With every step that Jinyoung took, JB's eyes grew wider.

“I should have known you wanted the pack all for yourself. Its why you decided to take me out, isn’t it? You didn’t want another alpha that was well-liked in the pack to become your rival. Even though I TOLD you time and time again, I didn’t want to lead…” Jinyoung said as he stood beside Yoohyeon, unfazed by the shadows radiating off of her.

“but now that changes. Anyone is a better leader than you who kill their own friends for power…” Jinyoung said as he glared at JB confidently. His energy was slowly recovering from his struggle to get over to everyone, and his mind seemed to be clearing from the haze he first woke up in.

Jinyoung turned to Yoohyeon with an apologetic look as he began speaking. “I know you probably want to rip him to shreds. But can we have him instead? Just like you, we lost our youngest to him…” Jinyoung asked as Yoohyeon thought and looked back at her packmates.

Minji looked like she was asleep on her feet, the foxes were still unconscious after all of the attempts at trying to wake up the two that Elkie and Handong tried. While Siyeon was still crying into Bora’s shoulder and Dami… Yoohyeon’s sister couldn’t let go of Gahyeon’s pale body still. They were in no shape to get revenge. Yoohyeon sighed and turned around slowly to look at Jinyoung.

_‘on one condition. I will keep him locked in my shadows. That way, both packs have a hand in his death. I hope it will ease my packs heartache even if a little bit…’_ Yoohyeon said as Jinyoung nodded.

“It makes it too easy for us. But the idea of him finally feeling helpless for once makes it easier… it also means we won't lose any more of our members… I agree.” Jinyoung said before removing his last pair of shorts and shifting into his wolf form.

Yoohyeon stared at his wolf form and wondered if Gahyeon had seen it when she was held captive. It was interesting because, like Siyeon’s wolf form before her transformation, his fur was black, but instead of random white fur threaded throughout, his was a silver-grey color that shined brightly in the morning light.

Yoohyeon was shocked to know that the fight had been going on for long enough for the sun to rise, but then again, a lot has happened.

She watched feeling numb as Jinyoung stalked slowly over to the three frozen wolves with a sinister expression as he silently gave his pack the order to attack. Muffled screams were heard from the throats of JB and the other two, but they were soon stifled as jaws clamped around their necks. It was over quicker than expected, thanks to Yoohyeon’s help.

Once everything was finished, Yoohyeon slowly walked over to her sister, who was still clutching Gahyeon to her when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. The plants around Gahyeon were acting strangely.

The closer Yoohyeon looked at them, the more she could see. Soon she saw faintly shimmering energy flowing from the plants around Gahyeon. Yoohyeon looked around the field and noticed all of the tall grass were slightly bent in Gahyeon’s direction, and the same trickles of energy flowed from plant to plant in a web that reminded Yoohyeon of a spiders web or a root system of a plant as it made its way to Gahyeon.

_‘what is going on?’_ Yoohyeon said aloud, catching everyone's attention but Dami’s.

_‘what's wrong?’_ Siyeon asked, sounding numb. Bora squeezed her mate tighter and snuggled into her as she purred, trying to cheer the alpha up, but nothing was working yet.

‘the plants are doing something to Gahyeon…’ Yoohyeon said, and suddenly, everyone's eyes were on the plants around them. They could now see what Yoohyeon could see as they watched the energy spreading through the plants’ roots and made their way towards Gahyeon’s body.

_‘The plants… they are dying… are they sacrificing themselves?’_ Handong asked as she looked at the grass as it went dull and wilted as it gave up its life energy for Gahyeon.

_‘I don’t think it will be enough… they are killing themselves for nothing…’_ Siyeon said, heartbroken.

Suddenly a stronger stream of energy came from the direction of the warehouse. It was strong, and with it also came some of Gahyeon’s own power.

_‘what IS THAT?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Siyeon took a closer look, and soon her eyes widened. It must be Gahyeon’s plant that protected the door for her.

“Dami… Dami!” Siyeon shouted to grab the sobbing girl's attention, but she still wasn’t aware of anyone around her. Nothing else mattered but the body that was cold in her arms. But the keyword is WAS. If Dami wasn’t so distraught, she would have noticed that Gahyeon’s face started to slowly gain some color back as Dami held her close. 

Soon Dami started to feel the effects of the plants' sacrifices as her body started to tingle. Her eyes went wide as she looked up at her surroundings. She knew that feeling better than anyone. It was Gahyeon’s power. Every night after training, she would use her powers on Dami to get rid of any aches or pains she earned for the day, and quickly, Dami looked for the cause.

Finally, Dami noticed what everyone else noticed. They all held their breath as they watched the energy slowly trickle into Gahyeon with hopeful expressions.

The surge of energy from the warehouse faded to a trickle, and soon the last of it snaked its way to Gahyeon.

Everything that was left was a field of dead plants. They all gave up their lives for Gahyeon, and the pack prayed that their sacrifice was worth it. They slowly crept closer to Dami and Gahyeon and watched as Dami looked at Gahyeon’s face with a pleading expression.

They waited for what felt like forever, and there was still nothing. No movement. Their hopes sank as it looked hopeless.

Dami gently grabbed one of Gahyeon’s hands and brought it to her mouth as she kissed it softly. “please… please wake up, Gahyeon… I can't live without you. We just finally got together. I can't lose you so soon…” Dami pleaded as her voice broke several times while she held the limp hand to her cheek.

It felt like all hope was lost until Dami felt the slightest of twitches in Gahyeon’s hand. Her eyes flew open as she looked at her mate's face. The color seemed to be coming back to her cheeks, and with it, her body heat. Finally, what Dami was looking for happened.

Gahyeon took a breath…


	40. Chapter 40

-Gahyeon-

Everyone was holding their breath while waiting to see something, anything that would tell them that Gahyeon was alive. Every second ticked by and felt like hours as they watched. Dami looked like she had given up all hope as she kissed her mates hand and pleaded for her love to wake up. But there was still nothing.

Everyone felt defeated as they watched Dami’s hopes dashed as she cradled Gahyeon’s hand to her face when suddenly Dami’s eyes went wide as she looked at Gahyeon in shock.

As Dami took a closer look, she could see the color was back in her cheeks. Her skin was no longer as pale or as cold as before. Dami’s breath hitched as she prayed for a sign that Gahyeon was ok.

For what felt like an eternity, the group watched Gahyeon’s still body when they finally saw what they prayed to see.

Gahyeon took a shallow and ragged breath. Dami was ecstatic as she screamed her mate's name and held Gahyeon tightly to her.

Gahyeon struggled to speak. Her wound on her throat not fully healed. The plants could only do so much. Slowly Gahyeon’s eyes fluttered open as she struggled to see clearly. Everything was blurry at first. But after a couple of weak breaths, her vision cleared, and she saw the owner of the voice that called her back, staring down at her with tears in her eyes.

As soon as Gahyeon’s eyes could focus, she saw Dami’s face. Just the sight of her mate and knowing that the older girl was ok made Gahyeon’s heart ease. She had feared that if anything happened to her, that Dami would do something reckless or get hurt.

To see Dami safe and to feel that she was in the older girl’s arms was everything that Gahyeon needed as her eyelids felt heavy again. She felt exhausted and couldn’t quite remember why as the exhaustion started to cloud her mind.

She remembered someone screaming and a sudden metallic taste in her mouth. It hurt to swallow, but she had to, or she would drown. With a pained swallow, she drank Dami’s blood.

Minji had noticed Gahyeon was starting to fade away quickly and shouted to Dami, the only thing that she could think of to save her.

“Dami! She needs blood! She needs to heal! Hurry!” Minji shouted now back in her human form as she clung onto Yoohyeon for support. Gahyeon wasn’t the only one exhausted.

Without a second thought, Dami tore into her wrist with her teeth and held the bleeding wound over Gahyeon’s mouth as she watched it fill her mouth.

_‘drink…drink! Please, Gahyeon…’_ Dami pleaded as she watched Gahyeon’s eyes flutter slightly but not open. Finally, Gahyeon swallowed with a pained expression. Dami’s demon blood worked quickly through her system as her hybrid healing abilities kicked in. Dami could see the wound sealing and fading to a faint scar as she sighed in relief.

Gahyeon wasn’t out of danger yet, though. They needed Chungha and Sunmi’s healing abilities.

“Handong! We need to wake Sunmi or Chungha. Can you douse them in water and see if it will wake them?” Dami asked as Handong quickly followed as instructed.

It was one of the things Handong didn’t try. She was afraid that they would drown if she did it wrong, but now that the fight was over for the moment, she had help just in case she caused any unnatural weather disaster.

Handong felt with her powers as she reached out in a radius around her, searching for water when she finally found what she was looking for. The pipes in the building were too far away for what she had planned, but deep below the earth, Handong felt some extremely cool water.

She pulled the water to her. Careful not to have another incident happen as she worked the water through the cracks and crevices in the earth until it pooled around her bare feet.

The water was indeed cool. It gave Handong cold chills as she forced the water in Sunmi and Chungha’s direction.

The water crashed into the girls like a large wave and the girls woke quickly to the shock of the cold water. At first signs of the girls waking, Handong forced the water away to show two cold and very wet foxes.

“what t, the hell!” Sunmi stuttered as she shivered beside Chungha, who still looked a bit dazed from the blow to the head earlier.

“no time to waste! Gahyeon is dying! Help her!” Handong shouted as Sunmi’s head popped up, and she searched for Gahyeon.

As soon as her eyes locked onto Gahyeon being cradled in Dami’s arms, she knew that something was very wrong.

Sunmi staggered up as she walked slowly over to Gahyeon. The younger girl’s aura indeed looked sickly. It was almost black and faded but had odd shimmers of multicolored lights.

The sight of the multicolored lights confused her. The only things with auras that color were the plants around them.

Every plant shimmered a distinct color or pattern special to that one plant. Even though there were many of them, each plant was different, and as Sunmi went to look around to compare the odd aura to Gahyeon’s, she realized the dull surroundings around her. Every plant in a large radius around Gahyeon looked dead. There were no signs of life anywhere.

Sunmi’s eyes went wide as soon as she figured out what must have happened. She had only heard about it once before. A fox with nature abilities like Gahyeon was murdered in the forest he cared for like his children. The entire forest sacrificed themselves to bring back the person that had protected them for years.

The sight made Sunmi feel like crying, but she wasn’t sure what part was harder. The fact that Gahyeon was killed, that she was brought back, or that the plants that barely knew her loved her so much that they would give up the one thing that mattered most to them. Their life.

Quickly Sunmi stumbled over to Gahyeon as she let her powers flow into the sleepy girl. Sunmi could feel the last traces of the plants' energy being used up and absorb into the girl lying in front of her. Their life forces fading quickly, but she refused to let the plants' sacrifice be for nothing.

Carefully, Sunmi let her powers flow all through Gahyeon’s body. She started with her head as she helped return blood flow safely and continued to help the younger girl's body slowly heal from the damage caused by almost dying.

“Gahyeon? Are you with me? Can you hear me?” Sunmi asked as Gahyeon grunted weakly in Dami’s arms. Her mate refused to let Gahyeon go as she held her protectively as Sunmi worked.

“Gahyeon, I need you to take a deep breath. The deepest breath you have ever taken and slowly exhale ok? I know it may hurt, but do it for me, please?” Sunmi asked as Gahyeon nodded weakly.

Gahyeon took in a painful ragged breath as Sunmi’s healing ability filled her lungs and, on the younger girl's exhale, forced out anything harmful as Gahyeon coughed up the old blood that poured down her throat and into her lungs when her throat was cut.

Once her lungs were clear, her breathing was less of a struggle, and she seemed to be in less pain as she let out a soft sigh of relief.

Dami looked up at Sunmi with grateful tears in her eyes as she watched Gahyeon’s breathing stabilize and go back to normal. She couldn’t find any words to express how grateful she was to the fox, but Sunmi didn’t need to hear them. Dami’s eyes said it all.

Sunmi nodded and smiled at Dami as she continued to work on Gahyeon little by little as her energy flowed through her body. She was looking for what appeared as shadows to Sunmi when her powers touched it. The shadows were possible infections that could kill Gahyeon if left untreated.

After chasing out any shadows that lingered from her, Sunmi sat up with an exhausted sigh and looked at Chungha. She still seemed a little dazed. She couldn’t understand the situation around her as she looked from person to person.

Slowly Sunmi made her way to her mate and let her soothing energy enter Chungha. The younger girl had a severe concussion, but luckily, it wasn’t severe enough to do any permanent damage. Sunmi’s powers quickly healed the damage, and Chungha felt her confusion lift as she smiled and held Sunmi closer to her.

“what did I miss?” Chungha asked nervously as she looked at the tense atmosphere.

“We lost Gahyeon… we barely got her back, but there is still a danger. We need to watch her carefully…” Sunmi said as her mate’s eyes went wide.

“Take me to her… please?” Chungha asked as Sunmi helped her mate up and walked to Gahyeon. She felt extremely exhausted, but she couldn’t refuse her mate.

The other members stood there quietly as they watched Gahyeon with worried expressions. They felt that with the slightest breeze, they may lose her.

Dami reopened the wound that had already started to heal on her wrist and made her mate drink. They could watch Gahyeon’s energy and strength come back as she took small tastes of Dami’s blood. Her throat still hurt from the injury that healed, so Gahyeon could only take small swallows as she felt herself healing, and the pain fading away. Gahyeon carefully released her mate's wrist once she had what she needed.

All Dami could do is hold Gahyeon as the younger girl snuggled into her neck. She was comforted by Dami’s scent and sighed as she relaxed into Dami’s hold and fell asleep. Dami looked up in a panic, but Sunmi shook her head.

“she isn’t dead. She’s extremely exhausted. She needs to sleep, and she will be ok.” Sunmi said as she heard a collective sigh of relief travel through everyone in the field.

It was the first time Sunmi looked around at her surroundings and not just looking for her pack. She looked in confusion as she stared at a small pack of wolves who looked at Gahyeon with a relieved look. But that soon shifted to sadness as they looked at the body of their fallen packmate. The one that tried to save Gahyeon.

That was when Sunmi remembered that Gahyeon was up to something when she was being held captive. Sunmi turned to Chungha and gave her a pleading look before she spoke.

“can you help me up? I need to check on him…” Sunmi asked as Chungha nodded in understanding as they both walked over to the still body before them.

“do you see what I see?” Chungha asked as Sunmi nodded. There was a small vine that had dark red thorns that wrapped around his hand. Its thorns piercing his skin. On a closer look. The girls could see slow breaths as the plant numbed his pain and kept him still.

“This is what she was doing. She managed to get a seed over here to numb him and keep him from going into shock before someone could heal him… if she didn’t do this and slow down his heart rate, he would have bled to death…” Sunmi said as Chungha nodded.

Sunmi went to walk over to heal the boy, but Chungha stopped her as she shook her head.

“no, not this time. I can feel that your energy is low, where mine is high. Just guide me.” Chungha said as Sunmi nodded.

The girls worked quickly as Sunmi instructed Chungha on what to do. But they couldn’t help but feel sad when they looked at the tiny vine. It was using up the last of its lifeforce to keep him alive. The two tried to plead with it telling it that he was ok, and it could let go of him, but it didn’t want to let go. They looked on sadly as they watched its last lifeforce fade away. It refused to let him feel pain even at the cost of its own life.

The pack and Jinyoung watched the two foxes work on their friend with hopeful expressions, but they didn’t want to get their hopes up only for them to be dashed later.

“is, is there hope? Is he alive?” Jinyoung asked after the suspense was too much for him. As soon as the girls turned to look at him, he gave a guilty expression, but they only smiled and shifted back so that the pack could watch his slow and strong breathing themselves.

The pack looked at each other in amazement before charging over to check on their friend and packmate. He was still asleep, but he was alive and with no visible permanent injuries. The girls told them this and made sure to tell them that the only reason he was alive right now was because of Gahyeon.

“Can I see her?” Jinyoung asked as he looked at Sunmi and then to Siyeon, who walked up behind the fox.

“why do you want to see my sister?” Siyeon asked nervously as she eyed the wolf in front of her. Her protective instinct for her sister was flaring up as Bora held onto her making sure her mate wouldn’t do something she would regret later.

“I just want to make sure that she is ok and thank her… I know that without her, we would have lost Yugyeom.” Jinyoung said as Siyeon inspected his face for even a hint of a lie but found none. She looked over to Dami, who was listening to the whole thing for an answer.

Gahyeon is Dami’s mate, and she should have a say in it instead of just allowing some rogue male to approach her mate while she was still weak.

Dami nodded but tightened her hold on her mate as she looked up at Jinyoung and stared into his eyes rather suspiciously. She refused to take her eyes off of him as he approached slowly. Her glare showed him that she didn’t trust him, and he could feel an intense alpha aura radiating off her as he walked up with his hands up so that Dami could keep an eye on him easier.

“I just want to thank her and make sure that she is really ok. I wanted to make sure that JB didn’t… hurt her like Jackson liked to do…” Jinyoung said as he took in a breath and carefully smelled the scents that covered Gahyeon while making sure he didn’t get too close and stress Dami out. Luckily the only places that JBs scent lingered were around her neck and arms when he tied her hands, and Jinyoung let out a sigh of relief as he flopped back onto the ground.

“why do you care? You were a part of his pack. You supported him for YEARS. How am I to believe that you weren't a part of what happened to my sister?” Dami asked as Jinyoung looked at her with a confused expression.

“your sister?” he asked as he tilted his head slightly. Dami rolled her eyes as she nodded in Yoohyeon’s direction. As Jinyoung looked back, he spotted Yoohyeon, and his eyes went wide as he looked back to Dami and pointed at Yoohyeon.

“she’s your sister?” Jinyoung asked as Dami nodded. He instantly went quiet as he thought about something before speaking.

“Well, first off… not everyone supported Jackson. Many were forced to join him, and we do not agree with what Jackson became. But do you know what happened to your father?” Jinyoung asked as Dami looked at him with a confused expression this time.

“what do you mean?” Dami asked as Jinyoung rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

“your father. He had demon blood in him. He was also best friends with my father. In fact, they grew up together. One day he started banging on my father's door with a bundle of rags in his arms. Someone was after him…” jinyoung said, and without knowing it, he had the entire pack's attention as they walked closer to hear the story.

“my father took that bundle and ran. We never saw him after that night. It wasn’t until later that we found out that he was murdered.” Jinyoung said as the girls looked at each other with worried looks.

“I found out through the woman that claimed to be Yoohyeon’s mother that Yoohyeon was actually his child. We never heard of a baby being found, so my mother and I always assumed that they captured the baby as well as your father. I guess that wasn’t the case…” Jinyoung said as he looked around and jumped once he realized he had an audience surrounding him all of a sudden.

“We found out just recently too. But we don’t know much more than that…” Minji said softly as she looked at her mate and Dami.

“well, do you know that he escaped that government facility?” Jinyoung asked as everyone looked startled as they stared at him in shock.

“no… all we heard is that he went missing after I did,” Dami said as she looked up at Jinyoung curiously.

“He escaped and came looking for his wife. We thought that his wife was captured by the government to force him to behave. But what actually happened is that he had her run away and promised to come back for her. But he couldn’t find her. They both went missing after that…” Jinyoung said as everyone sighed in disappointment.

They had hoped for a lead. Any lead that could lead them to find the girls' parents, but it looked like another dead end.

“don’t be too disappointed…” Sunmi said as everyone looked over to her.

“you took out a pack that was quickly gaining a name for itself… this won't go unnoticed. Soon other packs will come to test their strength against you. And that also means that they may hear about you two… it's very rare for two girls with demon blood in them to show up. it’s a stretch, but we can hope that maybe they will hear about you and come looking for you…” Sunmi said as Siyeon sighed.

“great… just when I thought this was over…” Siyeon groaned as she snuggled closer to Bora, who purred to ease her mate's sour mood.

“well, you knew that being a chosen pack or not would bring a lot of people to you. Its why you tried to hide it, right?” Sunmi asked as Siyeon nodded with an exasperated sigh.

“yes, but I had hoped that once we make an example of Jackson, that would stop. Not that it would put a big target over our heads…” Siyeon said as Sunmi laughed.

“a lot of non-humans like testing their strength against known powerful opponents. That means us…” Sunmi said as the girls groaned.

Jinyoung could only laugh as he watched everyone pout as various looks of annoyance crossed the girls’ faces.

“well, if you ever need help, just ask. I was too stupid and afraid to stop what happened to you… but I don’t want to be like that anymore. My father sacrificed himself to protect your family while I just let you get hurt... Any time you need my help, just ask, and I will be there. It’s the least I could do…” jinyoung said as he looked down while talking.

His shame at not protecting Yoohyeon was visible all over him. And he wasn’t the only one showing regret. His entire pack behind him seemed to feel the same.

They all shuffled nervously when Yoohyeon looked at them. She recognized many of them. They were some of the only ones that treated her like she wasn’t an object to play with. In fact, she even remembered Jinyoung.

He was caught trying to take care of Yoohyeon when she was unconscious. Jackson was enraged. She remembered being able to only hear bits and pieces from the conversation. She also remembered opening her eyes for a brief second to stare up into those same eyes filled with guilt. She was sure he was almost kicked out of the pack for it.

Yoohyeon looked over to Minji. She had a dark expression as soon as jinyoung mentioned Yoohyeon’s kidnapping, and the younger girl couldn’t help but feel guilty. She knew that Minji was probably torturing herself imagining the worst. But Yoohyeon had always been afraid to show Minji what happened to her.

She feared that Minji would find her pathetic if she saw just how scared she was of losing her. Be disgusted at how Jackson would use it against her. Yoohyeon knew that her fear was groundless. Minji loved her just as strongly, but Yoohyeon's fears would always get in the way.

With a sigh, Yoohyeon turned to face Minji and looked into her eyes with a worried expression.

“what's wrong?” Minji asked as she looked at the worried expression Yoohyeon was giving her.

“I, I'm sorry. I should have told you what happened to me… I'm sure that you were blaming yourself and probably thought of many worse things that could have happened. it must have been torturing you…” Yoohyeon said as Minji looked at her. She was unsure of how to respond to Yoohyeon.

“I love you. And I trust you. But I'm just afraid you would think I'm weak or stupid if I showed you…” Yoohyeon said as Minji pulled her into a tight hold. She could tell that Yoohyeon was close to tears and whispered soothingly to calm her girlfriend.

Yoohyeon relaxed slightly in Minji’s embrace and decided to do this quickly before she could doubt herself.

Minji was flooded with the memories of what happened to Yoohyeon. She stiffened as she froze in place, watching the scenes play before her. Yoohyeon could feel her mate flinch every time she witnessed Yoohyeon getting hurt, and she would growl softly at every threat.

Minji’s grip soon tightened around Yoohyeon as she held her protectively. The last image that she saw was when Minji burst through the doors in a panic looking for Yoohyeon. She felt the extreme relief that just the sight of Minji brought Yoohyeon.

She could feel how Yoohyeon desperately wanted to hold Minji as soon as she saw her. All of Yoohyeon’s emotions overwhelmed Minji, who could only hold her tight and try to calm her girlfriend, who was now trembling in her arms.

Minji remembered walking all the way home carrying Yoohyeon because she pleaded for her not to let her go, and now she understood why.

It was extreme mental abuse as well as physical. And the fact that Yoohyeon had to go through that made Minji’s chest ache, but all she could do is hold Yoohyeon and stay by her side as much as possible.

Yoohyeon also shared one of her biggest insecurities. How terrified she would get by being separated even for a short while from Minji. The whole thing left a lot of scars on Yoohyeon mentally, and Minji didn’t know what to do to soothe her mate, but what she did know is that she would stay by Yoohyeon as much as she could to soothe Yoohyeons nerves.

Minji was unsure of what to say or do after Yoohyeon showed her everything. But what she could do was kiss her and tell her it’s alright. That she won't leave her, and that is exactly what Minji did.

“what are you going to do now?” Siyeon asked jinyoung as she looked around at the battlefield. Bodies were everywhere.

“We plan to hunt down the stragglers that still support Jackson or JB. Their only choice is to flee and never come back or stay and die. We want to make everyone remember this so that no one repeats his mistakes, and another monster like Jackson doesn’t happen again any time soon…” jinyoung said as he looked over to his small pack.

They all agreed, and soon, he looked over to Yugyeom, who was sleeping peacefully on the ground. Both jinyoung and Yugyeom owed their lives to the girls. And it's not something he would forget any time soon.

“Promise me that if you need help, you will come looking for me. You saved me when you didn’t have to. I know you must have been desperate to find your sister. And I'm sorry we couldn’t protect her like we planned. She should have never gotten hurt in the first place. I should have known JB wanted the pack. I'm sorry…” jinyoung said as Siyeon smiled at the new alpha.

“I promise. The fact that you even tried to protect my sister means a lot to me. And that same offer goes to you. The remnants of Jackson's pack are still a threat to us. If you need help with them, ask us.” Siyeon said as he nodded gratefully.

“right now, we need to get my sister back home so that she can rest peacefully. Siyeon said as jinyoung nodded and walked back to his pack, and soon, they shifted and split into two groups. One that ran into the forest looking for stragglers and another that carried Yugyeom to a safe place.

Siyeon walked over to her sister and smiled softly. Gahyeon’s color had completely returned. Her lips that were turning blue from blood loss were now full of color, and her breathing was easy as she slept snuggled against Dami’s chest.

“are you ready to take her home?” Siyeon asked as Dami nodded and slowly stood with her mate in her arms.

Gahyeon could feel herself being lifted. But she still smelled Dami’s scent. So, she knew her mate was carrying her, but something was calling to her. She couldn’t leave yet.

“s, stop…” Gahyeon was able to softly mumble, making Dami stop in her tracks.

“what? What's wrong?” Dami asked as she looked at Gahyeon. The younger girl's eyes fluttered as she tried to look at her mate.

“We can't leave him… he's hurting… he's dying…” Gahyeon whispered as she weakly lifted her arm and pointed in the direction of the warehouse.

“he? What he?” Dami asked, but Gahyeon was too exhausted to form the words needed. Instead, she whined and pointed in the direction of the warehouse again.

“Everyone is here and accounted for…” Dami said, but Gahyeon showed what she was seeing.

A multicolored shimmer was slowly fading out. Gahyeon showed Dami what it looked like first. It was almost blinding as it shimmered beautiful colors of reds oranges and yellows like a fire. But now it was dull and almost completely extinguished.

Dami looked at the light closely and thought for a second. She didn’t know what it was, but whatever it was, Gahyeon didn’t want to leave without it. With a sigh, Dami turned around and looked at the others and shared what Gahyeon wanted to go to.

“it’s her plant. The one she used it to protect the door…” Chungha said as she looked over to Sunmi, who nodded in agreement.

“it gave up most of its lifeforce as well as most of Gahyeon’s energy that she gave the plant. Without it, Gahyeon wouldn’t be alive. All the other plants' sacrifices would have been for nothing. It deserves to be saved after what it did for not only Gahyeon but jinyoung too.” Sunmi said as Chungha smiled and nodded at her mate.

“then we go to it,” Siyeon said matter-of-factly as she spun around and walked towards the warehouse. As soon as she started moving, everyone fell in line behind her as they walked back inside and through the hallways until they found the plant Gahyeon was desperate for.

It was extremely weak, and its colors dull. Siyeon looked at it with a look of sadness. She remembered the active and vibrant plant earlier. It was like night and day, and the reason behind it was that it gave its own energy to Gahyeon.

Siyeon was now determined to help the plant but didn’t know how. She looked back at the others, but they shrugged as they looked at the sad plant in front of them.

“I will try to ask it to release its roots. If its roots can come out, we can carry it out of here.” Chungha said as she walked closer to the plant. At first, it looked like nothing was happening, but they felt a slight movement in the soil under the concrete below them.

Siyeon worried that it would use up the last of the plant's strength, but luckily it managed to free itself and carefully wind itself together so that the large plant was able to be carried.

Once it was done, Siyeon looked around until she found a couple of blankets in one of the rooms and wrapped the thorny plant in one and Gahyeon in the other. They left with both Gahyeon and the plant as they finally headed home.


	41. Chapter 41

-Home-

There was only one other thing to gather before the girls could go home. Elkie’s mother. It was a slow walk over to the place that Sunmi had hidden the woman.

Elkie stared down at her mother’s sleeping form and wondered how she would react to know that the one that had made her suffer for years was gone. Would she be grateful? Would she feel free? Or would she be mad? Elkie wasn’t sure, but one thing was for sure. She couldn’t leave her here.

Elkie carefully picked up her mother, and soon Elkie was excited to head home. The thought of being happy to go home was new to Elkie. She always was filled with dread as her stepfather's guards would escort her home every day. But now she had the family she didn’t even know she craved for. And she couldn’t be happier.

The idea of a warm shower and then crawling in bed beside Handong was the only thing she could think of as she walked slowly behind her mate. She listened to their soft footsteps as they moved through the woods.

The walk home was slow as the girls carried not only Gahyeon but the plant that saved her life and Elkie’s mother. They followed the trees so that no one would the group of naked girls running through the forests.

It was how the stories of witches running naked in the woods started after all, and they didn’t want to draw any more attention than they have already. The fight earlier wouldn’t be swept under the rug easily. Many wolves lost their lives for siding with Jackson. Siyeon and the others couldn’t help but think that they would quickly become hated in their town.

It was a sad thought. The thought that maybe they may have to leave their home. But their home was their members. Even if they had to leave their physical home, they were always at home if they were together, and all of the girls knew that.

The sun was now high in the sky as they walked slowly because of the injured and weak, but the trees shaded them comfortably as they walked.

The sounds of soft footsteps and an occasional twig snap echoed in the silent forest. After their fight broke out, the forest went quiet as all the animals hid from the sounds of fighting and the panicked fleeing wolves as they fled from the girls.

Dami constantly looked at Gahyeon’s face as she walked. Afraid that at any second, her mate would stop breathing, but Gahyeon continued to breathe slowly. Occasionally she would groan, but as soon as she snuggled closer to Dami and could feel her presence, Gahyeon would sigh comfortably and sleep peacefully again.

The girls were now out of the area where they may run across others and soon walked into the sunlight as they headed home. But as soon as Dami stepped into the light and it shined over Gahyeon, she could feel something strange happening within her mate.

Dami didn’t know what it was, but she could feel it. A soft smile was on Gahyeon’s lips as she turned her face to catch the light and sighed happily. It was then that Dami realized what was happening. The energy that the plants had given her still lingered within her body, and like the plants that sacrificed themselves for her, the sunlight seemed to be giving her mate energy.

Dami didn’t know if this would be a permanent thing or if this effect would wear off once the energy from her plants was absorbed, but it was nice to feel her mate’s strength growing as she held her.

Gahyeon had felt so weak just minutes earlier, but now she seemed to just be resting comfortably in her arms. It was a relief as she smiled down at Gahyeon’s soft smile. She was so tempted to lean down and kiss those smiling lips but knowing that Gahyeon was still weak and needed her rest was the only thing that stopped her.

Dami’s protective side flared up as soon as her mate came back, and she desperately wanted nothing more than to show Gahyeon just how much she loved her. The thought of losing her mate almost broke Dami. So, when Gahyeon wakes up, she will have a very clingy mate for a while.

Sunmi looked over to Chungha, who seemed to be feeling exhausted. She had suffered a concussion earlier, and it worried Sunmi as she watched Chungha stumble the third time in a couple minutes. Without a thought, Sunmi walked behind her mate and scooped the younger fox up as Chungha squeaked in surprise.

“relax and sleep. You seem exhausted. You also healed that wolf earlier. Rest.” Sunmi said softly. Chungha wanted to complain. To tell her mate that she was fine, but she knew that she wasn’t. She felt even too tired to speak, so she nodded to her mate as she rested her head against Sunmi and closed her eyes.

It wasn’t long before Chungha was sound asleep in her mate's arms as she slept peacefully. Her exhaustion and dizziness from the concussion vanishing as she rested in Sunmi’s arms.

“Are you feeling alright?” Yoohyeon asked Minji as they walked home. The wolf was worried that Minji was pushing herself too hard. After all, she had drained almost all of her energy when she used her ability for the first time, but Minji just smiled and nodded.

“After my first time shifting, I seem to gain my energy back quickly. I promise I'm fine.” Minji said as she smiled and looped her arm around Yoohyeon’s as she smiled.

Yoohyeon still couldn’t believe everything that had happened. She went from being abandoned by her family to getting revenge for her real parents and Dami by destroying the woman that caused all of this mess to begin with. She also finally had the courage to show Minji what had happened to her.

It was a relief that Minji didn’t look at Yoohyeon differently. She knew that Minji wouldn’t, but her doubts always got the better of her as she feared the worst. She was afraid to show her weaknesses to her mate even though she knew that she was just being ridiculous. Nothing that she could ever say or do would make Minji love her less. But the doubts were always there hanging over the wolf, causing doubts.

The girls smiled once they realized how close to home they really were. Everyone was excited about a hot shower and to snuggle in bed with their mates and rest for a week. The now-familiar path was no longer creepy as they walked through the quiet forest and towards their house.

The sight of the big gate made Sunmi and the others smile as she opened it, and they walked through the gate and towards the house. Everyone felt a little safer once the large gate clicked shut behind them, but before Sunmi headed back towards the house, she did something to the gate. It seemed to glow with a multicolored fire before subsiding and looking just like normal.

Minji looked over at Sunmi questioningly as the fox only smiled and winked.

“We want to be able to rest and sleep comfortably. This will keep out any nosey wolves. We were followed home, after all.” Sunmi said as Minji looked at her in surprise.

“We were?” Minji asked as Sunmi nodded. The wolves of the area wanted to know where their biggest threat resided, so several wolves hung back and followed the girls. They knew that they were now too exhausted to pay too much attention to their surroundings, and Sunmi didn’t trust their intentions.

After they walked up the path, she’s shrouded it with her mist and dulled their senses. They would walk around forever, trying to find the girls. But if by luck they found the gate, she wanted to leave them a message to leave and never come back.

The wolves that would touch this gate would suffer intense pain as well as severe nightmares for weeks. A little message to the nosey wolves to stay out of their packs business and to leave them alone.

-Handong and Elkie-

Once the girls were inside, they sighed in relief. But there was still one thing to deal with, Elkie’s mother. Sunmi quickly led Elkie to a spare room and helped the girl settle her sleeping mother before Sunmi used her healing ability to make sure that the woman was fully healed and able to rest easy.

“her wounds are taken care of. Now all she needs to do is rest.” Sunmi said as Elkie smiled gratefully, and they soon walked out of the room to find where their mates had wandered off to.

Elkie looked around and finally found Handong getting a bath ready for the two of them.

“We need to shower quickly first, but I think our muscles could use a warm soak,” Handong said as Elkie smiled and leaned against the doorframe. Elkie just admired Handong as she made sure the temperature was just right and set out robes for the two of them to wear after.

Finally, everything was ready, and the look in Handong’s eyes changed as a smirk crossed her face, and she beckoned her mate to come closer with a wicked grin.

_‘I don’t know what she has in mind with that look, but I'm dying to find out…’_ Elkie thought as she smirked and pushed off of the doorframe and walked closer to her mate.

After a quick shower, Handong dragged Elkie into the tub that was just the perfect size for the two girls. They snuggled against each other as the warm water eased all of their aches and pains from the long night. Elkie was getting lulled to sleep by the soft purring coming from Handong as she snuggled against Elkie’s chest comfortably.

Finally, the girls sighed and had to leave the tub once the water grew cold. Elkie and Handong quickly dried off and helped each other into their robes as they sleepily stumbled into their room, heading for the large and warm bed.

Both girls sighed in relief and comfort as they snuggled against each other under the covers. Handong couldn’t help but smile as she noticed the changes in Elkie after first arriving.

She was always nervous in the beginning, and Handong would hold her until she would fall asleep peacefully, but now it was reversed. Elkie would hold Handong comfortably as the vampire purred in satisfaction until they both would fall asleep peacefully, and Handong loved it how her mate now seemed comfortable enough to be herself.

-Yoohyeon and Minji-

Yoohyeon smiled as Minji held onto her arm, and they sleepily walked into their room. Just like Handong and Elkie, they were looking forward to a hot bath, but Minji’s intentions weren't exactly pure as she pulled Yoohyeon into the bathroom with a devilish grin.

Her feline side was quite mischievous and extremely affectionate. Yoohyeon would soon learn that she also liked to leave love bites when her cat side took over as they took an extremely long “shower.”

Minji could still remember the images that Yoohyeon showed her and all of the fear that she felt about Minji losing interest in her after she showed her what she had been through. But she wanted her mate to know that that would never happen.

The only person Minji loved and would ever love is Yoohyeon and Yoohyeon alone. Nothing would change that, and she wanted Yoohyeon to know that and feel it with her entire being.

The two were left rather breathless after their shower. Minji had left Yoohyeon feeling rather weak, but she wasn’t through as she scooped up the wolf and carried her to the bed. What the two didn’t know was that Yoohyeon’s transformation and the fight finally ending was just the beginning of their “problems.”

Yoohyeon was starting to go into heat, and that triggered Minji’s as well. The two would keep going until their bodies were too exhausted to move. But with the new stamina that they got from their transformations, that would take a long while.

Everyone would complain about the two couples in heat that wouldn’t shut up in their rooms.

-Siyeon and Bora-

The alpha was still struggling with dizziness from the surges of power that she would feel once her transformation ended, and it worried bora greatly.

Bora couldn’t help but remember the fear she felt when Siyeon cried for help as she staggered while fighting Jackson’s guards, and the smaller girl looked at Siyeon worriedly.

Siyeon would close her eyes and clutch onto the closest thing, which would usually be Bora as she held her mate until the dizzy spell ended. Finally, though, Bora had enough as she scooped up Siyeon and carried her up to their room as the alpha giggled at Bora cutely.

“you know… I could get used to this…” Siyeon teased as she leaned in close to Bora as her lips brushed against Bora’s sensitive ear.

Bora felt a chill run down her spine from the sensation, and she wasn’t the only one to notice it. Siyeon grinned as she gently nipped at Bora’s ear, causing her to groan.

“Siyeon, please… you know that I think I'm starting to go into heat… I can’t deal with this very well right now…” Bora whispered as she looked into Siyeon’s eyes. They blazed vivid green, and her pupils were dilated as Siyeon smirked.

“oh…” Bora said as she smirked back, now understanding the situation. Siyeon nuzzled against Bora’s neck while nibbling at her collarbone, driving the feline crazy as she ran up the stairs to their room, and soon, the others only heard the alpha’s door slam.

Showers were the last thing on the two's minds as they entered the room. They weren’t seen for a while, but they were definitely heard.

It was a week before Bora emerged looking pale and exhausted as she stumbled down to see Sunmi Handong and Elkie.

“blood…” Bora said tiredly as the three chuckled and fetched her a blood bag.

Bora sighed happily as she drank the blood, feeling her energy come back, and all the bitemarks Siyeon left on her healing.

_‘Siyeon should have been the vampire, not me. Who knew she had such a biting kink…’_ Bora thought to herself with a giggle as she smiled at the three.

“you look like you are feeling a little better…” Handong said teasingly as Elkie giggled and nodded in agreement.

Bora nodded until her stomach growled, making Sunmi laugh at the vampire and walk towards the kitchen and come back with a huge plate of fried chicken.

“Take this and feed both yourself and your mate. I'm sure she needs the energy too.” Sunmi said as Bora laughed.

“oh no… energy and stamina are not a problem with her right now. I'm the one having a hard time keeping up!” Bora said as the others laughed as they watched Bora roll her neck and grab the plate of chicken.

“Alright! I'm going back in! See you in another week!” Bora shouted loudly as she made her way back upstairs with the food. While the others shook their heads and laughed at their friend.

-Dami and Gahyeon-

Once Dami felt safe inside, she carefully walked Gahyeon up to their room and ran her mate a bath. Gahyeon still had blood all down her from the wound that JB had inflicted on her and from Dami’s wrist while she tried to get Gahyeon to drink.

Once the water was ready, Dami tried to wake Gahyeon, but the girls were still exhausted and couldn’t open her eyes for very long.

Dami carried her mate over to the tub and carefully lowered the girl into the warm water and helped wash all of the dried blood away. She could tell Gahyeon was relaxing as the warm water took the last chills of almost dying away.

Once all of the blood was washed away, Dami carefully removed her from the water and dried her before taking her to the bed and tucking her in to rest comfortably.

Shortly after Dami tucked Gahyeon into bed, a soft knock was heard at the door. She walked over to open the door to see both Sunmi and Chungha as one held the plant that saved Gahyeon as well as an extremely large pot.

The girls had decided that it would be better to keep the plant close to Gahyeon. It seemed connected to her now somehow, and they didn’t want to risk something happening by separating them while they were still weak.

The large pot was set beside the large window as Dami pulled back the curtains letting the sunlight wash over both the plant and Gahyeon.

Carefully the two foxes whispered to the plant as it slowly unfolded weakly and settled into the pot with the rich soil they had prepared for it. They could almost see it sigh in relief as its roots explored the soil happily and felt the sunlight shining onto its limbs.

It shook happily as it settled in, and the three couldn’t help but smile as they watched the goofy plant to a little plant dance in the sunlight. Because it was planted in the doorway at the warehouse, it didn’t get to enjoy the sunlight and instead fed on the power that Gahyeon gave it, so it was nice to finally feel the sunlight.

The plant thought that it was only fair to share its energy with the one that felt like one of them. She let it grow so happily and even thought it was funny as it teased the boys. It was easy for the plants to love Gahyeon's sweetness.

While she was held in the warehouse, she would explore with her powers as she greeted each plant kindly. It wasn’t a very hard decision for the plants to make when they gave the last of their life energy up to the hybrid.

To them, it was like helping a fellow plant that just looked a little weird. They quickly felt an attachment to the girl, and when JB hurt her, the plants all mourned her as they leaned in closer to the kind girl that treated them so well.

It only took one plant sacrificing itself before all started to save her. Their energies mixing together as they flowed into the girl and slowly healing what they could.

The plant was farther away than the others, but it could feel when she was hurt. He felt it deep within his roots. It was like a connection was cut. He shook in sadness. The large thorns clinking together to create a soft sound.

Soon after, he felt what the other plants were doing and searched desperately for a way for his energy to reach her. Finally, he found a root path that flowed right towards Gahyeon. Using the roots, he gave a plant sigh as he decided to do this.

Soon his energy was traveling to Gahyeon. He planned to give her every drop of his energy, but once most of his energy was gone, he couldn’t hold the connection. It was the only thing that kept him alive for the girls to save him.

Once they came looking for him with the girl weak but alive in the arms of the protective one, he felt relieved and followed what was asked of him. So It was nice to finally be able to enjoy the sunlight and rich soil that they gave him.

He also liked that he could stay close to her while she was regaining her strength. She felt even more like a plant now than she did before. As he looked at her energy, she sparkled with the shimmers of the plants that gave their lives for her. Each didn’t disappear but instead became a part of her somehow.

She even shimmered in his color patterns at times. When this happened, he felt happy and would sway slightly, knowing that he was able to help her as he watched his energy show inside Gahyeon.

The connection between the two would change them both. No one would know just how much, though. The plant was starting to think and act more like a person than a plant as Gahyeon’s energy mixed with his.

It took several days before Gahyeon would wake up fully and be able to walk around again. But the first thing she saw was her mate snuggled up against her side while holding her protectively. Gahyeon smiled softly as she gently stroked Dami’s cheek.

The older girl woke up at the touch to look up at Gahyeon with sleepy eyes before they shot wide. Once Dami realized that Gahyeon was finally awake, all of her emotions that she had been holding back burst through as she clung to Gahyeon and cried into her shoulder.

“I'm so sorry… I was too late to save you…” Dami cried as Gahyeon smiled sweetly and tried to soothe Dami.

“I'm alright. Please don’t cry…” Gahyeon said as she gently held Dami’s face with both hands as she brushed the tears from her eyes.

“I don’t like seeing you cry…” Gahyeon said with a pout as Dami sniffled and snuggled into her neck.

“I thought I lost you… I didn’t know what to do. I just felt so numb. It was like I died with you…” Dami whispered as she clung to Gahyeon.

Gahyeon held Dami as she whispered, calming words to her as she stroked her hair. Soon Gahyeon couldn’t help but smile.

_‘she must not have slept well. She is sound asleep….’_ Gahyeon thought as she smiled and held her mate slightly tighter, enjoying the heat from her body.

Gahyeon looked over at the window and noticed the plant for the first time. He, too, had been waiting patiently for her to wake up and shook happily at her when she spotted him.

Gahyeon giggled at the goofy plant. She remembered how feeble he felt when she woke up in the field. The pain he was feeling, and the only thing she could think of was rescuing the goofy plant that liked teasing others.

“it’s good to see you too!” Gahyeon said as she smiled happily at the plant that had finally regained its energy. 

Carefully he sneaked a thin vine over as Gahyeon reached her hand out knowing what he wanted. The thin vine wrapped around her hand, careful not to prick her with its numbing thorns, and soon, she felt his energy flowing through her hand as he checked if she really was alright.

Satisfied, he squeezed her hand one last time before withdrawing the vine and shaking happily.

“see? I am alright!” Gahyeon said as the plant did something that shocked her. It nodded in agreement.

He was very proud of himself. He had been watching the others as they came in to check on Gahyeon and had fun as he watched them interact and soon wanted to learn. So, to see Gahyeon so surprised made him feel proud. He may be a plant, but he wanted Gahyeon to be proud of him.

“well… this is going to be interesting…” Gahyeon said as she looked at the plant that seemed to be proud of itself.

_‘why do you feel more like a human than a plant now?’_ Gahyeon wondered as she watched the plant a bit more before Dami’s warmth got to her, and she fell asleep again, snuggled in Dami’s arms.


	42. Chapter 42

-Chungha and Sunmi-

Sunmi sighed in relief when she was once again standing in the house that she had guarded for so many years. But the house felt different now. She no longer felt lonely. She knew the reasons for this change as she looked at Siyeon and the others staggering exhaustedly to their rooms and to the sleepy girl that clung to her arm, struggling to keep her eyes open.

Once she led Elkie for a room to let her mother rest in and found a pot for Gahyeon’s plant with the help of Chungha, it was now time for the couple to take care of themselves. Chungha was almost asleep on her feet as she leaned against her mate sleepily.

Sunmi smiled as she looked at her favorite person. She hadn’t met Chungha for very long but everything about the smaller girl she found adorable. Her comments she would say out of nowhere or the way she would act out what she was talking about. She even loved how cute the younger girl looked when she slept. Just the thought of Chungha could make the older girl smile softly.

In one quick movement, Sunmi scooped the smaller girl into her arms as she walked to their room. The girl was now so exhausted she didn’t make a sound. She only wrapped her arms around Sunmi’s neck and snuggled closer to her as the older fox walked towards their room.

Once inside the room, Sunmi gently laid Chungha down on the bed and covered her up. She gently laid beside the younger girl as she admired her facial features. It wasn’t long before Sunmi found herself running her fingers through Chungha’s hair as the younger girl sighed happily at the action.

A smile crossed Sunmi’s lips as she watched Chungha fall deeper asleep as she ran her fingers through her hair, and soon, she started to feel sleepy herself.

Sunmi sleepily slid under the covers, and as soon as she was underneath, Chungha’s arms searched for her as she snuggled against her mate happily.

The two girls were feeling completely exhausted, and with the warmth they felt from each other, they soon fell into a deep sleep.

Sunmi and Chungha were the first couple to wake up. They had slept for almost two days, but when Sunmi opened her eyes, she couldn’t help but smile as she looked down to find Chungha tucked tightly against her side and sound asleep.

Carefully, Sunmi leaned down to kiss the sleeping fox. On contact, Chungha started to stir as a sleepy smile crossed her lips.

“not yet… you are so warm…” Chungha said as she snuggled closer, causing Sunmi to laugh.

“If we stay in bed, I can’t cook you food…” Sunmi said as Chungha’s eyes shot open. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until Sunmi had mentioned it.

“hmm… still, I would prefer this for a bit longer…” Chungha said as she smiled and leaned over to kiss Sunmi softly before laying her head on the older girl's chest again.

They dozed off and on for another thirty minutes before Sunmi remembered that they still had a guest in the house. She sighed as she sat up while hearing Chungha’s protests as she flipped the blanket over the whining girl's head and changed into something comfortable and walked towards the door before hesitating and looking at the lump under the blankets that was still whining.

“I almost forgot Elkie’s mother is in the house. I need to check on her and then cook us something to eat. What do you want to eat?” Sunmi asked as the lump went quiet as she thought.

“tteokbokki!” Chungha shouted from underneath the blankets as Sunmi laughed and nodded.

“ok! I will go check on Elkie’s mother and then start cooking, ok? Rest some more. I will come to wake you when the food is done.” Sunmi said as she watched the lump of blankets nod and flop over.

Sunmi walked over to the room of Elkie’s mother and knocked softly before carefully opening the door to peek inside.

It looked like she was still asleep but may not be for long as she rolled from side to side restlessly.

_‘I should probably start cooking then. They both will need to eat. Just in case she doesn’t like tteokbokki, I should also prepare some other things…’_ Sunmi thought to herself as she hummed and started cooking once she arrived in the kitchen.

Chungha could smell one of her favorite foods cooking as she felt her stomach growl and sat up as she got dressed and staggered sleepily to the kitchen. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched Sunmi cook.

She always looked so happy when she would prepare food and watch others eat. Chungha remembered that Sunmi said she used to be a horrible cook and hated to do it. But she learned whenever she felt lonely. It was a sad thought to know that the reason she was able to cook such amazing meals was due to loneliness.

But what she learned out of loneliness became something that would make her extremely happy as she watched everyone enjoying her food. Chungha loved to watch Sunmi’s expressions as she watched the others eat. She found it adorable how Sunmi would look genuinely happy while watching the others eat, and she had to admit that she also thought that watching Sunmi cook looked kinda hot too.

Like Sunmi knew what just crossed the younger fox's mind, she turned around to look at her mate and smile.

“your food is almost done. Sit down. I will get you some and then go wake Elkie’s mother.” Sunmi said as Chungha smiled and sat down in her seat happily.

Sunmi had just brought over Chungha’s bowl and set it on the table when a woman walked into the room looking nervous and lost.

“oh! I was just about to wake you to see if you were hungry!” Sunmi said as she smiled at the woman, but instead of smiling back, she flinched and looked away.

“I'm sorry… I don’t know how I got here…” she said nervously as she played with the hem of her clothing nervously.

“We are friends of your daughter. We rescued you from Jackson’s pack, and she brought you back here.” Chungha said as the woman's eyes widened.

“Elkie is here? Is she ok? Please tell me nothing bad happened to her or Handong…” she asked worriedly as her eyes went wide, but Sunmi just smiled.

“come. Eat. We will explain everything while you eat. I had to heal all of your wounds, and people are usually hungry after being healed.” Sunmi said as the woman walked over hesitantly.

The two pointed at a chair for her to take as she sat down nervously. She had a hard time looking the two girls in the eyes. She didn’t know if their kindness was an act. And if it wasn’t, she didn’t want it to change to hostility due to a mistake on her end.

“what would you like to eat?” Sunmi asked as she set the many dishes she cooked on the table. The woman eyed the food warily, but Sunmi and Chungha could tell that she was starving.

“I personally like the tteokbokki!” Chungha said as she pointed at the food and listed them in order of favorite to least favorite.

“The wolves are rubbing off on you! You need to eat your vegetables!” Sunmi teased as Chungha pouted. All of Sunmi’s meat dishes were just so good. She couldn’t help herself.

Sunmi set an empty plate in front of the woman and silverware as she signaled for her to get some food. They watched as she extended a shaky hand as she took a small bit of everything. But once she got it, she waited.

“it's ok. You can go ahead and eat! You don’t have to wait for anyone!” Chungha said as Sunmi looked at her with a confused expression. Sunmi may not know about Elkie’s family and how her stepfather had them wait until he was done eating, but Chungha did. It was a fight to get the wolf to eat with her while they were on the run from his pack, so she recognized the hesitation right away.

“I'm the one that helped Elkie get here, by the way. I'm Chungha.” She said as she smiled sweetly and ushered for the woman to take a bite of the food.

It seemed like even this woman was no match for Chungha’s cuteness as she finally took a bite and smiled happily.

It was a long lunch as the two explained everything except the man's downfall. They figured that it would be best if Elkie explained that herself.

The three talked throughout the day as they showed her around the house, and soon it was time for Sunmi to make dinner. To her surprise, the woman started trying to help her.

“it's alright. You are a guest here. It wouldn’t be fair of me to make you work. Relax and enjoy yourself.” Sunmi reassured her as Chungha happily dragged the woman away to go check on Gahyeon and play with her plant.

When Dami heard a knock on the door, she rolled off of the bed and found Chungha and Elkie’s mother at the door.

“We came to tell you that Sunmi is cooking dinner. I wanted to check on Gahyeon and introduce Gahyeon’s plant to Elkie’s mother.” Chungha said as Dami nodded tiredly.

Dami hadn’t been able to sleep. She was too worried that something would happen to her mate while she was sleeping. The two could tell right away that the hybrid hadn’t been sleeping and soon a very stern and motherly look crossed the woman's face as Chungha snorted while Dami paled at the look.

“you need to eat. Imagine how she would feel to wake up and find you looking so weak and exhausted…” she said as Dami winced, and her shoulders slumped. She knew the woman was right. Gahyeon would feel guilty and blame herself.

“but what if something happens while I'm gone?” Dami asked as she looked up worriedly.

Chungha smiled as she watched Dami getting mothered by the woman beside her.

“we will stay here to watch her until you are done, ok?” she asked as Dami sighed and nodded. Soon she scurried downstairs to quickly eat and get back to her injured mate.

“This is Gahyeon,” Chungha said as she pointed at the dark-haired girl sleeping soundly in bed. Her breathing was steady, and she looked like she was in a deep sleep. It was a relief to know that she didn’t look as weak as the last time Chungha saw her.

Something quickly got the girls' attention as Chungha laughed.

“and this wiggly thing is the plant that saved Gahyeon’s life,” Chungha said as the plant wiggled side to side happily and waved shocking the both of them.

Elkie’s mother looked at the plant in shock for a moment before waving back. That seemed to make him extremely excited as he swayed happily. He was learning, and he thought it was fun.

“I have never seen a plant like this before…” the woman said as Chungha smiled.

“Gahyeon has nature abilities, and plants seem to love her and become more active around her. Though I have never seen them wave before. I think this plant is special somehow…” Chungha said as he puffed up proudly at the compliment.

“This is amazing…” the woman said as she looked at the happy plant in front of her.

“the thorns have a numbing effect. They can also be used to heal when paired with my ice and healing abilities.” Chungha said as the woman asked the plant politely if she could touch a thorn curiously. He nodded, and she couldn’t help but giggle excitedly as she touched a thorn and felt the numbing effect almost instantly.

“amazing…” she said as she smiled at the plant. He loved the compliments as he shook happily, and Chungha couldn’t help but smile at how the woman was handling the plant so well.

_‘I think this is a good sign…’_ Chungha said silently to Sunmi as she showed her mate the images of the woman enjoying playing with the plant.

Sunmi smiled as she observed the two before turning to watch Dami try to scarf her food.

“no!” Sunmi said as Dami froze in place. She shook her head at the girl before plopping down on a chair beside her.

“you will make yourself sick eating that fast, and you know it. Relax. They are with Gahyeon and playing with the plant. There is nothing to worry about.” Sunmi said as Dami sighed and started eating more slowly.

She knew that Sunmi was right, but she just couldn’t help but worry. Plus, the thought of others being in Gahyeon’s room without her there was driving her nuts, and she didn’t know why.

“Dami… I know you are feeling extremely protective of Gahyeon right now. But don’t hurt yourself in the process, ok? We all can help you. Gahyeon will never forgive us if she wakes up to find you almost killed yourself with worry…” Sunmi said as Dami nodded and sighed. She knew everyone was right. It was just so hard on her.

Once she was done, she hurried to wash her plate and rush up to her mate as Sunmi shook her head at the girl.

“Is everything alright? Did anything happen?” Dami asked as soon as she walked through the door. Chungha chuckled as she sat beside Gahyeon and checked her with her powers.

“Everything is fine. But, just in case I was just checking her. She seems completely fine now. She just needs to sleep and regain her strength.” Chungha said as Dami sighed in relief.

The sight she walked in on terrified her. She could see Chungha was using her healing powers over her mate and had thought her worst fears were coming to life. That something happened while she wasn’t there to protect her.

“I'm sorry… I know I must be acting like an idiot…” Dami said as she walked over nervously and sat beside Gahyeon as she stroked her hair softly. The two couldn’t help but smile as they watched how gentle she was with the sleeping girl.

They left the two as Chungha walked down the stairs ahead of the woman who was still smiling as she thought of the happy plant.

“does it have a name?” she asked as Chungha looked back with a confused expression.

“the plant.” She said as Chungha shook her head.

“We figure that if anyone should name him, it should be Gahyeon,” Chungha said as the woman looked at her with a confused expression.

“him?” she asked as Chungha nodded.

“when she begged us to look for the plant, she said ‘him.’ we know that there are plants that are male or female and some that are both. So, we assume that this plant is a male, but the parent plant was both, so we are still somewhat confused with the situation.” Chungha said as the other woman nodded.

“so, you knew the parent plant?” she asked as Chungha nodded and pointed out back.

“it's out back and very large. This type of plant was thought to be extinct until Gahyeon made it grow.” Chungha said as the woman nodded.

Once they were downstairs, the other two ate, and this time she didn’t hesitate for as long before eating. The two knew it would be difficult for her to completely break that habit, but she was making good progress as she smiled and ate as the three talked.

Soon it was time for the three to try to get some sleep. Sunmi and Chungha escorted her to her room, and once they said their goodbyes, the two went into their room and sighed in annoyance.

The two above them were now awake and making a lot of obscene noises. There would be no way that they could sleep peacefully in their room, so with a sigh, they walked out into the living room and flopped down on the couch and snuggled together as they quickly fell asleep.

In the morning, they awoke to Elkie’s mother giggling at the two of them. They were clinging to each other like koalas for fear of falling off the couch and must have been a funny sight as the woman snorted while trying to stop her laughter.

Sunmi smiled as she untangled herself from Chungha and stretched happily.

“Why are you out here? I'm not taking your room, am I?” the woman's voice went from humor to worry, but Sunmi shook her head.

“We have two that are in heat in the room above us. They were… very vocal…” Sunmi said with a frown as the woman laughed again and nodded knowingly.

With one last stretch, Sunmi stood and walked into the kitchen to start breakfast as the other woman followed.

“I'm going to check on your daughter and her mate this morning, so If you wouldn’t mind stirring the food until I get back?” Sunmi asked as she watched the woman's face brighten at the mention of her daughter and being able to help and nodded enthusiastically.

“alright. I will be right back.” Sunmi said as she handed the spoon to the woman and walked upstairs to the girl's room. Just like Chungha, she knocked softly before opening the door.

As Sunmi peeked inside, she couldn’t help but smile at the cuteness. Elkie was holding Handong in her sleep. The two looked so peaceful that she hated to wake them but knew that the two needed to eat.

“rise and shine sleepy heads…” Sunmi said softly as the two groaned and snuggled closer to each other. Sunmi chuckled as she watched both girls open one eye sleepily to peek at her.

“I'm making breakfast. I know you must be hungry. Come eat, oh, and Elkie? Your guest is up.” Sunmi said as she stood up and walked out of the room as she closed the door silently behind her.

“my guest?” Elkie asked sleepily as Handong groaned while stretching before it donned on both of them who was awake. Soon the two were stumbling out of bed as they tried to find suitable clothes in the darkroom.

They quickly staggered out of the room in a panic to arrive in the kitchen and look at the woman before them in shock. She was smiling happily as she talked to Sunmi about the food they were cooking.

Elkie looked over to Handong with a shocked expression. In all the years they knew the woman, she had never smiled like this. It was so genuine and happy that Elkie couldn’t help but feel a lump in her throat. It showed her just how beaten and broken her mother was emotionally and physically by her stepfather.

It wasn’t long before Sunmi noticed the two looking extremely nervous in the doorway and smiled. Elkie’s mother looked to see what Sunmi was smiling at when her eyes met her daughters, and soon she noticed the blond hair as she raised a brow.

“blonde?” she asked as she smiled at her daughter. She couldn’t help but think the color looked stunning on Elkie, but it was a bit of a surprise.

“I… um…” Elkie said nervously. Handong could feel the anxiety in her mate and stepped forward slightly out of instinct.

“Handong. Its good to see you. I'm sorry I couldn’t stop what happened to you and your family all of those years ago…” she said as genuine sadness washed over her face.

“did they tell you about… him?” Elkie asked as Sunmi, and her mother shook their heads.

“We thought you should be the one to tell her. though I'm pretty sure she could guess…” Sunmi said as she smiled at the girls in front of her.

“he's gone, mom… he won't bother us or hurt us again. You are free of him…” Elkie said as she looked down nervously. She didn’t know how the woman would react and was afraid to see her expression.

Before her mother could say anything in response, a ticking was heard. Elkie’s mother giggled, recognizing the sound. She looked behind the girls as Gahyeon’s plant walked itself down the stairs somewhat clumsily while clutching its pot carefully.

The two looked behind themselves as their jaws dropped in shock. The plant had learned to walk, and after practicing while Dami and Gahyeon rested, he finally wanted to try it outside of the room. He looked like a coconut octopus as it walks along the seafloor with its home as he scurried past the girls and over to Elkie’s mother and Sunmi.

He could feel that there was a lot of anxiety in the room and started to worry about the tall ones. Carefully he picked up his pot and used multiple vines to walk across the floor until he got to the door. If it was a rounded doorknob, he would have been in trouble, but luckily it wasn’t. He easily grabbed it and opened the door silently as his thorns softly ticked on the floor like a dog's nails on a hardwood floor.

He was extremely proud of his achievement, and so was Elkie’s mother the first time. This has been his third visit this morning, and she couldn’t help but smile at the puppy-like plant.

So far, the only ones that could understand him besides Gahyeon were the foxes, but he hoped that would change later. He was trying to learn. He just hoped it was something he would be able to do.

“want to play catch?” Elkie’s mother asked as she got distracted by the cute plant in front of her. He didn’t know what catch was, but he really wanted to learn. So, with a smile, she reached out as he gently wrapped a vine around her hand as she escorted the plant out back to play catch.

“I don’t know what I just witnessed…” Handong said as Elkie nodded in shock beside her.

“it seems that the plant can feel our feelings like Gahyeon can, and he has been trying to make your mother feel calm and welcome,” Sunmi said as the two looked at each other in shock.

She really did look happy when she looked at the plant too. Slowly the three looked outside as they watched Elkie’s mother throwing things for the plant to catch. He was very good at it and seemed like he enjoyed it very much.

“well… I wasn’t expecting this…” Handong said as they watched the two play until the food was ready. After Sunmi shouted that breakfast was ready, he walked over to her and gently took her hand and escorted her inside proudly.

“why do I feel like we got a dog?” Handong asked as she looked at the plant while sitting at the table. He understood the girl and poked her with a thorn before shaking his body teasingly and scurrying back upstairs.

Handong stared at him in shock as she looked down at her numb leg. Sunmi couldn’t help but laugh as she watched the plant scurry away.

“oh god… we have a prankster plant! He just shouted, ‘catch me if you can numb leg!’ As he ran back to Gahyeon for protection!” Sunmi said as everyone except Handong laughed. She was too focused on trying to get the feeling back in her leg, or she would have laughed too at this situation.

Elkie couldn’t help but smile as she watched her mother eating happily and laughing while talking about Gahyeon’s plant. The news of her stepfather's death didn’t even seem to matter to the woman. She was now free, and it seemed like she wanted to just wipe him from her memory.

It was a feeling both mother and daughter shared, so to see her mother acting so happy, she couldn't help but smile as she held Handong’s hand under the table and leaned against the vampire's shoulder happily.


	43. Chapter 43

-Awake-

Gahyeon woke up to Dami’s slow and steady breathing tickling her ear. The girl was snuggled up against Gahyeon and seemed quite comfortable except for the fact that Dami was uncovered. It seemed that Dami covered Gahyeon up with the whole blanket while she was sleeping.

Gahyeon smiled as she shifted some of the covers over her mate. But the blanket was wound too tightly around Gahyeon. There was no way for her to cover Dami more.

Gahyeon struggled for a bit, but suddenly she felt the covers shifting as the blanket was straightened, and soon the sweet plant was carefully covering the two girls as he tucked it around them carefully so that he wouldn’t accidentally prick one of them with his thorns.

Gahyeon couldn’t help but smile at the sweet plant. She wasn’t sure how he knew what she wanted, but she was grateful. Once the warm blanket was over the two, Gahyeon felt herself feeling sleepy again. She looked out the window to see the dark night sky. The moon was shining bright, but for some reason, it didn’t pull her the way it used to.

She was missing the sunlight. It wasn’t long until morning, but she couldn’t help but long for the sunlight. Once she realized this, she wondered if this was how her plants felt. Mourning the sun until the next sunrise.

The plant was carefully picking things up from around the room to inspect them, and she couldn’t help but giggle at how curious he was when Dami snuggled closer and held her tightly. It was the best sedative for Gahyeon, and soon, the girl fell asleep as she felt the warmth radiating from Dami.

When Gahyeon woke up next, it was daylight. She looked around sleepily and noticed that Dami was gone. As she listened harder, she could hear the sound of the shower running and smiled and looked around the room sleepily. When Gahyeon looked towards the window, though she witnessed an interesting sight.

The plant that saved her was close to the window. She could hear a soft humming coming from him. She wasn’t sure if it was just in her head or if it was a real sound, but he seemed completely satisfied as he enjoyed the sun's rays.

Gahyeon giggled at the humming plant when it jumped in surprise. He quickly looked around and noticed the girl staring at him and suddenly felt embarrassed as he scurried away to close himself into the closet.

“did I know he could walk like that?” Gahyeon asked herself out loud as she looked at the closet door in surprise.

Soon after, the bathroom door opened as Dami walked out, drying her hair with a towel. She was wearing a loose white tee that showed a hint of her stomach and black sweatpants as she walked into the room. It took her a second to realize Gahyeon was awake again, but when she did, a soft smile formed on her lips.

Dami remembered waking up to cover her girlfriend with the blanket, but when she woke later, the blanket was tucked around them both. Dami looked suspiciously at the plant that seemed to be resting. For once, he looked like just a normal plant as he was still and silent.

It was when she decided to take a shower, but now Gahyeon was looking up at her smiling, and her heart felt relieved to see her mate smile at her like that again. Without any signs of weakness or fatigue.

“morning,” Dami said as she set the towel on the back of a desk chair and came over to snuggle Gahyeon.

“morning. Why do you always look so good after a shower?” Gahyeon asked as she wrapped her arms around Dami’s waist and snuggled closer to her girlfriend and rested her head on the taller girl's chest. She listened to Dami’s breathing as she sighed in contentment. Dami giggled at her clingy girlfriend and smiled before getting serious.

“you don’t know how relieved I am to see you smiling. I thought I lost you…” Dami said as she tucked Gahyeon’s head under her chin and hugged the smaller girl carefully. She was still worried that she would hurt her.

“I heard you. I remember you begging me to come back. It was difficult, but I couldn’t leave you sounding so heartbroken…” Gahyeon said as she tightened her grip slightly. Both girls feared to be without the other.

Gahyeon didn’t want to tell Dami how scared she was when she realized that she was dying. How panicked she felt and how unfair it felt. They had been kept apart for years and barely got to spend time together before JB tried to take her from Dami.

Without thinking, Gahyeon reached to her neck to feel the scar of her wound and realized something was missing. With a panic, she sat up out of Dami’s arms and looked around the room for the necklace that Dami made for her but didn’t see it anywhere.

“what's wrong?” Dami asked worriedly as she sat up on the bed to look her worried mate in the eyes. But Gahyeon looked around panicking as she kept her hand around her neck, and soon Dami figured out what she was looking for.

“relax. Your necklace is safe. It didn’t get cut when… you did. Its safely in a drawer because your mischievous plant likes to try to get them to grow. I can't imagine more of him…” Dami said with a chuckle as she looked around the room for the plant in question and realized he wasn’t in sight.

“did he go downstairs again?” Dami asked as Gahyeon looked at her in shock. Walking to the closet was one thing, but he was walking around freely and easily able to climb stairs? This was a lot for Gahyeon to take in, but oddly she felt a sense of pride at his accomplishment.

“did you name him?” Gahyeon asked, but Dami shook her head. Everyone agreed that Gahyeon should be the one to name him if he didn’t give himself one already. There was clearly a bond with them somehow. He would know when Gahyeon would have a nightmare in her sleep and wake Dami up so that she could comfort her mate until the nightmares faded away.

“where is he, by the way? He usually doesn’t stay too long before coming back upstairs to check on you…” Dami said as Gahyeon giggled.

“he's embarrassed and hiding in the closet,” Gahyeon said as Dami shook her head. Of all things, now the plant was embarrassed. This was all new to her. She wouldn’t admit it, but she already loved the dorky prankster plant even though he seemed to like to make her his prime target.

“is it normal for plants to get embarrassed?” Dami asked as Gahyeon thought for a second.

“There are some plants that feel slight embarrassment when they aren’t growing well no matter how hard they try, but it's not as strong as this. he is starting to feel more like a “human” than a plant.” Gahyeon said as Dami nodded.

“well, just so you know, he made a friend. We managed to rescue Elkie’s mother from her stepfather. She seemed nervous at first, but he seemed to feel it and tried to make her feel better. She is always happy to see him.” Dami said as Gahyeon smiled brightly. It sounded absolutely adorable, and she wished she was up to see it.

“well, let's go see if there is any food… I'm starving!” Gahyeon said as Dami giggled and scooped her girlfriend up as she squeaked in surprise and carried her to the closet door and had Gahyeon knock.

“Hey, we're going downstairs to eat, you want to come with us?” Dami asked, but all she got was silence as she looked at Gahyeon. Gahyeon tried to open the door, but he shut it right away. He was still embarrassed she caught him humming.

“its nothing to be embarrassed about. I like the sun too. Let's go downstairs. Ok?” Gahyeon asked softly and waited.

The door slowly crept open as the plant slowly walked out, but as soon as Gahyeon smiled sweetly at him, he couldn’t help but feel happier. What made it even better was that she extended her hand for him to take it.

“door, please?” Dami asked as she watched the plant carefully grasp Gahyeon’s hand with a new vine he was growing. It had no thorns near the end so that he couldn’t accidentally hurt the others. Once he held Gahyeon’s hand carefully, he used another vine to carefully open the door for Dami as she walked out carrying her mate in her arms while the plant trailed happily after while holding Gahyeon’s hand carefully.

Once they made it to the kitchen, Gahyeon noticed the strange woman right away. She could tell that it was Elkie’s mother. She looked so much like their packmate that it was obvious.

Gahyeon smiled shyly at the new woman as she smiled happily back. Everyone was worried about Gahyeon as she slept more and more.

Once the plant saw the woman, he looked up at Gahyeon pleadingly, and she couldn’t help but giggle before nodding.

Once he had her permission, he ran over to greet the older woman. She smiled brightly as he held her hand and jiggled happily. He liked it when he made the older woman laugh, and doing this got her to laugh happily every time.

Gahyeon watched the plant with a smile. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She knew that the seed she chose that day felt special, but she didn’t know just how special it was until now.

Gahyeon looked at Dami and signaled for her to set her down. Once Gahyeon was on her own feet, she realized that she was still a little weak when it came to walking. She could take a couple of steps but grew tired quickly.

Slowly and carefully, Gahyeon walked over to the plant and knelt down as Dami Sunmi Chungha Handong and Elkie looked on in silence. He slowly turned around as he waited patiently for whatever Gahyeon had planned.

“would you like a name? we all have one except for you…” Gahyeon asked as she waved her hand around, indicating the others.

He thought for a second. He remembered that everyone had a name even though he would give them nicknames, but suddenly the idea of having a name excited him as he bounced and jiggled happily.

Gahyeon giggled as she smiled at the goofy plant and thought for a second. She remembered earlier in the morning and how happy he was at the sunlight when a name popped into her head.

“how about Sol? It means the sun. the sunlight makes you happy, and I hope your name will too.” Gahyeon said and waited for his reaction.

Gahyeon was a little surprised when the plant carefully hugged her around her waist. He clearly liked it, and she couldn’t help but smile. He was so sweet and reminded her of a puppy at times.

“Sol?” Dami asked as the plant looked at her curiously. Dami smiled as she watched him react to his new name. She was so grateful to him and had to admit to herself that he was really adorable at times. When he wasn’t in a pranking mood, that is.

“do you like your new name?” Dami asked as the plant nodded. It wasn’t often Dami could hear the plants like Gahyeon could, but suddenly a very soft voice entered her head.

“happy!” it said, and she smiled brighter when she realized that she heard Sol's voice for the first time. It was faint, but he sounded as cute as he looked.

Quickly she looked at Gahyeon with wide eyes. Gahyeon could tell right away what surprised her mate and smiled. The demon blood in Dami allowed her to do many things, and this seemed to be one of them.

Suddenly the two looked like proud parents as Handong groaned. She had been the target of the plant's pranks this morning and knew that with the way they looked at him, the pranks wouldn’t stop any time soon.

Sunmi finally got the other’s attention when she served breakfast and gave Sol a spoon to play with while everyone ate. He liked the smooth feel and the shininess of it and proceeded to blind Handong with it as he aimed the sunlight at the vampire happily.

Handong and the others weren't sure if he was just pranking the girl or trying to give her sunlight, all Handong knew is that Elkie would keep giggling at her when the light shined on her face again.

_‘traitor… she’s on the plant's side…’_ Handong thought with a pout before smiling. It was worth it if both Elkie and her mother seemed happy.

The group slowly ate breakfast and caught Gahyeon up on all of the things she missed. She couldn’t help but laugh when she found out about both Yoohyeon and her sister going into heat at the same time. She knew both girls had planned to tease the other, and she was sure they would both sulk at the missed opportunity to tease the other once they were out of their rooms.

“so, any news from the other pack? The one that tried to protect me?” Gahyeon asked as everyone shook their heads.

“We have been in recovery mode. I haven’t even gone out for groceries yet. We all are somewhat nervous about how the town will treat us once we leave the house. We did take out most of the sons of the town but, at the same time, removed a dangerous pack. I'm sure opinions are split right now…” Sunmi said as Gahyeon nodded.

She understood what Sunmi meant and suddenly wondered what was happening to her father. He would have probably been assigned to the case as they tried to find out what happened at the warehouse. He would be the best person to ask about it, but she decided it would be better to wait until Siyeon was done with her situation.

Gahyeon was sure that they would want to talk to Siyeon too. So, she decided to wait, but it did make her nervous. What if they had to leave their home? Then again, it was in the middle of nowhere on a mountain that wolves were terrified to go to, so maybe they were safe after all.

After everyone was done eating, they walked into the living room to relax. Gahyeon clung to Dami as she walked into the room, and luckily after eating, Gahyeon was feeling a bit stronger, but she still needed a bit of help balancing.

“you ok?” Dami asked worriedly as Gahyeon focused on her steps. Obviously, dying and being brought back had a few side effects to get over. She just hoped that Gahyeon’s hybrid body would heal from this fast.

“I'm fine, I think I slept for too long. Walking is slightly difficult, but it's easier than before. That’s a good sign, right?” Gahyeon asked as she looked up, smiling brightly. Dami could only hope she was right as she smiled back and nodded.

The group sat up front and talked for a couple of hours until Dami noticed that Gahyeon was starting to fall asleep. She went to take her upstairs, but when she looked down at Sol, she had an idea.

“Can you all help me with something?” Dami asked as they nodded, including Sol, and soon, she picked Gahyeon up gently and led the way out back.

_‘when I carried her back home, I noticed that she reacted to sunlight like a plant. I want Sunmi and Chungha to watch her carefully when she's in the sunlight…’_ Dami said as the two nodded in understanding. They were all curious about what changes will happen between their packmate and the plant.

As Dami stepped outside and the sunlight hit Gahyeon’s sleeping face, she couldn't help but sigh happily. Dami quickly looked over her shoulder as the two foxes watched her carefully and were amazed at what they saw. It was like the plants' residual energy would strengthen in the sunlight and with it Gahyeon.

Sunmi wasn’t sure if this was permanent, but there was another thing that caught her eye, their auras. When Gahyeon and Sol stepped into the sunlight, they both blazed in Sol’s colors. His power was so dominant in the girl, and some of Gahyeon’s powers showed in him as well.

Sunmi wasn’t sure what to think of it after all the plant had managed to bring Gahyeon back from the dead. There was bound to be some weird connection. But they just didn’t know what all of this meant yet. The fox would have to monitor their progress closely. She was worried that something bad would happen.

Dami looked at Sunmi but could tell that she was unsure of what she was seeing. None of them knew what was going on between the wolf and the plant, but it was a very interesting situation.

Sol seemed to look up to Gahyeon, almost like a parent. He seemed to know that the large plant in the backyard was where he came from, but his attachment was to Gahyeon. He also quickly grew a liking to Dami as he watched the girl try to be a gentle as possible while she took care of Gahyeon while she was still sleeping.

While the others watched her, Gahyeon felt the warmth of the sun and the faint breeze and sighed happily. It was so soothing as she felt everything around her. Dami froze when she noticed that the plant friends Gahyeon had made in the back yard, stretched up to touch her. They could feel that she was different somehow and carefully checked if she was alright.

Dami had never thought much about the plants around her before she met Gahyeon. Now she couldn’t help but smile when she saw a plant growing well or frown at one that looked like it was struggling. And seeing them carefully checking on her mate only made her like them more.

“I know it seems like Gahyeon is enjoying it out here, but it is supposed to get cold tonight. Let's get Gahyeon and Sol inside.” Elkie’s mother said softly as Dami nodded, and everyone went inside.

Dami went to put Gahyeon to bed and soon realized that Sol was missing. She had a bad feeling about that when suddenly she heard shouting.

Minji had finally left her room looking for something to eat or drink when she almost got run down by a plant fleeing from Handong.

“Sol!” Handong shouted as she chased after the plant that was obviously holding something in the air triumphantly as he fled the vampire.

“what the hell was that!” Minji asked as Dami peeked outside the door and shook her head. It wasn’t an easy thing to explain. She was sure that Minji remembered them bringing the plant home, but seeing it running around while carrying things was probably unnerving for the vampire.

“ask Gahyeon when she wakes up later…” Dami said as Minji jumped and looked in Dami’s direction and quickly smiled at the mention of Gahyeon’s name.

“she’s alright?” Minji asked excitedly as Dami smiled. Minji noticed that the smile seemed hesitant, though, as she glanced back at their door.

“what's wrong?” Minji asked as Dami sighed. Of course…if anyone would notice something was bothering Dami, it would be Minji.

“she’s just so weak right now. I had to help her walk from the dining room to the living room…” Dami said as Minji looked at her with a worried expression.

“How bad is it?” Minji asked as Dami sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

“she just seems a little weak and wobbly right now. She seemed slightly better after eating, so I'm hoping that this is only temporary. I just worry… what if something happens? I just got her back…” Dami said as her shoulders slumped slightly.

Minji walked over and hugged the girl, but Dami quickly pulled away as she scrunched her nose at her.

“you reek of Yoohyeon way too much…” Dami said with a frown as Minji laughed, and Dami shook her head. Clearly, Yoohyeons alpha side came out judging by the scent coming off of Minji.

“go get something to eat or maybe drink. You look drained.” Dami said as Minji looked at Dami worriedly.

“don’t worry about me. I think that I'm just worrying too much.” Dami said as she waved and walked back into her room to check on Gahyeon one more time.

Minji stared at the door with a worried expression, but she didn’t want to leave Yoohyeon alone for very long and quickly ran down the stairs to the kitchen where she raided the fridge and took a couple of blood bags before darting up the stairs with her prizes happily.

Three weeks had passed since the girls got home, and everyone hoped that the two pairs of lovebirds would finish soon. It just wasn’t the same without the four.

Gahyeon’s strength was better, and she now was almost back to normal. She could walk longer distances around the house, unphased now to Dami’s relief.

Sol also turned out to be a handful. He loved taking things from the other girls' rooms that he thought Gahyeon would like and would gift them to her as presents.

When he was distracted with the next prank, she would quickly return the item to its proper owner, and she had to say he made their lives interesting. There was a lot of laughter and shouting in the house. Mainly when Sol would steal something and run, but they could tell he would do it when the girls' moods started to get low.

It was finally time for Sunmi to make a run for groceries, and she had to admit that she was nervous. By now, word would have traveled all around the town. But she had to go if she was going to feed everyone.

“I will go with you,” Chungha said as Sunmi smiled sweetly. Chungha had been extremely clingy lately and didn’t want to leave her side. Watching the struggles that Gahyeon was going through made Chungha think about what would happen if she lost Sunmi leading her to be extra clingy to the older fox.

“no, I don’t want you getting overprotective and starting a fight,” Sunmi said as Chungha pouted and looked at her with an adorable expression.

“I can go. It would be nice to see the town as well. I was never allowed to before.” Elkie’s mother said as she looked at the fox, waiting for an answer when Sunmi looked at Chungha.

Her mate nodded. She didn’t like the idea of Sunmi going alone, and even though they only knew the woman for a couple of weeks, Chungha trusted her to protect her mate.

She was no longer a beaten and broken woman but confident and brave. It was a nice thing to see for everyone, and Sunmi couldn’t say no to her and crush her hopes, so with a smile, she nodded and soon they were on their way to the store.

It was several hours later, and there was still no sign of the two, and everyone was getting worried when finally, Chungha’s cellphone rang, and she sighed in relief when she saw Sunmi’s name and answered quickly.

“where are you? Is everything ok? What's taking so long?” Chungha rattled off as Sunmi laughed on the other end of the line.

“relax! We ran into jinyoung and his pack. He was telling us how the hunt for the stragglers of Jackson’s pack went and lost track of time. We are almost home and have guests.” Sunmi said before hanging up. Chungha tensed and looked at the others.

“guests?” Chungha asked as she looked at Dami, who just walked up with a worried expression. Sunmi sounded fine, but Chungha couldn’t help but be nervous. This was the first time she would bring someone over, and it was while their alpha is not available. It made her nervous.


	44. Chapter 44

-Visitors-

Chungha and the others exchanged worried looks as they waited for Sunmi to return with whoever she was bringing. This would be the first time someone outside the pack besides Elkie’s mother would come to the house, so everyone was on edge.

“So, who do you think shes bringing?” Chungha asked Dami, who could only shrug. They didn’t really talk much to people in their town and stuck to themselves, so Dami was unsure of who would want to visit them.

“whats going on?” Gahyeon asked worriedly as she looked at Chungha’s expression. She had just walked up with Sol, who was holding her hand gently.

“Sunmi said that they are bringing guests…” Chungha said as Gahyeon’s expression went from confusion to worry like the others.

“has she ever brought anyone else here?” Gahyeon asked Dami, who shook her head.

“as far as I know, no. Sunmi has been protecting this house since Minji’s parents passed. I doubt she would just bring people over…” Dami said as she looked at Gahyeon with a protective expression. She didn’t like knowing that Sunmi was bringing others over while Gahyeon wasn’t completely better. She was close but not completely, and Dami was still overly protective of her.

“well, let's see if Siyeon or Yoohyeon are with it enough to join us for our guests… Chungha said as she walked up the stairs.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea! Last time I knocked on Siyeon’s door to drop off food, she growled at me, and I'm her sister…” Gahyeon said as Chungha nodded.

“I can always freeze her in place and escape. Plus, it's not like I am after Bora or anything.” Chungha said as she neared her door and heard a deep growl from the other side. Obviously, Siyeon heard that comment and didn’t like it.

“Siyeon, I know you are busy and all, but Sunmi is bringing “guests,” and its worrying us. We could really use our alpha…” Chungha said. The last of her statement held so much worry that the overprotective alpha on the other side of the door could feel it.

Chungha didn’t wait for an answer before moving over to Minji’s door. She knew that the half-wolf half-demon was even more protective of Minji than Siyeon was of Bora, so this was the one that Chungha was worried about.

“Yoohyeon?” Chungha asked softly as she knocked gently. There was silence, and she started to wonder if maybe the two were asleep when a very agitated voice was heard on the other side of the door.

“what…” Yoohyeon asked, rather coldly. She didn’t like being woken up. She was quite content snuggling to Minji and didn’t like the possibility of Chungha waking up her mate, who just finally fell asleep.

“Sunmi went out to buy food, but she has been taking a while. She just called, saying everything is fine, but she's bringing ‘guests.’ I don’t like the sound of that. I was wondering if you were together enough to make an appearance.” Chungha asked as she waited by the door. There was the sound of soft footsteps on the other side of the door, and when the door swung open, Chungha couldn’t help but flinch at the action.

The two girls were extremely easily agitated, and it has made the others a bit on edge lately. But when Chungha looked at Yoohyeon, she looked normal if not a bit grouchy.

“what do you mean guests?” Yoohyeon asked, rather abruptly. Clearly, she was still in heat, but it was winding down for her to be able to talk somewhat normally.

“I don’t know. Sunmi went shopping with Elkie’s mother, and they have been gone for a long time. She said she was talking to Jinyoung and his pack. I wonder if it's him, but I also feel nervous. She sounded fine, but I just feel like there is bad news…” Chungha said as Yoohyeon thought to herself quietly.

“what about Siyeon? is she going to come down?” Yoohyeon asked, but Chungha was unsure.

“well, I know she growled at me through the door… I don’t know if she was really listening to me, though…” Chungha said as Yoohyeon nodded. Talking wasn’t really what Yoohyeon wanted to be doing right now either, but when she looked over at Minji, she could see just how exhausted she was and sighed.

“I will come down… not for long, though, if nothing is wrong… I don’t like being away from her…” Yoohyeon said sadly as she quickly put on some clothes and stomped down the stairs and waited for these ‘guests.’

Yoohyeon wasn’t paying attention as she thought to herself when she almost walked into Sol. He realized she was there just in time as he moved carefully out of the way, but the movement caught Yoohyeon’s attention finally.

“what the hell!?!” Yoohyeon shouted as she stumbled backward. She was still a bit traumatized from her training with Gahyeon when she had her final transformation, so the sight of Sol startled her. But that soon turned to fascination as he hid behind Gahyeon nervously while gently holding the girl's hand.

“is that a walking plant?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked over to Sol as he peeked at her again, and Gahyeon nodded.

“what is it?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked at him carefully, holding his pot and hide behind Gahyeon shyly.

“he's my baby, and his name is Sol,” Gahyeon said flatly as the others tried not to snort at Yoohyeon’s expression. She was completely straight-faced as she looked into Yoohyeon’s eyes.

Quickly Yoohyeon looked over to her sister for an explanation, but Dami just shrugged.

“he kinda is?” Dami said almost more like a question than an answer. Everyone was confused about how to describe Sol. One thing was for sure, his shyness was fading as he started to get curious about the girl before him when he finally remembered her in the warehouse.

_‘know you!’_ Sol said softly as both Gahyeon and Dami looked at the plant like proud parents. Only the couple and Chungha could hear him right now, and the couple's expression was starting to creep the wolf out.

“oh, fair warning. Sol is a prankster…” Handong said as she walked up with Elkie, who nodded in agreement.

“a big one. He stole Handong’s underwear this morning.” Elkie said as Yoohyeon snorted at the image in her head.

“oh, it was even funnier in person, believe me!” Elkie said as Handong scowled. She didn’t like Elkie teasing her.

“well, do we know how long until Sunmi arrives?” Yoohyeon asked Chungha, trying to get back to the main reason she was away from Minji in the first place.

“should be any minute…” Chungha said when the door swung open to show Sunmi, Elkie’s mother, and three others walking into the house carrying bags.

“were home!” Sunmi said happily as she led everyone to the kitchen and started putting things away while telling others where things went.

“isn’t that Jinyoung and his two friends?” Yoohyeon asked as she went to walk towards the kitchen only to stumble and go splatting onto the floor with an ‘oof.’

As she looked behind her, she could see a vine sneaking quickly back to Sol and couldn’t help but laugh.

_‘oh, I think I'm going to like this plant…’_ Yoohyeon thought as she smiled and sat up. Dami ran over to help her sister as Gahyeon tried to apologize through her laughing. It was obvious that Gahyeon seemed to enjoy Sol’s prankster ways.

Once Yoohyeon stood up, she focused back on the three boys that were following Sunmi’s orders as they put the groceries away and wondered why they were here. If Sunmi needed help bringing things in, then she could always ask her packmates for help, so that wasn’t it. Whatever it was, she was starting to feel nervous like Chungha.

Once the groceries were put up, Sunmi turned around to face everyone. Her expression went from businesslike to serious as she looked at everyone.

“We have some things to talk about. Let's go into the living room…”Sunmi said as everyone shared a worried look and followed the fox into the living room.

“hmm… where to start…” Sunmi said to herself as she looked at her worried packmates as they sat around the living room. There was a lot of news and not all good.

“Should we tell them about the progress we have made against the remnants of Jackson’s pack?” Jinyoung asked as Sunmi nodded.

“what are they doing here?” a voice said behind the boys causing them to jump. Siyeon had finally come out of her room but held Bora tightly to her body as she walked over. A low rumble came from her when the boys looked at Bora.

Siyeon was extremely possessive while Bora was extremely clingy at the moment, so Bora loved feeling the low growl from her lover as Siyeon sat down on a chair and pulled Bora onto her lap and glared at the boys suspiciously.

“they have some news I think we need to hear,” Sunmi said as Siyeon nodded and looked at the three. Her eyes were blazing a vivid green, and they could feel her alpha aura radiating off of her, and she wasn’t in y hurry to lessen it.

The boys squirmed. Jinyoung was an alpha but had never come across another alpha as strong as Siyeon before. So he didn’t know what to do or how to feel. Finally, Youngjae elbowed him, signaling him to speak.

“oh, right! We have been taking out the remnants of what was left of Jackson's pack. A lot of wolves ran that night and have tried creating smaller packs like Jackson’s. It’s a threat, so we have been taking them out. There was one pack that was getting quite large, and we were worried if we would be able to handle them ourselves when Youngjae smelled something…” Jinyoung said as he looked to Youngjae to finish the explanation.

“I smelled blood as well as something possibly burning when I went scouting the location. As I got closer, the smell got stronger… the entire pack was wiped out. We don’t know who did it, but that leads to the main reason we are here…” Youngjae said as he looked over to Yugyeom, who sighed nervously before speaking.

“there have been rumors of strong wolves coming into town. Word has finally spread about Jackson’s pack, and from what I hear, a very dominant male is here to challenge the all-female pack that was able to take out such a large pack by themselves.” Yugyeom said as he paused to let that sink in for everyone before continuing.

“There are also others coming besides wolves. Someone stopped me on the streets earlier today and asked me why my aura was weird… I don’t know what she meant, but what I do know is she seemed extremely strong and determined to figure out more about me…” Yugyeom said as the girls thought about this carefully.

“how dominant is this male?” Siyeon asked coldly. She could feel that this male was going to be a threat, and judging from the look on the boys, she was right.

“very. He has been making ‘conquests’ of the females in the town that haven’t found their mates yet. And he then went bragging around the town. He even targets human females. From what we hear, he's even worse than Jackson. The only difference is that he doesn’t mess with girls that are bonded. He doesn’t like the consequences.” Jinyoung said as the room grew tense.

The rule was humans were left out of it. It could get messy, and this wasn’t a good thing to hear that this male feared almost nothing.

“your father is having trouble with it as well. It's difficult to sweep what happened at that warehouse under the rug. and now he has all of these new strangers coming to town and raising a fuss looking for you and your pack.” Jinyoung said as Siyeon suddenly missed her father.

They haven’t even talked to him in so long. It was decided for them to keep silent until the situation with Jackson was settled. She knew that she should message him, but they would want to see Siyeon and Gahyeon.

Siyeon didn’t think it was the best idea to call her parents over while she was still in heat. It would be very embarrassing and awkward for the alpha.

“so, do you think that this dominant male is the one that took out that large pack?” Siyeon asked, but Jinyoung shook his head.

“When I went there after Youngjae told me about it, the wolves were burned with odd claw marks, and there were odd scents to them. This was something similar to ms. Sunmi. Not a wolf and can use other powers similar to a fox but not. We don’t know what they are, but there is more than one. there also seems to be the scent of strange wolves in there too, but not many.” Jinyoung said as Sunmi thought to herself for a bit.

There were several different types that the ones that wiped out the pack could be, but she wouldn’t know until she met them, and this made Sunmi nervous. It was putting everyone at risk by not knowing what they were going up against.

“so we have a threat we don’t know about that seems to be drawn to us…” Siyeon said with a groan. She couldn’t help but feel like this was her fault.

Bora could feel Siyeon’s emotions and purred softly while snuggling closer. It stopped her from feeling guilty but had another effect on her as Bora nuzzled against her collarbone, causing Siyeon to gasp.

The boys instantly looked away. They knew that if they looked at Bora at the moment, Siyeon wouldn’t be very happy, and they didn’t want to push the alpha. They knew just by her scent what was going on right now.

“Bora, stop that. You know what you are doing to Siyeon, and it's making me want to go back to Minji…” Yoohyeon said in a pouting voice.

Sol could feel the tense atmosphere and decided to try to relieve it a bit as he walked over and gave an item he thought was pretty to Gahyeon.

The girl smiled as she gently took the spoon that he liked blinding Handong with. It was one of his prized possessions, and he hoped desperately that Gahyeon would like it. When he saw the sweet smile cross Gahyeon’s lips, he felt proud that she liked his gift and wiggled happily.

“is that the same plant from the warehouse?” Yugyeom asked as he looked at Sol with a smile. Gahyeon nodded as he knelt down to look at Sol better.

Sol instantly remembered the twitchy wolves and shook happily. Carefully Yugyeom reached out a hand, and Sol quickly took it with his thornless vine. Yugyeom jumped slightly startled and smiled once he realized what Sol was doing.

“its good to see you again. When we went back to check on you, you were gone.” Yugyeom said as Sol nodded and pointed at Gahyeon.

“he says he went with us that day. That’s how he ended up here.” Gahyeon said as Yugyeom smiled and nodded.

Jinyoung slowly walked over to Sol and knelt down as well. He was still nervous around Sol, but he knew he owed his life to him. Without Sol using his numbing abilities to keep Jinyoung out of shock and giving a thorn to Chungha, Jinyoung would be dead right now.

“um, thank you. I know you helped me…” Jinyoung said awkwardly as Sol happily held Jinyoung’s hand. But this vine wasn’t thornless.

Jinyoung looked down at his hand that was now completely numb and traveling up his arm and frowned as Gahyeon, and the others started laughing.

“I'm sorry… Sol is a bit of a prankster…” Gahyeon said as Jinyoung tried to rub feeling back into his arm with a frown.

“Sol says he saved you because you tried to protect Gahyeon, and he could feel you were a good person. Oh, and he says stop being so jumpy if you don’t want a numb arm.” Dami said with a hint of a smirk on her lips. Handong also smiled happy that she wasn’t one of his targets for once.

“Is this normal?” Jinyoung asked as everyone, but Siyeon and Bora nodded. The two were completely in their own world in the chair, and the others made sure to ignore the pair that were making out like teenagers. At least that was all they were doing at the moment.

“Sol likes to pull pranks and lighten the mood. I guess while I was asleep, the mood was rather dark. So he learned that pranks could lighten the mood.” Gahyeon said as Jinyoung smiled.

“I am glad to see you awake, I do admit. We were worried that you were gone.” Jinyoung said, not knowing that his polite smile irritated Gahyeon’s mate. Dami pulled Gahyeon closer as the younger girl talked and snuggled into her side to ease her nerves.

Dami knew that Jinyoung was only being nice, but she couldn’t help but be protective of Gahyeon after almost losing her. She held Gahyeon closer when she felt Gahyeon’s hand take hers and gently rub the back of her hand with her thumb. Dami couldn’t help but smile into Gahyeon’s shoulder happily as her anxiety faded away to contentment.

“so… we have two enemies, and one of them seems kinda dangerous to be up against… great…” Yoohyeon said as she thought about the possible difficult fights ahead.

“There are also small groups of wolves asking around about you. One was a group of girls that were mostly wolves. They don’t seem to be dangerous or aggressive but more curious. I don’t know what they want, though, so be careful.” Youngjae said as Yoohyeon nodded.

“We should probably be going now, but would it be ok to come back another time to ask your alpha something? Or maybe you?” Jinyoung asked as he looked at Yoohyeon. She didn’t know what he would want to ask her and it got her attention.

“you can go ahead and ask me right now if you want,” Yoohyeon said as she looked at how nervous Jinyoung suddenly looked.

“I'm new to acting as an alpha. I never paid attention to how I should behave, and the pack I run has two other alphas in it, and they are constantly challenging me. I don’t know what to do. They are not bad people, but I know that they are also not a good fit for leading this pack. If they were, I would have no problem stepping down. But I just don’t know what to do…” Jinyoung said as he sighed nervously.

Yoohyeon thought for a moment. They didn’t have this issue with Siyeon. Both Yoohyeon and Dami respect Siyeon greatly and never think of challenging her. But at the same time, Yoohyeon knows that she is different, and so is Dami. It could be due to their demon blood that they aren’t trying to fight Siyeon for leadership.

“that’s a difficult situation. You see, I'm not sure if Dami and I react like normal wolves. We both have demon blood in us. That could make a difference, but I know I have never felt the need to challenge Siyeon. I like teasing her, but that’s just normal for me.” Yoohyeon said as Jinyoung nodded with his shoulders slumped. He had hoped that Yoohyeon would have an easy fix for his situation, but he wasn’t that lucky.

“I told you I think you need to just challenge them. They are only challenging you because they think you are a weak fighter. You have had to take your time to heal, and now you are fine. Challenge them and end this. you can't be everyone's friends.” Youngjae said as Jinyoung sighed.

“I agree with that one…” Siyeon said as they all looked over at her in surprise. She seemed to finally regain control of herself though she still clung to Bora desperately. Her eyes locked in on Youngjae, and he couldn’t help but flinch away.

“He may be right. You may need to challenge them to stop it once and for all. But instead of humiliating them in front of the pack. Challenge them over something that seems like a game. Like you just being competitive for fun. That way, they save their pride compared to if you officially challenged them.” Siyeon said as Jinyoung thought about it.

There were some possible downsides like them saying that they went easy on him, but there was a chance that it could work, and he was going to try.

“thank you. And I'm sorry for showing up like this. It just worries me with all of these strangers coming to town. Some of them look dangerous, and I'm sure more will come.” Jinyoung said as Siyeon nodded. It did seem like a dangerous situation and could get a bit messy.

Siyeon stayed seated as the others saw the three out. She had a lot to think about. Were they ready to take on this situation? Siyeon wasn’t sure, but she knew that they needed to practice. Minji finally was able to use her ability, and everyone's powers strengthened after Siyeon’s transformation. That meant one thing after her heat was over. Training.

Luckily this house is a bit hard to find, and it would make it difficult for people to find them, but that wouldn’t protect them forever. They have already lost one home. Minji acts like it doesn’t bother her, but Siyeon knows that it really does. That house had a lot of memories. Including memories of Dami. Minji Bora and Handong did basically raise her alone, and all of those memories burned due to Jackson.

Siyeon couldn’t let the same happen to this house. After all, this house holds even more memories from her parents. Siyeon’s thoughts were deep until Bora started snuggling against Siyeon again, and her mind went blank with a groan.

“no fooling around on the furniture! To your room!” Sunmi said as Siyeon gulped and scooped Bora up and ran to their room and kicked the door closed behind her. Sunmi could only shake her head as she looked over to Yoohyeon.

The poor girl was wanting to do the same with Minji but didn’t want to seem rude. It told Sunmi that Yoohyeon’s heat would end before Siyeon’s, but that didn’t mean that Yoohyeon was having an easy time at the moment.

“go. we all know you are having a hard time, and Minji will probably panic if she wakes up, and you are not there.” Sunmi said as Yoohyeon’s eyes lit up, and she bolted out of the room before they could change their mind.

Sol walked over and gently tugged Sunmi’s shirt to get her attention. As she looked down, she could tell that he had a question.

“what is it, Sol?” Sunmi asked and smiled as she heard him hum happily at his name. He liked them calling him by his name. Even when they yell at him while he pulls a prank. It's nice to have a name.

_‘what I, is happening? Why is tall girl running like idiot?’_ Sol asked as Sunmi fought a laugh. Obviously, he learned the word idiot from Dami. But she didn’t know how to explain it to him, quickly she looked around and spotted Dami and Gahyeon with a sigh of relief.

“you two! Sol wants to know why Yoohyeon was running like an idiot. I don’t know how to tell him about the birds and the bees or if I even should. As his parents, it's on you. Bye!” Sunmi said as she headed out of the room to prepare dinner.

“wait, what?” Dami asked as she looked at Sol nervously. She could feel like he was looking at her intently even though it wasn’t like he had eyes like they did, but she could feel him watching her.

“um, Gahyeon?” Dami asked as the two shared a panicked expression as Sol walked closer and sat in front of them.

“well…” Gahyeon said as she paused.

_‘how am I supposed to explain this to a plant?_ ’ Gahyeon asked herself as she looked at the happy plant that was waiting patiently.


	45. Chapter 45

-Sol-

_‘eww…’_ Sol said as he turned away from Gahyeon and Dami with a shiver. They had just explained the birds and the bees to Sol, and he didn’t seem to like what he heard.

“it's a lot more fun than it sounds,” Dami assured as Sol shook while still walking away.

_‘disagree… plant way better…’_ Sol said as Gahyeon laughed at sols reaction. His first reaction was to look horrified, and Gahyeon was really impressed at how expressive he has become. He honestly looked horrified at the explanation.

Sunmi couldn’t help but laugh at the three as she watched everything from the kitchen. It was an adorable sight, and she couldn’t help but smile. She had no idea that their house was missing something, but now that they had Sol, they couldn’t imagine life without the dorky plant.

When jinyoung told her the news about the others coming, she wasn’t surprised. She knew it was coming, but she had hoped that they had a bit more time. They hadn’t even been able to enjoy their victory and rest properly.

Sunmi wanted to spend more time being able to snuggle up to Chungha, but she knew that there were more pressing matters. And right now, she was cooking for everyone.

“need any help?” Elkie’s mother asked as she walked into the room. She had walked away to give the girls some space. She knew that it was pack matters, and she didn’t want to interfere. Especially because she had not been properly introduced to the alpha or Dami’s sister.

“no, I think I'm almost done. However, Sol may need some attention. Gahyeon was trying to explain the birds and the bees, and he seems to be traumatized.” Sunmi said as the wolf giggled.

“I'm sure it was also amusing to watch!” she said as Sunmi laughed. It truly was.

“So, where is he?” she asked as Sunmi felt for him. It didn’t take long for her to feel his aura, and she smiled.

“he is outside playing catch with himself,” Sunmi said as the wolf smiled.

“well, that’s not as fun! I will go check on him.” Elkie’s mother said as she walked out the back door towards Sol.

-Yoohyeon-

It had been a couple of days since Jinyoung’s visit. Yoohyeon had told Minji the news, and the older girl didn’t seem very happy about the news, but they were soon distracted.

Now the two snuggled together in bed happily. The two could feel their minds were getting clearer and knew that their heat was coming to an end, and the marks left by each girl were lessening in severity.

“baby… we need to eat. You will starve yourself at this rate.” Minji said as she smiled and looked down at Yoohyeon’s face. The younger girl pouted sweetly before snuggling closer.

“But I don’t wanna… can’t we stay here like this?” Yoohyeon asked as Minji chuckled at her adorable girlfriend as she touched the pouting girl's nose.

Yoohyeon scrunched her nose and laughed when she looked up to see Minji looking at her adoringly.

“you are beautiful. You know that?” Minji said with a soft smile as Yoohyeon blushed and hid against Minji’s shoulder.

Minji knew the girl would go soft for compliments and loved it when Yoohyeon would blush. It made the vampire's heart swell happily. She liked knowing that she could get that reaction from the wolf.

Once Yoohyeon’s shyness was fading, the girl peeked up and saw Minji sleeping softly. The two had been starting to get tired lately, and Yoohyeon couldn’t help but smile as Minji as she slept.

“Sleep well…” Yoohyeon said with a smile as she kissed the vampire's shoulder softly and snuggled closer again as she drifted off to sleep happily.

Once the two finally woke up again, they decided that it was finally time to go downstairs but not after a hot shower. The warm water relaxed their muscles and cleared their heads more. They finally felt normal again, and it was nice to be able to snuggle again without getting all hot and bothered.

They slowly got dressed. The two were not in any rush to head downstairs as they slowly walked into the kitchen.

“well, look who is up and looking like a normal person now!” Sunmi teased as she looked up from what she was cooking to tease the two.

“morning!” Yoohyeon said as she ignored the teasing and stole a piece of food out of the pan while Sunmi laughed.

“Well, look who’s downstairs!” Dami said as she walked into the room with Sol holding her hand gently. The two had really bonded lately, and he liked ‘the protective one.’ She was always so careful around Gahyeon while the younger girl was weak.

“and look who is now a proud parent!” Yoohyeon teased as Dami smiled. It was true that the girl was starting to get more and more protective of Sol. Even when he ran off with her underwear, and she had to chase after him while screaming like a lunatic.

“well, I think he's adorable!” Minji said as she leaned down and looked at Sol. He can control his size depending on his mood, and right now, he was small like a child. Minji couldn’t help but want to feel protective of the little plant even if their first meeting was not the ideal way to meet.

“uh oh. You are getting that look…” Yoohyeon said as she looked at her girlfriend. It was the same look that Minji had whenever she was a puppy.

“what look are you talking about?” Minji asked as she smiled at Sol. Sunmi and the others raised a brow as they watched her stare at Sol cutely.

“I give it one panty raid, and Minji changes her mind…” Handong said as she walked up, causing the others to laugh while Minji and Yoohyeon looked at the two with a confused expression.

“panty raid? Do I even want to know?” Yoohyeon asked as Handong smirked. She was watching a vine trail close to the ground towards Yoohyeon and kept quiet as she watched.

“what?” Yoohyeon asked before her feet were snatched out from underneath her. Handong laughed as Sol held Yoohyeon above the ground and proceeded to tickle the girl mercilessly with other vines.

“Where did he learn to do this?” Handong asked as she laughed at Yoohyeon, shouting that she had to pee.

_‘protective one!’_ Sol said as Handong froze and looked at Sol in shock. Quickly she looked over to the others as they shared the same look of shock.

It was now normal for Dami to hear Sol now, but for the .0others, it was the first time. They looked at Sunmi and Dami in shock as the younger girl looked at them proudly. She could tell right away that the girls could hear him and couldn’t be prouder. He really was learning fast.

“did the plant just speak?” Handong asked as Sol jumped in offense.

_’hey! I have name now!’_ Sol said as Handong apologized.

“I'm sorry, Sol. Did Sol just speak, or am I hearing things?” Handong asked as the others looked at her in shock. They all could hear sols tiny voice.

“I don’t know why but I thought his voice would be bigger…” Elkie said as she leaned against her mate. The vampire nodded in agreement as Dami laughed.

“he's like a baby right now, according to Gahyeon. His voice will mature with age like a human. Gahyeon hopes his pranks will die down by then, but I'm not so sure. Right Sol?” Dami asked as Sol shook happily.

_‘like pranks!’_ Sol said as he shook excitedly. Handong groaned at the excited plant. It was clear that he wouldn’t stop his pranks any time soon, but hopefully, his favorite target would switch from Handong to Yoohyeon, who was about to wet herself.

“ok, Sol. You can release my sister. She's turning blue.” Dami said with a laugh. On the order, Sol dropped Yoohyeon right away. Yoohyeon landed with a loud thud as she continued to giggle and wipe the tears out of her eyes.

She hated to admit it, but that was somewhat fun. Though she did almost wet herself, she thought that she would be terrified after her last experience of Gahyeon’s plants, but Sol truly felt different.

She also liked his mischievous behaviors. The two pranksters could probably pull off a lot of things, and it was starting to give her ideas.

“don’t you even dare…” Minji said as she picked up on her girlfriend's ideas right away. Yoohyeon’s face went blank as she tried to look confused, but it didn’t fool Minji.

“no cuddling if you start pranking again… I still remember my blue hair incident…” Minji said as Yoohyeon grinned.

“but you looked hot with the blue hair!” Yoohyeon said as Minji groaned. She had just died her hair blonde and was only able to enjoy it for a week before she came out of the shower one day with blueish purple hair.

“yes, and I looked hot with the BLONDE hair too, but I didn’t even get to enjoy it for more than a week before you went and put hair color into my shampoo!” Minji said as Yoohyeon laughed at the memory.

“I know that you liked it, though. I caught you looking at the mirror several times a day!” Yoohyeon said as Minji rolled her eyes.

“it was looks of shock, not admiration…” Minji said as she lied through her teeth. She did really love the color, but she couldn’t admit it, or it would encourage her girlfriends pranking.

“so has Siyeon come out yet?” Yoohyeon finally asked after Minji helped her get up off of the floor.

“not yet. The last time we saw her was when jinyoung was here.” Chungha said as she walked up to snuggle against Sunmi as she finished the last of her cooking.

Sunmi smiled as she glanced back at Chungha sweetly. The smaller girl's arms tightly around her waist felt nice as Sunmi leaned back into the embrace.

“Look who’s getting all snuggly while our food burns!” Bora shouted, making everyone jump. She looked pleased as she walked into the room and went for a bag of blood to refuel.

“like I would ever burn our food…” Sunmi said as she rolled her eyes and moved the pan over to another burner.

“sure…” Bora teased as she took a long drink of the blood bag and sighed in happiness. She didn’t enjoy the flavor of it anymore, but the feeling that she got when she drank it was still there, and she slightly missed it though she would choose chicken over blood any day.

“you know, I thought I would hate this after that fight. Blood was everywhere, and I just felt disgusting. Luckily I can still drink it if I need to heal.” Bora said happily as Minji nodded in agreement. She had also worried about the same thing.

“I still don’t have any urge to drink after that fight…” Handong said as she remembered the feeling of all the sticky and drying blood in her fur. It made her shiver.

“so, what about Siyeon?” Yoohyeon asked as Bora laughed.

The girl in question was sleeping soundly. Bora would try to wake her, but it was of no use. She had tired herself out too much and needed the rest.

“um, she's taking a nap. She has been sleeping for a while. I don’t know what she will be like when she wakes up, though. Sometimes it seems like she's going back to normal, and the next time she wakes up like a beast!” Bora said proudly as the others looked horrified.

_‘Gross…’_ Sol said as Bora jumped at the tiny voice behind her. She never really got a good look at Sol. She was always preoccupied with the need to snuggle against Siyeon, so it was her first time to really look at him.

“um, what the hell?” Bora asked as she looked at the others in confusion.

“language!” Dami said as Sol grasped her hand again, making for an interesting picture for Bora. Dami looked like a protective parent, and Bora thought it was funny and adorable.

_‘humans’ way gross. Plant way much better…’_ Sol said as he gently picked up his pot and walked away, leaving Bora speechless.

“I still can't believe a plant walks…” Bora said as Dami looked at her sternly.

“his name is Sol…” Dami said as Bora looked at her to see if she was serious.

“Sol… you named him?” Bora asked as Dami nodded.

“our baby now has a baby… we are grandparents…” Minji said as Bora looked at her in shock. When she looked over to Handong, the other vampire nodded in agreement as well.

“I don’t think I want to know, do I?” Bora asked as the others laughed.

“food is done, let's eat!” Sunmi said as she set the plates on the table, and everyone sat around happily. It was a very quiet meal as they ate and watched Sol play with another spoon as Handong squinted through her meal.

“I swear he learned to polish that thing…” Handong said as Elkie giggled and nodded. The spoon seemed much shinier than when Sunmi had given it to him, and the light was getting much brighter.

After they finished their meal, they decided to talk about their plans. It could obviously change when Siyeon was back, but it was better to have some idea and start on it while their leader was out of commission.

“We need to start preparing. There are a lot of enemies this time, and we don’t know a lot about them. So, I think it’s best to be prepared. We also need to know what all we can do. With Siyeon’s transformation, our powers have strengthened. We can probably do much more than we could before. We don’t want to make any mistakes…” Sunmi said as she looked at everyone.

“Is there any more news?” Yoohyeon asked, suddenly getting more serious as she pulled Minji onto her lap. Sunmi just shook her head.

“nothing. All we know is what jinyoung told us, and that’s not much. The one that was curious in Yugyeom interests me. Obviously, they can see auras, which means they may possibly be extremely powerful.” Sunmi said as she looked at Chungha. They were both wondering if it was another fox, but they know that the chanced of that is extremely rare.

“well, what is the plan, then?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked at the others.

“We need to see how Gahyeon is doing. we don’t know if her powers have strengthened or weakened due to what happened to her.” Sunmi said as Dami sighed nervously.

“I know that she is resting right now. She seemed fine for days but now seems extremely tired…” Dami said as Yoohyeon looked at her sister, worriedly.

“I went to check on her while Sunmi was cooking. She doesn’t seem to be sleeping well. It seems she is having nightmares when you are not with her…” Chungha said as Dami looked at her in shock.

“nightmares?” Dami asked as Chungha nodded. It wasn’t that surprising after all Gahyeon did just die and come back to life, but knowing that her mate was struggling made Dami want to go to her.

“relax. I used my powers to give her a dreamless sleep. She will be able to catch up on her rest and be fine when she wakes up.” Chungha said as Dami looked at her with a grateful expression.

Dami was still feeling overprotective, and it was like torture to see her like that. Knowing that Gahyeon was struggling and acting like everything was ok. Dami knew that Gahyeon wouldn’t tell her if she was struggling. She didn’t want to worry her any more than the older girl worried already.

“We need to be careful with Gahyeon, but we also need her to use her powers. They can go stagnant and cause issues like Chungha’s did. We don’t want Gahyeon randomly passing out, and it may not even show itself that way. We don’t want the side effects to be dangerous.” Sunmi said as Chungha nodded.

Since they went and started practicing and using their powers more, Chungha hasn’t felt as weak or sleepy. And what was even better is that she hadn’t had any cases of narcolepsy. It was a relief to the younger fox because she always felt self-conscious about it.

“What should we do now then? Dami asked as Sunmi thought for a second.

“small things at first with Gahyeon, have her try to help a plant in the yard here or there. And as for the rest of us, we can go and start practicing like before. Go through the drills that Siyeon set up. We don’t want to get rusty.” Sunmi said as they nodded.

“then should we go and get ready to train? Yoohyeon asked as she looked at the others. They were unsure without Siyeon there.

“I will solve this. I can see you are hesitant without Siyeon. I will go ask her and text you what she says, ok?” Bora asked as the others nodded and smiled appreciatively.

-Siyeon-

Siyeon was resting soundly when she felt and heard the door open and close. Suddenly her eyes were open as she looked around protectively. She didn’t want anyone coming into the room where her Bora was but quickly calmed down when her eyes met Bora’s as the smaller girl smirked.

“worried, baby?” Bora asked as Siyeon sighed and flopped back down on the bed and nodded cutely.

“don’t worry, I just went down for some blood, but the others have a question for you…” Bora said as Siyeon looked up at her with a worried expression.

“again, it’s nothing to worry about Sunmi thinks that they need to start practicing so that when you feel better, we are ready, but everyone seems hesitant to do anything without your approval,” Bora said as Siyeon smiled softly. It meant that her pack respected her, and Siyeon couldn't help but feel proud of them.

“what do they want or need?” Siyeon asked as Bora smiled and walked over to her cellphone and quickly came over to the bed and hit video call. Siyeon’s eyes went wide as she yanked the covers over her naked body, and Bora couldn’t help but laugh and look at her in surprise.

“you do remember you walk around naked all the time, right?” Bora said as Siyeon scowled at her while the girls watched the video call.

“The difference is that I'm not in the bedroom then!” Siyeon said as Bora laughed and snuggled up to wave at the others.

“ok, what do you want to ask her?” Bora asked as everyone thought of what to ask.

After the call, they had their answers on what they needed to work on. And they were now ready to go with Sunmi to train.


	46. Chapter 46

-Practice-

The girls had just gotten off of the video call with Siyeon and now knew what they need to work on. Siyeon had given them a list of things she worried that they lacked in, and the girls were determined to work on them.

Sunmi was wondering what Siyeon was going to say, and she had to agree. The entire time that they went into the warehouse, they fought in their wolf cat or fox forms. Even though they had practice in hand to hand, they felt weaker without being able to shift. It's something that they need to work on.

If there had been a fight where they were unable to shift, would it put them at a disadvantage? Plus, some of the girls were very large once shifted. If they came upon a smaller enemy in an area that made it too small for the girls to shift, then they would have to fight a wolf in their human form. It was one of the things that they didn’t think about.

If they were to go up against others while not knowing what they were or what they could do, the girls needed to be prepared for everything. With a sigh, Sunmi and the others walked out back to start over with the basics.

“We need to go over the basics again and make sure that Elkie and Chungha get as comfortable with the hand to hand as we are…” Sunmi said aloud as she thought of what to do first. It had been almost a month since their last time doing anything, and they could tell that that was a bad idea. Sunmi couldn’t think of where to start.

“alright… well, let's just get started instead of overthinking everything. First, we need to go over hand to hand again and make sure that it becomes automatic to us. Siyeon was right. We relied too much on our other forms. Those hallways were tinier and tinier the farther in we went, and when I was in a space too tiny for me to shift in, I felt vulnerable. That’s something I plan on fixing today.” Sunmi said as everyone nodded.

“Minji? we also need to see what all you can do with your ability, but we will wait until Siyeon is back for that, alright?” Sunmi said as Minji smiled and nodded.

“Dami? Did you check up on Gahyeon?” Sunmi asked as Dami nodded. When she went to check on Gahyeon earlier, Sol went with her and decided to stay with her. Whenever another nightmare started, he would gently hold her hand with one vine while rubbing her back until the nightmare faded away. Dami couldn’t help but smile at the scene and felt slightly better about going out to train, knowing that Sol was watching Gahyeon.

“yes, she's resting well now that Sol is watching her. He seems to know right away when a nightmare starts for her.” Dami said as the others smiled, thinking of Sol with Gahyeon.

“Alright, let's decide who is paired up with who… Minji, can you go up against Handong? As for Yoohyeon, you can go up against Dami. With your demon side starting to show, I am not sure if it is safe for you to go up against anyone else at the moment.” Sunmi said as the two pairs moved off a bit and started to go over the basics as Sunmi thought of what to do with the last pair. Elkie and Chungha were the newest but luckily learned quickly, and with a bit of help from Sunmi, they were soon ready to practice more advanced techniques.

Elkie seemed to really enjoy hand to hand now. She liked knowing that even when she couldn’t shift, she could protect herself. She was feeling more and more confident as her feelings of weakness faded away. The last scars her stepfather caused slowly fading away.

Chungha was also a natural and would easily learn the moves and was able to use them in interesting situations. It was what have Sunmi the idea of what to do next.

“everyone? I have an idea. Chungha, will you help me?” Sunmi asked as Chungha nodded and walked into the center of the field with her mate.

“What is this idea?” Chungha asked as Sunmi smiled. She knew as soon as she told Chungha her mate would panic, so she postponed telling her until the last minute.

“I'm going to come at you in my fox form. Try to keep me off of you without shifting.” Sunmi said as Chungha’s eyes went wide in shock.

“you want me to what?” her mate asked worriedly as Sunmi let out a soft chuckle. She knew that her mate’s reaction would be cute.

“it's alright. I will go easy on you. I promise.” Sunmi said as Chungha looked extremely nervous at her but nodded and got into position as the others surrounded them to watch the fight.

“ready?” Sunmi asked as she stripped and prepared herself.

“nope!” Chungha said as Sunmi laughed and shifted. It was now time to practice and learn new techniques.

Suddenly Sunmi charged as Chungha sidestepped, allowing the fox to fly past her. Quickly Chungha turned smoothly so that her back wasn’t to Sunmi as the fox made another attack.

Sunmi lunged in fangs first, and without th8inking, Chungha dodged while forcing the fox in the other direction with a defensive block.

Sunmi was impressed, but she wouldn’t stop there. She started trying to be unpredictable as she dodged around and tried other techniques. Luckily Chungha was a fast learner and adapted well in stressful situations.

The match looked one-sided in the beginning. Sunmi was attacking while Chungha defended, but by the end, the two were both attacking and defending. What ended the fight, though, was when Sunmi pounced the other girl.

Chungha barely got her hands up in time to catch the massive jaws of her mate from latching onto her. She knew that Sunmi wouldn’t really try to kill her, but the panic of the moment caused her to react instinctively as she caught her mate and held her jaws tight.

But Sunmi’s strength soon forced the smaller girl to the ground as she tried to hold off the fox. It felt helpless in her position, and finally, her strength gave out.

Chungha winced, expecting at least some kind of a bite, but there was none. Sunmi quickly stopped and moved back as soon as she felt Chungha’s strength give out. She didn’t want to hurt her mate.

Chungha fell backward in exhaustion as she lay in the dirt panting. It was harder than she thought. Chungha had to stop herself from shifting continually. It was just so natural to her that she automatically wanted to shift to defend herself. She could see why Siyeon said that they needed to work on this.

“you alright, baby?” Sunmi said as she extended a hand to her mate that Chungha accepted and gently pulled Chungha to her. The two held each other softly as Sunmi checked her mate for any injuries. Luckily besides a couple of scratches here or there, the girl was unharmed, and Sunmi couldn’t help but sigh in relief as she held Chungha tighter.

The two were starting to become extremely clingy and had to be reminded that there were others there before Sunmi was able to refocus on what they were doing again.

“who wants to go next?” Sunmi asked as everyone looked at each other nervously. It was finally Dami who stepped up to the horror of her older sister.

“We can try if you don’t mind…” Dami said as she heard her sister whispering her disagreements behind her.

“Dami, are you CRAZY?! Did you just watch the same fight I did? I can't do that!” Yoohyeon whispered to her sister as Dami rolled her eyes and walked into the center of the field, leaving Yoohyeon there in a panic before she ran to catch up to her little sister.

“well, who is going to be shifted?” Yoohyeon asked Dami, who only shrugged.

“I don’t know. How about we rock paper scissors for it?” Dami asked as Yoohyeon nodded. After a couple of ties, the decision was that Dami would stay as she is while Yoohyeon shifted and tried to attack.

“thank god Gahyeon is still asleep, or she would be panicking right now,” Dami said softly as she readied herself for Yoohyeon’s attack.

Once Sunmi gave the command, the two lunged in at each other. Dami’s sudden movements threw Yoohyeon off. She wasn’t expecting her little sister to go on the attack right away but quickly dodged Dami and went for another attack. She was planning to go for the younger girl's shoulder but was instantly knocked away with great strength.

Dami was good at both offensive and defensive techniques, and it was really showing right now. Dami could dodge and strike back at her sister smoothly as she sidestepped or blocked. It was almost like the younger girl could read her sister's movements when something shifted in Yoohyeon.

Without knowing it, the shadows started seeping out of Yoohyeon as they fought. They were slowly beginning to surround the girls, and Minji went to intervene, but Sunmi stopped her. The shadows didn’t affect Dami like the others, and the girl didn’t even seem to notice them as she fought her sister confidently.

Soon the shadows completely enveloped the two as they fought. The others couldn’t see inside, but they knew that the two sisters wouldn’t hurt each other.

Inside the shadows, Dami observed her sister as she continued to dodge Yoohyeon’s fangs. The older girl was using the footwork that Sunmi had taught her, and it was making it hard for Dami to guard her back when the wolf kept getting behind her so quickly.

By chance, when Yoohyeon lunged by, Dami saw a risky opportunity and took it. As Yoohyeon lunged by, the younger girl wrapped her arms tightly around Yoohyeon’s neck and quickly took the wolf down.

Yoohyeon was startled as her body was suddenly wrenched upwards before quickly coming down as she was brought to the ground. The impact knocked the air out of the older girl causing her to lose her concentration as the shadows quickly dissipated, revealing the results of the fight.

The others looked on in surprise as the shadows faded, revealing Dami as the winner. They weren't what they expected but to see Dami holding her sister in a headlock wasn’t what the group expected.

Once Yoohyeon stopped struggling and admit that she lost, Dami let go of her, causing the wolf to walk off and sulk. It took Minji walking over to soothe the wolf so that she would shift back to be able to cuddle her mate.

Sunmi had to say that Dami always amazed her every time, and this time was no different. There was something special about the girl, and Sunmi couldn’t help but want to test her but resisted. Now wasn’t the time.

It was now time for the next team before Yoohyeon and Dami switched roles. Quietly Minji and Handong walked into the center of the field and smiled. They knew that this was going to be interesting. It was one thing going up against a wolf, but a cat was a bit different.

Whoever had to stay in human form had to not only watch out for the other's jaws but also for their strong paws with razor-sharp claws as well as their tail. It meant that they were even more dangerous than the last fight.

Handong was chosen to defend, and soon the two were ready to go. Minji stretched happily in her cat form and readied herself.

Unlike with the wolves, the cats should be slightly slower, but Minji wasn’t, her snow leopard body was large but quick as she would dart around and try to find an opening in the girl.

Handong was known for being able to deflect enemies easily, but with Minji, it was different. If Handong launched her into the air, Minji would just use her cat reflexes and twist midair to land safely and quickly go in for another attack. It made the girl extremely dangerous.

As the fight progressed, everyone noticed how difficult it was for Handong. Minji was able to land several swipes on her much to Elkie’s dislike. The vampire was having a difficult time dodging both tail and claws, and when Minji finally pounced on the vampire, her arms gave out from the pure strength that Minji had.

The leopard's weight felt like it was crushing Handong, and her arms just couldn’t hold out. She was quickly pinned where Minji paused, waiting for Handong to decide if the gave up or not.

Handong was completely pinned and unable to move. She knew she lost and acknowledged it as Minji quickly let her up. Handong didn’t like losing, but she now knew what she needed to practice on.

Sunmi had to admit that the felines were extremely powerful, but the issue was their large size. She was trying to think of a way to force the girls to fight in a tighter space when Chungha created a hallway of ice. It looked beautiful, but the point was to make the girls defend themselves from someone while in an area too small to shift in. It was just what Sunmi was wanting, and she couldn’t help but smile at her mate proudly.

Seeing as Elkie was the only wolf small enough to still fight somewhat comfortably in the tight hallway, the girls started taking turns fighting the wolf.

Dami did well though she felt she could do better. The same was with Minji and Handong, but the problem was with Yoohyeon. She was so used to fighting in wolf form that she had a hard time trying to stop herself from shifting.

First up was Dami, and it was a bit different fighting in that hallway than fighting in the open. Several punches or kicks that she could do would put her too close to a wall and render her defenseless. She hated that feeling where Elkie was used to fighting in the streets due to her stepfather and his pack living in a city.

In the end, it was declared a draw, and both girls were disappointed at the outcome. They both thought that they could do better.

After Elkie rested a bit, it was now Chungha’s turn, and the fight ended similarly to Dami’s. Both girls had skill but couldn’t beat the other with the change in their environment. But Elkie was learning quickly as she used the walls to her advantage and would try to force her opponent closer to the wall, limiting what they could do, and soon they would realize that they were cornered when their back would hit the cold ice wall.

When Minji gave it a go, she added her claws and tail into the mix. This time Elkie was a bit more hesitant with her moves. She learned really quickly that the vampires were much more flexible and could get out of tighter situations than the wolves could.

It ended in a draw due to exhaustion as both girls leaned tiredly against the cold walls. They had been fighting for over an hour and couldn’t help but feel completely drained. Minji had a couple of scratches and bite marks here or there, but overall was fine just exhausted.

Minji was also able to land a couple of slashes onto Elkie, which didn’t sit well with Handong even though she knew it was only practice fighting. Handong couldn’t help but want to go over and defend her mate.

When it was Handong’s turn, she made sure that Elkie was quickly healed by Sunmi and waited. She didn’t want her mate running out of energy tonight, so she made sure that Sunmi took good care of her.

Once that was done, the two started their practice match. It was shockingly impressive. The way they knew each other's thoughts and moves before the other could do it showed just how deep the couple’s bond was as they fought carefully.

Every time that one of them would get close to landing a hit or bite, Sunmi would notice them hold back before doing too much damage, and she couldn’t help but think it was cute.

The fight was a stalemate. They couldn’t defeat each other and couldn’t think of anything else to do. It was clear that the girls needed help that Sunmi couldn’t give them. With a sigh, she walked over to her cellphone and dialed a number.

“Hey, are you two close yet? We need your expertise…” Sunmi said into the phone as Chungha walked up with a curious expression. It wasn’t like Sunmi to leave while the girls were practicing.

“ok, yeah, I will let you know when our alpha is back. You are right. I will see you then. Ok, bye.” Sunmi said as she frowned and turned around only to face Chungha.

“what's wrong?” Chungha asked as she looked at her mates worried expression, and the older girl couldn’t help but sigh heavily and slump towards the smaller girl.

“The two I mentioned before are close, which is good. We need to learn what they can teach us, and with them being powerful alpha males, they would be a great help in the fight against this dominant male in the area. But they refuse to come until Siyeon is back. They say its rude of an alpha to approach another’s pack, which I agree with, but I feel like we are running out of time. We may need their help soon…” Sunmi said as she hugged Chungha, who rubbed her back soothingly.

“you are right that we need help, and they are right on choosing to wait. Let's just think positively, ok?” Chungha asked as Sunmi nodded.

“what’s going on here?” a voice asked from behind them, making the two jump. They were too caught up in their moment to realize that Gahyeon had approached with Sol walking beside her and gently holding her hand.

Gahyeon still looked extremely sleepy as she rubbed her eyes with the hand that Sol wasn’t holding. She could tell that they were practicing, but it wasn’t their normal methods and couldn’t help but stare at the ice hall sleepily.

“just practicing what Siyeon told us to. We are at a disadvantage fighting in tight spaces where we can’t shift. So, we are practicing until it becomes natural.” Chungha said as Gahyeon nodded and stretched.

She was feeling extremely exhausted earlier but was starting to feel more awake as the warm sunlight shined on her face. She couldn’t help but feel better as the sun's rays warmed her body.

Sunmi observed this as she noticed the power flowing into the girl as the sunlight gave her strength. It wasn’t even a small amount, but an immense amount of power that the sunlight gave her and soon that power overflowed without the girl knowing as her energy washed over the plants around her strengthening them and making them happy.

Sol liked the tickling feeling that Gahyeon’s power gave him as he giggled and shook happily. The girl looked down at Sol with a confused expression. She liked that he was excited, but for what reason, she was unsure.

As she went to turn around, the girls heard a twig snap and spun around to see what looked like a crazed wolf lunging at Gahyeon with wild eyes.

The girls didn’t have any time to react, but Sol did. Instantly he grew rapidly, causing his pot to split in two as his vines shot towards the wolf and, in an instant, caught him midair. Sol used his vines to quickly pry open the wolf's mouth before he forced a vine down the mad wolf's throat, and in an instant, his thorns grew rapidly as they pierced through his body all the way to the outside.

A soft yelp was heard as sol held the crazed wolf in the air for a couple of extra seconds before withdrawing his thorns and vines as he dropped it.

_‘Eww! Gross!’_ Sol said as he felt the bloody gore on his vines. The sound of the girls shouting had brought the others over, and Handong quickly used her ability to wash the mess off of Sol, causing him to hum happily.

But that quickly changed when he noticed his pot. It was his first gift, and it meant so much to him. It was his greatest treasure. So, to see it in pieces broke his heart.

They had never heard a plant cry before, but it was heart-wrenching as he carefully held the two pieces together only for them to fall apart again. It was his first gift, and he treasured the pot greatly. So, it wasn’t something he was ready to part with any time soon.

“Sol… it's ok. We will get you an even better pot. Ok?” Gahyeon said softly as Dami held her to her chest after checking that Gahyeon was alright.

_‘not the same… this one was special… Sol’s first gift…’_ Sol said in a tiny and soft voice before carefully holding the two pieces together sadly and going inside to look for Elkie’s mother. She always became happy when she saw him, and that made him happy. He needed to feel happy right now.


	47. Chapter 47

-The aftermath-

The girls watched Sol walk away and couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He looked so tiny as he walked away, holding his pot, and no one knew what to say that would comfort him. What do you say to someone in this situation? The girls were unsure and just hoped that Elkie’s mother could help cheer him up.

But the main question was how a wolf got into their territory. As far as they knew, the fence was warded by Sunmi. So that meant that there was a breach in the wall, or there was a new way to get in. Either one wasn’t a good thing.

“Does anyone recognize this wolf?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at the dead wolf's body, but no one knew. But there was someone who might. But before they could ask them for help, the girls needed Siyeon’s permission.

“Dami? I forgot my cell upstairs. Can you bring it? If Siyeon sees that the call is from me, then she may answer it.” Gahyeon said as Dami nodded and trotted off for her phone. It didn’t take long before Dami was back, and Gahyeon was taking pictures of the wolf to send to Siyeon.

“alright… I'm going to try and call Siyeon now…” Gahyeon said as she went and dialed her sister's number and waited. It wasn’t her sister that picked up, though.

“Siyeon’s asleep. You need anything?” Bora asked as she waited for a response, but when she listened to what Gahyeon was saying, she instantly rolled over and tried to wake up her mate.

“Siyeon, babe, wake up!” Bora said as she tried to wake up the sleeping wolf. Siyeon only grumbled and rolled over to snuggle up to Bora, causing the smaller girl to laugh as she held the phone up.

“seriously, Gahyeon said there's trouble!” Bora said, and she finally had her mate’s attention. Siyeon’s eyes popped open, and she sat up quickly, only to groan and lean against Bora. She was utterly exhausted.

It seemed like her heat was winding down, so Siyeon was able to react more normally, but it didn’t help her exhaustion. With a groan, she held onto Bora as she waited for the room to stop spinning and then sat up to look at the phone.

“what's wrong?” Siyeon asked in a sleepy voice that Bora loved. She couldn’t help but smile at Siyeon’s adorable sleepy expression but quickly remembered what they were talking about and handed the phone over to Siyeon.

“Hello?” Siyeon asked and went quiet as Gahyeon explained the situation. Her body tensed as she listened to how close this rogue wolf got and felt like something was off. There shouldn’t be a way for him to get in, but he did, and she needed to know if it was a wolf from town or one of the new visitors.

Once Gahyeon was done explaining the situation and sent the pics of the wolf, Siyeon gave the ok for Gahyeon to message Jinyoung and told her sister to keep her updated.

Once Gahyeon was off the call, she looked up to see everyone gathered around. Handong and Elkie were taking a closer look at the wolf when its paws twitched, causing them to jump back in shock.

“he’s still alive…” Chungha said as she looked at the wolf blankly staring forward. Sol's thorns had slowed the bleeding by slowing the wolf's heartbeat and numbing his pain, but in the process numbed his lungs that were slowly filling with blood. He was slowly suffocating from the paralysis and the blood in his lungs. The girls wondered if the numbness stopped the pain, but judging from the twitching, they thought not.

“I wouldn’t want to go that way…” Chungha said as the others nodded. Yes, the wolf was mad and attacked them, but it looked like an extremely painful and slow death. Just the thought of being unable to move as you struggled for breath made her cringe.

“I wouldn’t either. But I’m grateful for Sol. Without him, Gahyeon would have been injured, and we don’t know how well she is recovering yet.” Sunmi said as Dami nodded and hugged her mate gently.

“I’m fine, seriously!” Gahyeon said with a cute pout as she typed the message and hit send. It didn’t take long before she already had a reply from Jinyoung, and soon, the three were on their way over for a closer look at the wolf and were expected to get there in the next thirty minutes.

“well, while we wait, let's check the perimeter. I don’t like that this wolf got in here. Let’s check the fence and see if we can find a breach somewhere. We will break it up in sections and check, ready?” Sunmi asked, and quickly the others shifted and separated as they looked for a breach in the wall.

Handong found nothing except a couple of low branches that someone could use to get over the fence if they tried hard enough, but this wolf looked like he hadn’t shifted out of his wolf form for a while, so this wasn’t the way that he got in.

Gahyeon’s section was completely fine, and so was Yoohyeon’s, but it was when Minji arrived at her section that they figured out the issue.

Minji looked at the remnants of the fence with a worried expression. This was obviously done a long time ago, but no one was crazy enough to go on this mountain for years. She slowly walked around and examined the wall when she noticed something interesting.

There were scratch marks on the exterior of the wall. As Minji gently touched them with her hand, she could tell that it was old. The damage was done years ago, but how many she was unsure. But the size of the scratches made her think that whatever did it was very large.

Minji quickly shifted into her cat form and tried to match the claw marks, but her paws were not large enough. This worried her, and quickly she asked for Handong’s help. As the largest shifter, if Handong’s paws were too small for whatever did this, then there was an issue.

Of course, the damage to the wall was old, but the scratches in the soil around it were not, and the two marks matched. This meant that the damage was old, but what did it was still around.

It took only a couple of minutes for Handong to show up with the others, but when they arrived, Sunmi looked at the wall in shock. The section of the wall here was half stone, and the top was metal. But something had clawed their way through the stone, leaving the metal above it intact.

Because there was still a connection with the metal at the top, her spells didn’t alert her that there was a breach. She hoped that whatever did this wasn’t smart enough to do this on purpose, or they may have a situation on their hands.

“Handong? Can you shift and try to see if the claw marks are larger than yours or the same size?” Minji asked, and quickly Handong shifted and clawed the ground near the other mark, and everyone walked over for a closer look.

There was definitely a size difference, as well as a difference in the deepness of the marks. Whatever did this was large and had strong claws. It was able to claw its way through Solid stone and leave the top fence intact, so at least they had a possible height of this creature, but it wasn’t much to go on.

“Sunmi? Is there anything in this area that could have done this?” Minji asked as she looked at her friends, worried expression.

Sunmi didn’t know how to answer this. There were several rare creatures that used to live on this mountain before the humans started hunting them for trophies. But now there was nothing left, or so she thought. This clearly showed that something large and strong wanted on the other side of the fence. Off the top of her head though, she couldn’t think of what it could be.

There used to be large creatures that resembled a mix of a bear and a wolf as well as other creatures, but she wondered if it was even possible to sustain a population of them with how dead the forest had become.

“Maybe that’s why it broke through the wall…” Sunmi said to herself as she looked around and spotted something strange.

“Minji? did you walk over here?” Sunmi asked, but the vampire shook her head. She had only walked around the damaged side, not there.

“is that footprints? Human footprints?” Gahyeon asked as she knelt down and gently touched her hand to the soil. The soft grass around it told her that someone comes by here two to three times a day and that they try not to hurt the plants around them.

Gahyeon couldn’t help but feel slightly better. At least they have a kind side. She just hopes that whoever this is isn’t hostile.

“Dami? Can you summon some stones to block the path here? I want to see how easily this thing can move them.” Sunmi said as Dami carefully shifted the stones around her until the hole in the wall was filled with strong stones that no one could move easily by themselves.

“that should be good for now. We need to head up front just in case Jinyoung has arrived.” Sunmi said as the others nodded and quickly ran back to the house. They made it just in time. As they arrived at the front, they got a message from Jinyoung telling them that he had just parked with the others.

“I will quickly bring him back here, and then we will go take a closer look at our rogue wolf,” Sunmi said as she opened the gate and disappeared down the foggy path. It wasn’t long before she was spotted heading back with the three boys. And one of them seemed to be carrying something large.

“Sorry, it took so long. We were looking for something large enough to put that wolf in.” Yugyeom said as he held up a large tarp that was bound with rope. Obviously, they had a plan for the body, and the girls probably didn’t want to know about it.

“I asked around town, and only one wolf fits the description. We will know if we check a specific pattern that is supposed to be on the other side, but we didn’t want you to have to clean up that mess.” Jinyoung said as the girls led him to the wolf's body.

It was finally truly dead now. Blood and other liquids were now draining from all of the puncture wounds that sols thorns caused. It made a gruesome picture, and Minji couldn’t help but scrunch her nose in disgust at the sights and smells around it.

“Youngjae, can you help me flip him?” Jinyoung asked before looking back at his friend and laughing. The younger wolf was known for his sense of smell, and this was killing him. Jinyoung looked back to him, covering his face with his shirt and shaking his head adamantly. He absolutely refused to walk closer to that noxious smell.

“Yugyeom?” Jinyoung asked, and the youngest walked over and helped Jinyoung flip the body. Just like the person described, there was a specific pattern on the wolf's fur. Easily identifying it as a wolf that went missing for over a year ago.

Jinyoung sighed as he leaned back and looked up at the girls. This would be hard to explain. The case itself was weird when he heard it, and to explain it would be difficult.

“this wolf went missing a couple of years ago. But before he went missing, he went mad. From what no one knows but it looks like he was living in the woods like an animal if he attacked people like you said…” Jinyoung said as he looked up at Minji with a worried expression.

“I suspect he was used as a lab rat by Jackson when he was trying to perfect that drug, and that is what drove this wolf mad, but we have no proof…” Jinyoung said as he sadly rested his hand on the wolf's still head. If this was true, then it wasn’t his fault he behaved the way he did.

He should have been taken care of by those that cared for him and not running wild through the woods. But there was nothing that could be done now.

At least the family now knows what happened to their loved one. It wasn’t good news, but at least it was something. It was better than sitting around, never knowing.

“help me get him on the tarp,” Jinyoung said as his friend helped him, and soon it was wrapped up and tied tightly. They came here instead of just telling the girls to flip the wolf over for closure for the family luckily because he was indeed the missing wolf.

“it looks like the scars Jackson cause are now starting to appear. I'm sure we will see and hear more now that he's gone. People were too scared to talk about it before, but now that he's gone, things are starting to be said. If the talk is true, he's an even worse person than I thought…” Jinyoung said as the girls looked at his shoulders slump in defeat.

You could still tell that he blamed himself for the chaos that Jackson caused. He was helpless to stop it, but that didn’t mean he didn’t blame himself.

Sunmi and the others didn’t mention how the wolf got in, and the boys didn’t ask. After they were done, they walked back to their car and loaded the wolf's body into it and went to leave when Gahyeon stopped them.

“can I ask you all a favor?” Gahyeon asked as the three nodded. They owed Gahyeon greatly after failing to protect her and would have no problem helping her with whatever problem she faced.

“I need you to cheer up Sol. He is depressed… he protected me from the wolf, and his first pot broke. He's devastated and needs a distraction… please?” Gahyeon asked.

Yugyeom looked over at Jinyoung pleadingly as he laughed and agreed. The three slowly made the walk back to the house, and once they locked the gate behind them securely, Gahyeon headed inside the house as she led them to Sol who was pouting in the living room.

“it’s ok, Sol. The glue may not have worked, but there are other methods…” Elkie’s mother said as she looked at the sulking plant that was whining unhappily. She had obviously tried several methods of repair, and nothing was working to sols dismay.

“Sol? Look who’s here!” Gahyeon said as the plant slowly turned around to find the three jumpy wolves. He lit up when he saw him, but when his pot fell apart for the millionth time, Sol wept loudly. He wasn’t handling this well at all.

“Sol, what's wrong?” Yugyeom asked as Sol wept loudly and pointed at his broken pot. Yugyeom frowned as he thought of ways to fix his broken pot but thought of none and pouted.

“what if we get you a new one?” Yugyeom asked, but Sol shook sadly as he let out a soft _‘no’_ to Sol. It wasn’t the same. It wasn’t his first gift from the girls. That gift also represented his new life with the girls, and it was irreplaceable.

_‘not same. Was my first gift…’_ Sol said as the three boys looked at each other with worried expressions. They didn’t know what to do and felt helpless.

“well, do you really need the pot? Gahyeon’s ability allows plants to live outside the soil, right? Just lose the soil and move freely.” Youngjae said as Sol balked at the statement.

_‘Sol would be naked!’_ the plant said as the girls laughed at his horrified reaction. He couldn’t go around in a house of all girls naked. It was just wrong showing off his pale roots to the girls.

_‘you dirty…’_ Sol said with a hint of disgust as Youngjae looked at him in shock. He pointed at himself as if to ask, ‘who? Me?’ and looked at the others who could only laugh at the situation. Sol was being his same adorable self.

“well, if we give you a pot, it would be your first gift from us. Would that make it special to you?” Yugyeom asked as he watched Sol pause and think for a second.

_‘not same… but would like it!’_ Sol said happily as the three looked at the boys happily. They liked that they could help cheer up the adorable plant, but they now knew that those thorns were more deadly than they initially thought. Upsetting Sol was a bad idea.

The three were planning on what to bring the girls for Sol to try when they all heard a massive crash. Everyone jumped and looked around for the noise but couldn’t see anything right away. But Sunmi suspected that it was whatever broke through their wall.

“what the hell was that?” the boys asked as the girls shrugged and stripped to the horror to the boys. They were not expected for that sight when they looked over.

“We had something break our wall earlier, and this may be it,” Sunmi said as everyone looked over worriedly. Whatever it was, it sounded strong and powerful. They might need the boys help for this if it went hostile.

“mind helping us look?” Minji asked as the three quickly stripped to help this time, causing shrieks of horror from the girls before both groups were outside and shifting as they ran in the direction of the noise.

When they got there, the stones were gone and smashed into smaller pieces and were strewn around. It also showed large pawprints all around. Clearly, the new roadblock didn’t sit well with the animal.

“These footprints look like a mix of a bear and something else…” Yugyeom said as he knelt down and looked at the prints carefully. They were definitely part bear, the way the pawprints were shaped showed him that. He just hoped that they wouldn’t be extremely hostile.

Let's go!” Dami shouted as she led the two packs towards the house and found a massive bear-like creature carefully turning around slowly while looking guilty as it held the food scraps that Sunmi would leave out for the various animals. It now made sense why this creature was breaking in. It was for food.

“um… hi?” Minji said as the large animal leaned farther back to make itself look larger and roared.

“oh, fuck…” Dami said aloud as she watched this creature prepare to charge them. This wasn’t how she expected this day to go, but she could deal with it. What she couldn’t deal with was the sheer size of the angry animal at them.

It looked like a mix of a bear and a wolf, and the girls couldn’t help but feel threatened. Quickly Dami tried to make contact with the animal, hoping that they could be talked down, but instead, she only heard sounds and expressions that an animal would do.

“is this animal a shifter or not? I keep getting that feeling, but I can't make contact…” Dami said as the bear-like creature roared and charged the two groups.


	48. Chapter 48

-The First Encounter-

When the bear-like creature charged the girls, jinyoung and the others quickly ran up beside them, spreading out trying to intimidate it. When it saw their numbers, it halted its charge and looked nervous.

Dami and the others didn’t know what to think as they looked at the large and confused creature when it stood on its hind legs and roared. The young hybrid didn’t know what to do, but if it charged them, she wouldn’t hesitate to protect the pack. But the animal's roar brought someone running.

_‘WAIT! FRIEND!’_ Sol shouted as he ran as fast as his vines could carry him. Dami and Gahyeon froze as they looked at Sol running and quickly standing between the giant bear and the others. What was even more shocking was the soft noise that the bear made when it saw Sol.

That was when Gahyeon remembered what the plants around the broken wall said. This creature was extremely gentle and didn’t want to hurt even the plants if it could help it. The only reason that it was probably acting like this was because it was scared.

_‘Sol, we don’t want to hurt it. We were just startled when it roared at us.’_ Gahyeon reassured, but Sol was shaking nervously. He didn’t want his friend to get hurt. The large bear noticed his nerves, and slowly, it walked over and rubbed against Sol. His thorns seemed to have no effect on the giant bear, and Sol hummed happily.

_‘her. Not it. And friend. she is scared and hungry.’_ Sol said as something clicked with Sunmi. The fox stepped forward to look at Sol and the mystery bear closer.

_‘Sol, is this the reason you have been taking our leftovers? THIS is the animal you have been feeding?’_ Sunmi asked as Sol nodded vigorously, causing his thorns to tink together. The sound seemed to amuse the large bear as she sat back and turned her head to the side and watched him.

_‘she is hungry. Not mean. Just scared.’_ Sol said as he reached a thornless vine out to rub between the bear's ears. A happy sound came from the bear as she closed her eyes happily and huffed.

The girls didn’t know what to do. They needed to fix the wall, but they knew that they couldn’t stop this large creature from entering their yard. Dami was unsure of what to do when she witnessed something that shocked her.

The bear shifted, and soon they were now staring at a tall girl that sat happily beside Sol. Her long black hair was messy, and she looked utterly wild, but it didn’t seem to matter to Sol as he continued to pet the girl.

_‘I knew it. I had the feeling that she was a shifter, but this girl doesn’t seem to understand words at all…’_ Dami thought as she looked at the girl. Quickly Dami looked to Sunmi, who was examining the girl from afar, and soon, her eyes went wide.

_‘I know what she is…’_ Sunmi said as everyone, including the boys, looked over to her. They all looked at her with great interest, and she couldn’t help but laugh. This was going to be interesting to explain, and she didn’t know where to start, but as she looked at Sol, she knew that this girl was indeed what she thought.

_‘she is from a group of very old shifters. Some of them preferred their bear forms and would live as bears, while some would choose to live as humans and would only shift occasionally. They were not large in numbers, but they did live on this mountain many many years ago.’_ Sunmi said as she watched the girl happily play with Sol.

_‘the two groups soon separated and only the ones that wanted to live as bears remained, but humans decided to hunt them. Unlike regular bears, they were not as aggressive and would choose to run rather than fight. But would stand their ground and fight viciously to protect their family. I thought that humans had chased or killed the last ones off hundreds of years ago…’_ Sunmi said as she shifted back and looked at the girl before her.

The girl looked up and seemed to recognize her as she smiled and looked back at Sol. She must have watched the fox from afar. What was odd was that even though her size in bear form was large, she was hard to sense. It must have been how she remained hidden for so long.

_‘I think my mist protected her from the humans… that’s why she has stayed close. My mist protects her from humans and wolves alike. It’s the perfect place for her to hide. Especially when I can’t sense her, she must be almost invisible in the mist.’_ Sunmi said as she walked off towards the house only to return shortly with a basket of food.

She wasn’t sure what the girl would like best, so she cragged meats fruits and veggies as well as all kinds of foods that the girl could choose from. But as she walked up to the girl, the bear girl tensed. She was still nervous, but Sol hummed softly as he petted the girl's head, slowly calming her nerves.

The girl looked up nervously as she was handed the basket, and soon her eyes widened as she looked into the basket. A goofy smile crossed her face as she dug into the food.

Sunmi noticed that the girl carefully chose what food she wanted to eat and seemed ecstatic at the choices that Sunmi made. What made the girl the happiest was when she found a small container of mixed berries. They were quickly devoured, and the container was left neatly set to the side.

_‘well, she knows how to open things easily, but bears are naturally curious. I wonder if she chose to live like this or was made to. They normally don’t go anywhere alone. Sol? Have you ever seen her with others like her?’_ Sunmi asked, but Sol shook like he was shaking his head if he had one.

_‘no one. Always alone and lonely. Very happy to see me every day.’_ Sol said as he looked over at the girl, and Gahyeon could feel the happiness radiating off of him. It was like he was a proud pet owner. This was definitely a weird situation. A plant with a pet girl.

_‘well, what do we do now?’_ Dami asked Sunmi, but the fox could only shrug. Even she was stumped on what to do. But what she did notice is that even in the girl's human form, Sol's thorns didn’t seem to bother her.

_‘I wonder if she is just immune to most things. That probably includes the walls spells. They are meant to hurt someone who tries to climb or damage the wall, but she managed to get through it…’_ Sunmi said when suddenly Handong remembered something.

_‘I think we can fix the wall, and she can safely come over it if she really is immune to the walls spells.’_ Handong said as she showed the images of the low branches over the fence. The spells would stop an ordinary person from getting over, but if she was really immune, it would be a way for the girl to come over for food and leave while leaving the wall intact to protect the girls.

Sunmi liked the idea. Clearly, this girl was harmless and was only hungry. So, they didn’t mind her coming for food. But they needed the wall fixed.

After the girl ate, Sunmi and Dami managed to get the girl to follow them to where Handong showed them images of the low hanging branches.

The girl looked over at them with a confused expression when Dami shifted back into her human form and showed the girl how to climb over easily.

The girl's eyes went wide excitedly, and she quickly followed Dami. They were now standing on the other side. Once more, Dami showed her, but this time from the other side, and it seemed like the girl understood what she was wanting.

She sent a mental image to Dami, catching her off guard. It was of this girl, and she was refusing to walk through the hole in the wall and instead climbed the branches.

Dami’s eyes went wide as she nodded with a smile. The girl was smart. She just wasn’t taught how to speak like they were. This girl really intrigued Dami, and she wondered what else she could learn.

As the two climbed back over the wall to the outside, they froze. Dami could faintly hear someone calling someone's name. She couldn’t make out what it was, but the bear girl looked up excitedly and ran in the direction of the voice.

_‘well… obviously, she's not the only one that roams this forest…’_ Dami thought as she climbed back over the fence to look at the others.

“she’s gone. Someone was in the woods calling someone's name, and she ran off with a goofy grin. Maybe she isn’t alone after all.” Dami said, but Sol shook in disagreement.

_‘something makes her happy last couple days. But before she was lonely.’_ Sol said as they looked over the fence. They wondered who this person was that seemed to cause the bear such happiness so quickly.

“Should we go looking for them?” Handong asked, but Sunmi just shook her head. The bear had always come alone, and she felt that whoever she was now with, they also wouldn’t be a danger to them.

“I don’t think she will harm us. Same with whoever she is with. Her kind doesn’t trust easily and are drawn to kindhearted people. Right now, let's try to fix the wall again, and then we can see the boys off. Sound good?” Sunmi asked as everyone nodded.

“ok, let's get going so that we don’t disturb the girls any longer,” Jinyoung said as he smiled, and soon everyone was waving goodbye to the three as they walked down the mist-covered path.

Once the boys were gone, they walked inside to shockingly see Siyeon and Bora in the living room. They were curled up sleeping on the sofa, and the girls couldn’t help but smile. It was nice to see their alpha up and about. Or, in this case, comfortable and resting.

_‘it must be winding down if she's able to be out like this. Let's be careful not to wake her and help Sunmi fix some food. We skipped lunch.’_ Yoohyeon said as everyone tried to walk by carefully, but Siyeon yawned and stretched as she spotted her pack, trying to be careful not to wake her. Siyeon smiled happily as she looked at them.

“Miss me?” Siyeon teased sleepily as everyone nodded vigorously. It just wasn’t the same without Siyeon there.

Once she was fully awake, Siyeon carefully got up, leaving Bora to rest on the couch and walked into the kitchen to be filled in by the others.

“a fucking bear? Really?” Siyeon asked as she leaned back in her chair in shock. The girls nodded as Dami shared her memories. Siyeon’s jaw dropped as she saw the images of the bear rearing and roaring loudly. It was really a sight to see, and she wished that she was there to see it. 

“so, this girl doesn’t even know how to speak?” Siyeon asked as Dami nodded.

_‘she is nice. Doesn’t hurt plants.’_ Sol said happily as he walked around the table, positioning himself so that he could blind Handong with his spoon again as the vampire sighed, knowing the routine.

“she also learned really fast. I only had to show her how to get over the wall once, and she understood I was showing her how to get in. her way of showing me was basic because she doesn’t know another way to do it, but she is a quick learner.” Dami said as Gahyeon smiled at her mate.

She knew that Dami was interested in the girl because she reminds her of herself when she was younger and couldn’t help but smile. Gahyeon remembered how she talked privately to her about it when she climbed back over the wall.

“so, she will be coming back? Sol, how often does she come here for food?” Siyeon asked as the plant paused his blinding and set the spoon on the table for a minute to think.

_‘Two to three times a day. Did I say that, right?’_ Sol asked as he looked to Dami. She had been teaching him his numbers, and she smiled proudly as she nodded. Sol seemed very excited to be right and hummed happily.

“so, what do we do?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Sunmi. The fox only shrugged as she set some food on the table.

“I just figured we would cook for one more person,” Sunmi said as Siyeon shook her head. Of course, Sunmi would just plan to feed the new girl, and Siyeon wasn’t against the idea, she just found it funny.

They ate dinner as they caught Siyeon up on everything that she missed, and soon it felt like normal as they all piled into the living room and watched tv. But Sol seemed nervous. Someone was missing, and it bothered him.

_‘Elkie? Where is your mother?’_ Sol asked as she looked at him and smiled sadly.

“it’s the anniversary of my real father's death. I think she is just staying by herself. It’s the first time she can finally mourn him.” Elkie said as Sol nodded in understanding, but he felt sad. He didn’t think she should be alone during this time and quietly snuck off to find her.

Whatever Sol did, he seemed to cheer the wolf up, and soon he escorted her up front with the others. They smiled as she joined them and tried not to ask her how she was doing for fear of making her mood darken again.

Once everyone was getting tired, they went to go to bed when Siyeon’s cell phone rang. She looked at the number and froze. It was her father. She wanted to call him, but everything had distracted her, and she feared that he might be mad at her for not calling. She knew he had to have been the one to clean up the mess they made at the warehouse.

“shit… he probably smelled your blood at the warehouse…” Siyeon said as she looked at Gahyeon. Everyone's eyes widened as Siyeon nervously answered the phone. She winced as she held the phone farther away from her ear and looked at it nervously. Alpha or not, it still was unpleasant to be yelled at by your parents.

Siyeon listened patiently as she heard her father completely stressed out about the events of the warehouse, and as she feared, he recognized his daughter's blood right away. Maybe she should have talked to him sooner. He seemed to think that Gahyeon was dead.

“wait. Wait! Hold on! Someone wants to talk to you!” Siyeon said as she quickly handed the phone over to her sister, who nervously said hi.

There was a sudden silence on the other end, and finally, they heard a sigh of relief before the barrage of questions began again. Gahyeon could barely answer one before another was launched at her. After a short time, he decided that he needed to visit his girls, and Sunmi quickly took the phone and gave him directions.

Mr. Lee was going to arrive first thing in the morning, and the news made Dami a complete mess. She worried that he would hate her. She already failed at protecting Gahyeon once, and he may never forgive her.

“you don’t have to worry. He will love you. what happened to me isn’t your fault… besides, you met him before when we picked up our stuff.” Gahyeon said as she gently rubbed Dami’s back, but it still couldn’t calm her down.

“yes, but at that time, I wasn’t being introduced as your mate…” Dami said as she paled as her nerves got the better of her. It was always nerve-wracking to meet your girlfriend's parents, but when he finds out, his daughter has already died once it may not go well.

That night Gahyeon tried to comfort her mate, but it was extremely difficult, and in the end, Dami held Gahyeon as she slept while she stressed about meeting her parents in the morning.

Once morning came, Dami and the others nervously waited in the living room while the two sisters felt both excited and afraid at the same time. They really missed their parents, but at the same time, it was going to be interesting explaining what all happened at that warehouse.

It didn’t take long for Siyeon to receive a text telling them that her parents were on the way, and soon everyone was filled with nervous energy as they busied themselves with cleaning.

Sol didn’t know what was going on, but he could tell that everyone was nervous and tried to help. As Handong and Elkie attempted to fold a blanket that usually was draped over the couch, Sol helped causing the two to smile in appreciation.

Everyone froze mid cleaning when a second message arrived announcing that they were now here. Siyeon’s eyes went wide as her nerves got worse, but she quickly dragged Gahyeon out of the door as they went to walk their parents up to the house.

Siyeon and Gahyeon were walking down the path when they spotted their father's police car and smiled. It felt like years since they had seen him when it had been much shorter. He was standing by the passenger door, looking extremely nervous as he waited for his daughters.

A gasp was heard from the passenger side of the door causing him to spin around as he spotted his daughters. His shoulders slumped in relief as he looked at Gahyeon. From the amount of her blood in the field, he was sure that they lost her. It was just too much blood to recover from. Or so he thought, but there was his youngest daughter smiling at him with the same sweet expression she always had.

“um… hey dad… I told you we were ok.” Siyeon said nervously as her father scowled at her teasingly before running up to hug them tightly. But to his shock, he could smell that Gahyeon’s scent had changed. He quickly leaned back to look at his youngest and raised a brow with a smirk.

“Did someone find their mate?” he asked as Gahyeon blushed a vivid shade of red and nodded softly. He couldn’t help but laugh as he hugged her again and turned around to see his wife exiting the car with tears in her eyes. She, too, was worried about them.

“We were waiting for you to message us, but we just couldn’t wait any longer…” she said as her two daughters looked at her guiltily.

“We are sorry. I wasn’t in the best condition after, and Siyeon went into heat, and it just ended.” Gahyeon said as her parents quickly looked to Siyeon to verify. Her blush told them that it was true, and they couldn’t help but laugh and feel relieved.

“so, you and Bora are now fully bonded?” her father asked as the turned even redder and nodded. But she wasn’t going to be the only one embarrassed as she flicked her thumb at her younger sister and smiled.

“her too.” She said as Gahyeon’s eyes widened in shock, and she glared at her sister. Her parents couldn’t help but smile. It hadn't been long since they had seen each other, but the two girls seemed to have grown so much.

Though Siyeon was acting silly with them, they could see and feel her coming into her alpha aura and were impressed with its strength. She stood straighter and prouder than when she was living with them. They couldn’t help but feel proud, and Gahyeon also seemed to mature drastically. Not just in her behavior either.

Gahyeon had lost her baby cheeks and was now looking more like a woman than she did the last time they saw her, and they weren't ready for her to grow up yet. She would always be their baby even if she wasn’t truly their daughter.

“well, are you ready to meet everyone? Dami is a nervous wreck.” Siyeon said as Gahyeon glared at her.

“Dami? As in the one that Gahyeon would always squeal about?” her mother asked as Siyeon snorted and nodded.

“They turned out to be mates. Dami is almost like Bora Minji and Handong’s child. Even though they are close in age, the three raised her. Dami is insanely smart and is also one of the strongest in my pack.” Siyeon said as her parents watched how proud Siyeon seemed to be as she talked about Dami. Clearly, the girl was important to the pack as well as to Gahyeon, so they were very excited to meet the girl.

“oh, she is also a hybrid like Gahyeon. Perfect match, huh?” Siyeon said as her father laughed and nodded.

“It really is. I can't wait to meet her.” Mr. Lee said as Siyeon got a mischievous look on her face that Gahyeon didn’t like.

“you will love her. And their son too. His name is Sol.” Siyeon said as Gahyeon stumbled in shock. The plants around her quickly caught her before she hit the ground, and it didn’t go unnoticed to her parents as they exchanged a nervous look. They had never seen plants act like that before, and it was a little unnerving.

“thank you…” Gahyeon mumbled to the plants as they returned to their normal positions, humming happily.

“if that makes you nervous, you have no idea what you are in for…” Siyeon said as she looked at her father, who gulped nervously. He didn’t like the evil grin on his daughter's face. She definitely seemed to be enjoying this.

“We are here! Gahyeon shouted as the gate came into view, and her parents couldn’t help but gasp at the beautiful house. Siyeon’s mother seemed to fall in love with it as she looked over the yard as they walked inside as the gate closed loudly behind them.

“Sunmi decided to cook everyone breakfast and made sure that there is enough for you. She was worried that you would be too nervous to eat.” Siyeon said as she led them to the door and turned around.

“well, here we are… are you ready?” Siyeon asked as her father nodded. Siyeon swung the door open, showing a very nervous group of people waiting to greet them.

Dami looked at them with a panicked wide-eyed expression as she mumbled something quickly and bowed. Sol couldn’t help but worry for her and gently took the nervous wolf's hand. Dami smiled as she looked down at him and sighed as she straightened and looked at Mr. and Ms. Lee.

“Nice to meet you. I am Gahyeon’s mate Dami. And this is Sol.” Dami said as Gahyeon smiled proudly at her mate.

“wait… is your child a plant? A living plant?” Mr. Lee said as Siyeon struggled to keep herself from laughing.

‘hi!’ sol said as Mr. lee looked over to Siyeon.

“a TALKING plant?” he asked as Siyeon nodded as she erupted in laughter at her father's expression.


	49. Chapter 49

-Reunion-

Mr. Lee just stood there in shock as he looked at the two in front of him. He was happy to see Dami again though he didn’t get a chance to talk to her much the first time they met he could tell that she was now much more confident than she was in the beginning.

“This is Sol. He is the reason Gahyeon is still alive. He, as well as all of the plants around her, sacrificed their lives for her.” Dami said as Mr. Lee looked at Sol carefully. He could tell that Sol was thinking and observing him carefully.

“Sol, this is Siyeon’s father,” Dami said as Sol looked startled at the news before slowly walking over. He was trying not to startle the man and gently extended a thornless vine and wrapped it around Mr. Lee's hand.

‘hi! I'm Sol!’ the happy plant said as he shook Mr. Lee's hand vigorously. The man was shocked by his strength and couldn’t help but smile. He looked back to Ms. Lee, and she too smiled at Sol.

“if he sacrificed his life, how is he still here?” Mr. Lee asked as he looked at Sol with a curious expression. It was a question that the girls were still debating about, so Sunmi stepped forward to explain.

“he was far away. When he was trying to give the last of his life essence, the path for it to travel was too far, and the connection broke. But not without mixing their energies together. We think it’s why he seems so much like a human, but Gahyeon said that he felt special even from a seed.” Sunmi said as she smiled and bowed.

“you are the fox that is rumored to live on the cursed mountain. I'm glad to see that such a strong person is helping guide everyone.” Mr. Lee said as Siyeon rolled her eyes. She wasn’t sure if she had told her parents that she was the alpha and didn’t know if now was the right time to tell them this. After all, she always said she wouldn’t want to lead.

“Actually, I am just a regular member of this pack with my mate. Your daughter is the one who is leading us.” Sunmi said as Siyeon winced internally. She was imagining all of the comments her parents were silently thinking of to say to her later.

“so, my one daughter died and was brought back by a plant that now seems connected to her somehow. And my other daughter wiped out the largest pack in the area as well as a rogue pack from china at the same time?” Mr. Lee said as the group nodded but not before Dami looked at Gahyeon with a worried expression. She didn’t like talking about Gahyeon’s death. It wasn’t easy for either of the two, and it made Dami nervous about being apart from her.

Gahyeon picked up on Dami’s stress right away and quickly went to her. The younger girl wrapped her arms around Dami as the older girl let out a small sigh of relief as she leaned into the embrace. It didn’t go unnoticed by Gahyeon’s parents, and they couldn’t help but smile.

“so, what happened? how did this happen to Gahyeon?” Mr. Lee asked as everyone visibly tensed. It was a bad memory for all of them.

“it’s a long story, but we went to fight Jackson after they kidnapped Gahyeon. We split into two groups, and that was when we took out Jackson. As soon as we could, we tracked down Gahyeon, but as soon as he saw us, he…” Yoohyeon hesitated as she looked over to Gahyeon and Dami.

She could see that it was still affecting the girls just to talk about this. They now knew that Gahyeon was having nightmares when Dami or Sol wasn’t with her while Dami still stressed being separated from her mate.

“it's alright. You can say it…” Gahyeon said as she tucked herself against Dami for support.

“they sliced her throat as soon as they saw us. We didn’t have any time to do anything…” Yoohyeon said as Mr. and Ms. Lee looked at everyone in shock.

He knew that judging by the amount of blood that it would have been bad, but what was the point of all of this if they killed their bargaining chip? It made no sense to him.

“Why?” was all he could get out before looking over at his daughter as she clung to Dami. The older girl was trying to soothe his daughter, and even though he didn’t like that his daughter was killed. He couldn’t help but admit that it wasn’t anyone's fault, and Dami clearly was madly in love with Gahyeon.

“ok, so Sol here… what about him?” Mr. Lee asked as he looked down at the happy plant. Sol was still holding his hand to comfort him, but judging from his wife's snickering, the plant was also doing something else.

“Sol! Don’t pick his pockets!” Gahyeon said with a laugh. Sol was indeed using a thin thornless vine to reach into his pocket and find something interesting to give to Gahyeon.

“and where did you learn that?” Mr. Lee asked. He tried to sound firm, but he couldn’t help but laugh as Sol snatched his car keys out of his pocket and ran over to Gahyeon to present his prize.

“yes, it's beautiful and shiny…” Gahyeon said as she smiled at Sol and quickly pocketed the keys while looking at her father, apologetically. He could tell that Sol was very proud of his gift, and Gahyeon didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Even though it was weird to think of a plant having feelings, he quietly winked at his daughter and looked over to Siyeon.

“so, you are an alpha now, huh?” he teased as Siyeon sighed and nodded. She knew that this was coming and braced herself for the jokes. But they never came.

“I'm proud of you. All of you. The number of dead wolves we had to clean up was insane. But some of the damage was hard to explain. Mind telling me what did that?” he asked as the girls looked at each other with a confused expression.

“what damage?” Yoohyeon said when he pulled out photos of some of the wolves that the vampires had taken care of. The deep slash marks, as well as the crushing blows, left a bloody mess for his team to clean up, and he still couldn’t figure out how wolves could do such damage.

“ahh! Minji and the other vampires did this!” Yoohyeon said as she glanced at the photos. Mr. Lee looked over to Siyeon for conformation, and she only nodded.

“We can show you after breakfast if you like. I know you must be hungry.” Minji said as she looked at Sunmi, who nodded. Breakfast was ready, and they had enough chairs set out for everyone.

“ok. That sounds amazing!” Ms. Lee said as she smelled all the amazing dishes and couldn’t help but get excited about the food. It smelled so amazing that the two couldn’t help their stomachs from growling, and soon they were led into the kitchen where Sunmi served breakfast.

It wasn’t long though before Sol perked up and instantly looked over to the others.

“can friend join?” Sol asked as he looked at the girls. They automatically looked at Siyeon, who thought for a second.

“This bear girl from yesterday?” Siyeon asked as Sol nodded happily. Siyeon couldn’t think of a reason to say no, and she was also curious to see the new shifter that made herself known, so she agreed.

Sol instantly hopped up as he ran out the back door, almost dropping the two halves of his pot in the process. A couple of minutes later, Sol walked in with the girl in question walking beside him happily as he led her to the food.

“Welcome!” Siyeon said as the girl looked up and looked a little nervous. But when Siyeon smiled, she felt slightly better. The girl didn’t sense any hostility from the girls in front of her and with Sol holding her hand happily. She decided to trust him. She was extremely hungry, after all.

“why is she still naked and not saying anything?” Mr. Lee asked as he avoided looking at the girl to his wife's amusement. She knew he was avoiding looking at the girl so that she wouldn’t feel upset, and she thought it was cute.

“she was completely wild. She doesn’t know how to speak yet.” Dami said as she smiled and looked at the girl before her and stood while grabbing a plate of food on the way up.

“Sol? Can you help me? I want to try and get her into some clothes.” Dami asked as Sol excitedly stood up and led his friend into a room. They heard annoyed huffs from the girl, but after a couple of minutes, she walked out of the room fully clothed while munching what was left on the plate Dami brought with her.

“I think she needs a lot of food compared to the rest of us. Her form is so much larger than ours.” Dami said as the others nodded in understanding. It would have to take a lot of energy to fuel such a large body, and with the girl traveling in her bear form most of the time, it must be extremely tiring.

“ready for food?” Dami asked as the girl looked up excitedly. She already learned what food meant.

“is that a yes?” Dami asked as the girl nodded and surprised everyone.

“food!” she said as she smiled sweetly at everyone. It was clear that she was not one to speak, and her voice was clearly unused. This meant that she learned the word recently and was already able to repeat it.

“yes. Food. Come sit over here.” Sunmi said as she stood up and waved the girl over to take a seat.

Once the girl was seated, Sunmi brought over a clean plate and helped load it full of food as the girl looked at it excitedly. But to their shock, when she went to eat, she looked at the others and noticed that they were holding their food not with their hands and quickly looked around for a set of her own.

Sunmi was amazed by how smart the girl was and quickly brought over some utensils. As soon as she handed them to the girl, she promptly mimicked the others.

Mr. Lee quickly started eating again so that she could see how he used them, and to everyone's amazement, she quickly learned how to use them. It wasn’t perfect. But for someone just picking them up for the first time, it was amazing.

“well… he said as he watched her try to spear some food, and after a couple of attempts, she was successful as a proud smile crossed her face.

Ms. Lee automatically praised the girl getting another smile from her as she looked down at the food and quickly continued eating.

“I don’t know what her past is, but this girl is a fast learner.” Mr. Lee said as he smiled at her. It was now safe for him to look at her now that she was fully clothed, and he looked over her face carefully. She didn’t look like any girl that went missing over the years, so she was a complete mystery to him.

Once they were done with the food, the girl looked at the leftovers with a pleading expression. Quickly Sunmi walked over to the counter and brought over a container where she stored the food and handed it over to the girl.

Once she had the container in her hands, the girl stood up and ran out the back door and off towards where Dami showed her how to get in.

The others couldn’t help but wonder about the girl but were quickly brought back to what they were originally talking about when Handong sighed and walked towards the back door.

“well, if you want to know how we did the damage that we did… follow me.” Handong said as she walked out the door while Mr. Lee looked at Siyeon with a worried look.

“just be prepared to be shocked…” Siyeon said as Bora hopped up and clung to her arm as they walked out the back door.

“hmm… if this is even more shocking than my grandchild being a talking plant, then I may just have a heart attack…” Mr. Lee said as his wife chuckled and walked with him out back.

“ready?” Handong asked as she started undressing, causing Mr. Lee to look away. He was utterly shocked at her behavior, but when he felt the air shift around him, signaling someone shifting, he quickly spun around and was met with large tiger eyes staring at him. He couldn’t think of what to do, but moving wasn’t one of them.

“This is what happened to the vampires that joined our pack. So much power caused them to change.” Siyeon said as Elkie walked over to Handong and snuggled into her neck. She loved how Handong would purr. The deep rumble emitted from her chest relaxed Elkie as she smiled and held her mate.

“so, they can turn into tigers?” Mr. Lee asked as Minji and Bora laughed.

“no. We believe each family seems to have a type of large cat that they can shift into. We can't test it yet because each girl is from a different family, but you never know.” Sunmi said as she looked at Handong.

“so, each girl can shift like this? what about Gahyeon or Dami?” Mr. Lee asked as the girls paused. They never thought about it. But both of them had vampire in them. If there was enough vampire blood, they might be able to pull up qualities of their feline forms, but they always thought of themselves as wolves that they never even thought of trying.

“um… I don’t know…” Dami said as she looked at Gahyeon with a confused expression. It really wasn’t what they expected him to ask.

“you have pulled on your vampire side before, right, Gahyeon?” Sunmi asked as Gahyeon nodded. She had even used her vampire side multiple times to smell for blood but never thought much of it.

“if they can tap into that, then they can probably fight like city wolves…” Mr. Lee said as he thought out loud, causing the girls to look at him with a confused expression.

“city wolves?” Bora asked as she looked at Mr. Lee with a confused expression.

“yes. Wolves that were raised in very populated cities where they can’t run free like we can. They learn to shift partially. Think of all those bad werewolf movies.” Mr. Lee said as the girls nodded.

“so, you are saying that we could partially shift like that?” Siyeon said as her father nodded.

“I hear it takes practice, but once you do, it is easier to defend yourself in the city. Most wolves ambush in streets or alleys. They need to be able to move easily, and in tight spaces, so they learn quickly or die.” Mr. Lee said as they looked at him in shock.

“I wonder if I have seen some like what you are describing. There were some wolves that I encountered when I was in China. It was just before I ran into Elkie. I never saw them shift, but I could tell that something was odd about them, so I made sure to stay away.” Chungha said as Mr. Lee nodded. It was possible.

“well, that is something for us to think about later. For right now, let's see if there are any other questions that you need to be answered.” Siyeon asked as her father thought for a second.

“oh! Yoohyeon, do you know what happened to your mother? I heard some horrible things…” Mr. Lee said as both Yoohyeon’s and Minji’s expression darkened. It wasn’t the best of topics.

“yes, I know. I'm the one that ended her… and she isn’t my mother. She kidnapped me when I was a baby and raised me as her own until she deemed me useless. Then she tossed me away like garbage…” Yoohyeon said as Minji held her in her arms.

The warmth was comforting as she remembered her false mother's last moments. She quickly explained everything. From how the woman met her demise to even how she was the one that planned the trap that left Yoohyeon mentally scarred.

“That was a lot to deal with…” Ms. Lee said as she tried to comfort Yoohyeon. She was always kind to Yoohyeon whenever she would come over to visit Gahyeon or Siyeon, and that didn’t change even now as she wrapped her arms around both Yoohyeon and Minji. Both girls were hurting at the memory, so both girls needed a hug in Ms. Lee’s mind.

Minji didn’t know what to do when Ms. Lee hugged her. It had been so long since she had some to hold her like this without it being Yoohyeon, and she had to admit it made her happy. It reminded her of her parents.

“let's go inside. Unless there is something else you need to show me?” he asked as he looked around and spotted Yoohyeon looking guilty.

“Yoohyeon?” he asked as she winced.

“you know how I said I dealt with the woman claiming to be my mother?” Yoohyeon asked as he nodded. Within seconds, Yoohyeon was surrounded in black flames as she looked for Chungha. The fox quickly created a target of ice, and before he could say anything about the beautiful black tornado of fire, it was launched at the target where it shredded it to pieces and left only steam behind.

“so, the barbecued wolves in that glass pit was you?” Mr. Lee asked as Yoohyeon looked at him with a confused expression.

“oh no. sorry that was me. After joining the pack, our powers have bled into everyone else's. I was able to draw on Yoohyeon’s ability and used it to change the odds in our favor.” Sunmi said as she explained the ambush.

“so, this JB really planned to overthrow Jackson? He even planned on taking over that Chinese pack?” Mr. Lee asked as they nodded. They made sure not to mention that Elkie was his stepdaughter or that her mother was there just in case her stepfather did something that would make them listed as wanted.

“jinyoung and his pack helped us, and they are also hunting down the remnants of the two packs. They told us that a lot of strange people have come looking for us…” Siyeon said as her father frowned.

“yes, and there is an alpha that is making a scene daily. He even started harassing a vampire. She went missing a couple of days ago, and everyone suspects him one way or another. Either he chased her away or did something with her. But this guy is dangerous and cares for nothing but himself. He is specifically looking for you girls, and it worries me…” Mr. Lee said as everyone went quiet.

They knew it was bad but didn’t know to what extreme. As everyone went quiet, Sunmi’s phone chirped. She quickly pulled it out and smiled as she looked at the message.

“we may have the help we needed just in time. My friends are in town and said that whenever Siyeon is ready to meet them, they will come.” Sunmi said with a smile. Siyeon raised a slender brow at the wicked smile and was now curious how strong these two were for Sunmi to smirk like that.

“alright. Let's meet them then.” Siyeon said as Sunmi quickly messaged and waited for a response. It didn’t take long before her phone went off again. They were close by.

“I will go wait for them and lead them back,” Sunmi said as she went to leave when Siyeon shook her head.

“nope. I will go too. What kind of alpha doesn’t meet someone that is willing to help them?” Siyeon said as Sunmi smiled. She didn’t know just how much she missed Siyeon until she was back.

Everyone was intrigued by the new guests that were coming and decided to meet them by their cars. What they weren't expecting was to see an expensive vehicle zipping along to come to an abrupt stop. It was a bit of a flashy entrance, but Siyeon was used to seeing alpha males like this.

“well, let's see who these guys are…” Siyeon mumbled to herself as she watched the doors open to see the largest guy she has seen. He was very muscular though he wasn’t as tall as the person that got out of the passenger seat.

The muscular driver had a sweet smile while the other looked expressionless. But what stood out is their alpha auras. It was unmistakable. They were extremely strong, and you could just feel their strength radiating off of them.

“oh! You two are the ones that went up against that menace!” Mr. Lee said as he smiled and nodded at the two.

The driver smiled and nodded as he looked around and spotted Sunmi. What he also noticed was the smaller girl clinging to her possessively and couldn’t help but smile. For years they had worried about Sunmi being alone. But seeing what he sees right now, he knows that won't be the case any longer.

“Sunmi! Sorry, we were late! I didn’t want to show up while their alpha was out of commission and trigger them to be extremely protective!” the smiling man said as he got out of the car and smiled happily at his friend.

“don’t mind him, he just looks like he hates it here all the time. It's nothing personal.” The smiling one said as the tall one blushed, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Before they could say anything, though, Sol ran forward excitedly and greeted the two.

 _‘hi! I am Sol!’_ Sol said excitedly. He seemed to like meeting new friends.

“Nice to meet you, Sol!” the muscular one said as he smiled excitedly at Sol. He had never seen anything like him and couldn’t wait to see more.


	50. Chapter 50

-The New Wolves-

The girls tensed in panic as sol ran up to greet the two strange wolves, but what the girls didn’t know is that sol could sense if the two were a threat to him or not just by looking at their energy. As soon as sol looked at the large wolf, he could see that the wolf was curious about him.

Even the quiet one beside him seemed intrigued though his expression didn’t change at all. He silently stood beside the muscular one, and sol couldn’t help but want to greet the two.

The more muscular one leaned down to greet sol, who shrank his size to look less frightening and quickly made friends as sol shook his hand excitedly. The wolf laughed as the plant shook his hand and soon looked up to the quiet one.

“he's very friendly, and his aura looks like one of the girls over there.” The wolf said as the taller one looked over to the girls who stood in their positions behind Siyeon, and he spotted Gahyeon right away. Her energy was mixed with the plants, and it caused the wolf's expression to change from one of indifference to one of confusion. He didn’t know how this could happen.

The taller wolf was well aware of auras and how to read them. The only one better than him would be a fox, like Sunmi or Chungha. The way Gahyeon’s energy mixed with sols was very intriguing. He wasn’t sure he would enjoy being here, but he loved learning about something new like this.

“Does she know about her aura?” the taller wolf asked as Sunmi shook her head. She didn’t want to guess and worry anyone without more knowledge. Otherwise, she might scare the girls for no reason.

“auras are something everyone has. It’s a mix of your energy as well as your mood, and yours is mixed with sols here. There is almost a thin line connecting the two of you. You and the plant are connected, and it doesn’t seem to be anything that could be dangerous from what I see. So don’t worry.” The taller wolf said coolly as he looked from Gahyeon to Siyeon.

He gave the Siyeon respectful nod and looked back to her sister. The girl intrigued him. With the way their auras mixed, he wondered if they knew what each other was thinking or feeling. It was all so exciting.

“Sorry for not introducing ourselves first. And yes. We were the ones that interfered with that idiot alphas plans in town.” The shorter wolf that smiled said as he looked from Siyeon to Mr. Lee.

“I'm Wonho. And this is my mate Hyunwoo. He doesn’t talk much unless its something that interests him. Please don’t think he is unfriendly.” Wonho said with a smile as he walked over slowly and extended his hand and shook Siyeon’s hand.

Siyeon was expecting what all alpha males would do when she gripped his hand. But the crushing grip never came. Unlike the other males she met, Wonho wasn’t trying to assert his dominance. In fact, he seemed completely comfortable with himself and lacked the need to show off that most alpha males had. It made Siyeon wonder what made him different.

“Nice to meet you. I'm Siyeon, the alpha of this pack. The one that has a strange aura is my sister Gahyeon. And I know you said you have a mate, but I'm just stating that everyone here has a mate, so please keep that in mind.” Siyeon said as Wonho smiled more and nodded.

Wonho liked how Siyeon was respectful but also made sure to set the boundaries clearly. Her pack members were off-limits to him and his mate. He nodded politely and finally looked at Sunmi with a smile. It had been a long time since they had seen each other.

Sunmi smiled as she stepped forward and held her arms out. Wonho quickly came over and scooped up the fox in his arms and spun her around. The sight should have made Chungha nervous or jealous, but she could tell that there were no romantic feelings between the two. It was only two friends seeing each other after a long time, and Chungha couldn’t help but smile when she saw how happy her mate looked.

“Wonho, this is Chungha. My mate. My fox mate.” Sunmi said as both Wonho and Hyunwoo looked at her in shock. They had tried to find other foxes for her when they traveled but were never successful, and now a fox that may be the last one just showed up on Sunmi’s doorstep. The two were shocked, but they couldn’t feel happier for her.

“I think I remember you…” Minji said as the two looked over at her. The three were exchanging confused looks when suddenly the three remembered almost at the same time.

“no way… are you Mr. and Ms. Kims' daughter? What was her name… Minji?” Wonho asked as Minji’s expression brightened as she nodded excitedly.

“you two were the cool uncles that always brought the coolest gifts!” Minji said as the two laughed and nodded. Hyunwoo seemed to soften a bit when he remembered who Minji was and now had a faint smile across his lips as he remembered the little girl that would run around them, calling them uncle.

“yes, that was us. It's good to know you survived when your parents didn’t. we spent several years tracking down the people behind the murder of your parents.” Hyunwoo said as Minji looked at him with a bit of confusion.

From what she knew, the humans found out what her parents were and killed them, but from the way the two looked at her, that wasn’t the truth. Even Sunmi couldn’t look her in the eyes, and she knew something was up.

“what really happened?” Minji asked as Hyunwoo frowned. He obviously didn’t like what he was remembering.

“it was another vampire family. They were a lesser family that was way down the family ranks and had it out for the elite families. Their first targets were your family and… yours.” Hyunwoo said as he looked over at Bora, who was holding onto Siyeon’s arm tightly.

The alpha didn’t flinch even though the grip Bora had felt like it was crushing her arm. Bora needed the comfort and Siyeon wouldn’t take that away due to a little discomfort.

“The family that went missing around the time Bora showed up, right?” Minji asked as the two nodded. Confirming what Minji was always suspicious of. When she looked over at Sunmi, the fox only looked at her with a sad expression.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Minji asked. It wasn’t in an accusing tone. She knew that Sunmi had a reason, and when Sunmi spoke, Minji knew that the three made the right choice not to tell her.

“if we told you, we worried that you would be set on revenge. You wouldn’t be able to enjoy the last little bit of your childhood. Instead, Wonho and Hyunwoo went after them and wiped out everyone involved. Your parents are avenged, and we kept you safe, which is what your parents would have wanted.” Sunmi said as Minji nodded.

It was a lot to accept, but she knew that they were right. She may have never met Yoohyeon, who was holding onto her tenderly trying to comfort her just in case the vampire needed it.

Siyeon quietly asked Minji if she was alright as the vampire nodded. Though the news was a shock, it was nice to know that the ones that did it were all gone.

“you mind if we ask what all happened with that alpha male in town?” Siyeon asked as her father looked at the two with a curious expression. But he wasn’t the only one that looked eager to hear about this. So was everyone else.

“There isn’t much to say. We came into town and waited when Sunmi said that you were going into heat. We didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, and having two alpha males around your pack of all girls would have definitely stressed you out.” Wonho said as Siyeon nodded and continued to listen.

“We were in town when a girl that I believe is a vampire was getting harassed by some alpha that has brawns but no brains,” Wonho said as he rolled his eyes and clenched his jaw. He still got angry when he remembered the events.

“the girl looked terrified from her aura, but her expression said ‘get lost.’ That only seemed to encourage the idiot, though.” He said as he clenched his teeth and quickly showed his memories of the event to Siyeon.

This male was taller even than the two in front of her and also clearly thought highly of himself as he terrified a girl that clearly didn’t want anything to do with him.

As Siyeon took a closer look at the girl, her eyes widened as she recognized her. It was a classmate that was known around school for avoiding men, but Siyeon couldn’t think of her name.

But as she watched, she felt herself tense as the wolf grabbed the vampire harshly and tried to drag her off. It was when Hyunwoo made an appearance and pulled the wolf off of the girl.

Without a second thought, the girl ran away and didn’t stop causing the wolf who couldn’t break out of Hyunwoo’s grip growl in frustration as he turned around and tried to lash out at the quiet wolf.

It was then that Wonho came out of a store and realized what was going on as he quickly stopped his mate from getting into a brawl on the streets.

It really wasn’t that difficult to stop the unknown wolf. As soon as he looked at Wonho, he could tell that he would have a difficult time taking on the two strong wolves and started to calm down as he stormed off.

Mr. Lee had gotten a call and rushed over to spot the new wolf in town and let out a groan as he walked over, but it was settled before he had to do anything. He looked on in shock as he watched Wonho step in between the alpha male and an innocent human girl as he stormed off, making it clear that he wouldn’t tolerate the wolf's behavior.

It was over quickly, but no one had been able to successfully stand up against him. Anyone who tried was left bloody on the ground by the violent alpha, and it was clear that he was in town for trouble, and it made it worse when Mr. Lee found out that he was after his daughters and their mates.

He wanted to check on the girls earlier, but the alpha had set up one of his packmates to track him for almost a month. Having to wait to find out what happened to Gahyeon was excruciating, but he didn’t want to put Siyeon and the others in danger just to find out.

It was a relief to find out that she was alive, but he still wasn’t sure how it happened and if she would still feel the effects of dying once. It worried him greatly, but it was now time for him to step aside. He now isn’t the one that would protect them anymore.

As Mr. Lee looked at Siyeon and Gahyeon, he couldn’t help but feel pride and worry at the same time. His daughters were strong, and he could tell that they could do things now that normal wolves cant, but they were still his babies. Letting go is always hard.

“I think we will head out. We have to travel back home, and I have a lot of paperwork to do with everything that is going on lately.” Mr. Lee said as Siyeon looked at him sheepishly. She knew that the work he mentioned all started from their battle at the warehouse.

The girls, as well as the two boys, saw the two out and slowly made it up the path until they were safely back inside the gate.

“well, are you ready for some lessons? We don’t like to stay in one place for too long, so let's get started quickly, shall we?” Wonho said as Sunmi chuckled and shook her head. They never changed. The two preferred being on a constant adventure than sitting in one place for too long when they were younger, and that seemed to never go away.

“already? Don’t you want to see your rooms or something?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at the two in shock, but they shook their heads. What was more important to them was getting the girls ready as quickly as possible.

This new alpha wasn’t the only one looking for Siyeon and her pack. There were several groups, and what worried the two the most was a group of girls similar to Siyeon and her pack. They seemed strong and curious to see if the rumors are true.

Everyone looked to Siyeon as she thought and finally nodded. It was better to be prepared than be caught in a situation you could have easily gotten out of if you had only practiced.

“alright… let's go. Now we haven’t been training in over a month. Well, I think that the others have practiced a day or two, but don’t expect too much while we are rusty…” Siyeon said nervously as Wonho smiled and followed Siyeon out back.

“alright. I want to see what you can do without shifting. Who is first?” Wonho asked as he crossed his arms casually and looked at the girls. It was quickly decided that they would pair Handong vs. Dami. Siyeon wanted to show him their best before showing him their worst. She didn’t want them to give up on her pack before they really got the chance to learn anything.

“I will go against Handong,” Dami said as she walked into the center of the field and turned to look at Handong. Dami was trying to analyze everything about the girl in front of her, as Handong was doing the same thing. They waited for Wonho to give the countdown, and once it was over, the two launched at each other.

Handong was extremely good at defending while Dami learned quickly on her feet. It wasn’t long before Dami learned a pattern that Handong would use and quickly countered it, forcing the vampire to step out of her comfort zone and for once strike out.

Handong quickly snapped out her leg as she managed to land a crushing blow onto Dami’s ribcage. A sickening crack could be heard from across the field, but instead of it stopping Dami, it only fueled her farther as she countered Handong’s attacks and blocks.

It wasn’t long before she was finally able to land a hit on the vampire, and once she did, Wonho stopped the fight. Each girl had now landed a blow against the other, and it was clear that Handong’s strength had increased greatly after shifting into her tiger form for the first time.

Once the fight was stopped, Dami dropped to her knees as Gahyeon rushed over. As Dami gasped for breath against the pain of her broken ribs, she felt a cooling sensation like fresh mint against her ribs. The excruciating pain softened until only a faint ache remained. Dami sighed heavily in relief as she leaned against her mate's shoulder. She was extremely grateful for her mate.

Wonho watched all of this and quickly analyzed the fight in his head as he formed a plan in his head for what each girl needed to work on. It wasn’t long until he had everything planned and looked around to spot Siyeon.

The alpha was still a bit exhausted from everything that had happened recently, so she was leaning against Bora tiredly. Wonho frowned. He was starting to worry that they should have waited another day or two to give the alpha a bit more time to rest when they heard a soft giggle echo across the field.

Siyeon Wonho and the others looked around and spotted sol with their mystery girl. The two were sitting under a tree and observing the girls' training sessions. whatever sol said or did seemed to make the wild girl happy as she laughed and looked at everyone with a shy smile.

“well… her laugh is really beautiful, isn’t it?” Minji asked as she walked over to Siyeon with a smile. Siyeon nodded as she looked at the two off in the distance. They seemed to be having a fun time, but when one of the girls were practicing, it looked like the girl was studying them and learning.

“something about her is interesting…” Dami said as she walked over to Siyeon and Minji. She couldn’t help but think that the girl was a fast learner, and when sol was with her, his speech that Dami had been working on with him seemed to improve. He wanted to do better when he talked to this girl, and Dami couldn’t help but feel like a proud parent.

“I just hope that letting her in here doesn’t end up hurting us in the end…” Siyeon said as Dami shook her head. The younger girl didn’t think that whoever this wild girl was that she would turn on them.

“I don’t think she will. Look, she seems attached to sol, and you heard what Gahyeon’s plants said. She is kind. I don’t think we have to worry about her except for the amount of food that she eats.” Dami said as Minji giggled and then paused.

“speaking of that… I'm sure that she isn’t taking that much food with her for herself. She eats too much here. I'm thinking that she is taking it to someone. if that is the case sending leftovers just doesn’t seem right…” Minji said as the girls went quiet while observing the girl.

After all of the girls had paired off against each other, the two boys created a plan for their training. But first thing was first. They needed to show the girls how to fight while constantly shifting forms.

Siyeon had to admit that she was curious about what the two would look like in their wolf forms, but the idea of the two fighting each other naked wasn’t that appealing.

After the two changed out of their clothes, they stood a bit apart and shifted. The girls were not prepared for what they saw as gasps echoed across the field.

Wonho’s wolf form didn’t really look much like a wolf. His muscular frame in his human form crossed over into his wolf form, and it was an intimidating sight.

“holy shit! He looks like a pitbull, not a wolf!” Siyeon said as she looked at Wonho. He did indeed look more like a pitbull with his muscular jaw and legs, but he was definitely a wolf. A coal-black wolf with fur that seemed to absorb the light instead of reflecting it.

The next one to shift was Hyunwoo, and his wolf form was a surprise too. His wolf form was almost as large as Siyeon’s, but something seemed off. His ears and muzzle were slightly too long for a wolf. His legs also looked slightly too long as well. His muscular frame also crossed over into his wolf form but was nothing compared to his mates.

His colors were also interesting. Instead of markings similar to a wolf, his patterns looked more like a brindle German Sheppard than a wolf. His colors were a steel grey and black that shined beautifully, unlike his mate. He definitely didn’t look full wolf, but everyone chose to ignore it as they watched the lesson before them.

_‘alright. The first thing you need to learn is that you can quickly shift while fighting to pull on specific aspects of your wolf form. Once you get the hang of this, you will be able to easily call on one aspect of your wolf form without having to try to quickly shift, but until you are at that point, this is what you have to learn.’_ Wonho said as the two faced off.

Wonho gave a signal, and soon the two were charging at each other. Wonho was fast, but so was Hyunwoo. His hybrid body allowed him to move in and out of range gracefully as he tried to outmaneuver Wonho, but the younger wolf had many tricks up his sLeeves.

As Hyunwoo lunged in, Wonho shifted to dodge and triggered a shift on his legs as he kicked off with great strength and got out of the way. The shifting was only for a split second, but it was enough for Wonho to escape easily.

This went on for several minutes, and both the girls and the wild girl couldn’t take their eyes off of the two. They were now fighting more in their human forms than their wolf forms and would only draw upon specific things.

They were lightning fast and would incorporate punches kicks and throws as they fought each other. It was an interesting sight to see, and the girls were watching it intently.

What caught the girls by surprise was when Wonho slashed out with a hand and left deep gouges across Hyunwoo’s chest. They were definitely claw marks, and unlike when in their full wolf form, these claws were sharp.

Once the blow was landed, the two stopped and looked at the girls. They wanted to show what could happen if they pulled on their wolf form properly. The girls were impressed. The marks were deep into Hyunwoo’s chest. Blood poured from the wounds as he stood there, panting softly.

Hyunwoo didn’t seem to be fazed with his injuries at all. In fact, it was almost like he couldn’t feel it at all. And he couldn’t. Hyunwoo couldn’t feel pain. He could feel everything else but was now desensitized to pain completely.

“doesn’t that hurt?” Gahyeon asked as she approached him nervously.

The tall wolf shook his head as he held still. He knew what Gahyeon was going to do and smiled at the faint tingling sensation caused by her powers.

He watched as the wounds closed quickly, and soon the scar was barely visible. He smiled with approval as Gahyeon smiled shyly and ran back to her mate. She liked healing and helping people, and it made her happy that this old wolf was impressed with her abilities.

It was now around lunchtime, and they were going to take a break when the strange girl walked up with a nervous smile on her face.

Wonho and Hyunwoo looked back at her with a curious expression when she looked back at sol. She seemed unsure of something.

_‘try!’_ sol said as she nodded and looked back at the boys. Whatever she had planned, it had both Siyeon’s pack and the two wolves' complete attention.

“I… try?” she asked as she turned her head cutely while waiting for a reply.

The boys' eyes went wide as they looked at the others. The girls were speechless too though Dami seemed to be looking rather smug at the moment. She knew that this girl was special.

“you want to try?” Wonho asked with a smile as the girl nodded exaggeratedly. He chuckled and nodded while telling her it was ok.

“who do you want to go up against?” Wonho asked, but she looked confused and looked over to sol for a translation. The plant shrugged. He didn’t know how to explain it.

“him? Or me?” Wonho asked as he pointed first at Hyunwoo then at himself. The girl quickly realized what he meant and pointed at Wonho confidently. The girls looked at each other with a surprised expression until Dami spoke.

“she is a bear after all. She probably isn’t worried about someone smaller than her. She may have even chosen him because she felt he would be less fragile than Hyunwoo.” Dami said as the taller wolf walked over to stand with them.

“I think that is what it is. She wants to go up against someone who looks like he is strong enough to take heavy blows.” Hyunwoo said as he crossed his arms and watched the two prepare to fight.

Hyunwoo counted down and signaled the two when it was time to start and looked on in shock as the kind and sweet girl turned into a ferocious fighter.

She was indeed learning as she watched and quickly drew on aspects of her bear form as she went on the offensive.

What shocked everyone was how graceful she was in and out of her bear form. She wasn’t like a normal bear that looked clumsy or slow. She was fast and graceful as she took confident steps while battling the muscular wolf.

It was clear that Wonho was actually having some difficulty when he was a second too slow. The girl landed a large bear paw into his chest, knocking him off his feet as he slammed into the dirt hard. The wind was knocked out of him.

He tried to signal that he was ok with a thumbs up while struggling to his feet. Once he could breathe again, he could tell that the girl was waiting to see if he would attack again. He quickly signaled that he gave up, and as she started to relax, she heard a familiar voice from the other side of the wall.

“Seulgi? SEULGI! Where are you? I'm worried!” the voice said as the wild girl that was obviously named Seulgi perked up excitedly as she ran over to the fence and quickly hopped over.

“that voice sounded familiar…” Minji said as she thought about it before her eyes went wide in surprise.

“Irene! That sounded like Irene from school!” Minji said as Siyeon smacked her forehead.

“that’s her name! the girl that this new alpha was harassing and went missing was Irene!” Siyeon said as she looked at Minji for a second before they went running for the fence.

If that was indeed Irene, then she had been lost in the woods for days, and the food that Seulgi would bring her would be useless. Irene needed blood, and they needed to find her quickly before she collapsed from starvation.


	51. Chapter 51

-Stealing A Kiss-

Seulgi ran to the wall as she smiled excitedly. She had heard the pretty girl that she had met a couple of days ago calling her name and dropped what she was doing to go greet her. After all, only one person knew the name Seulgi. And that was Irene. She gave the girl that name when they encountered each other one night deep in the woods.

_-Flashback-_

_Irene had been running from some new brute and his pack when she ran into the forest that all wolves knew was a death sentence. Even if the mountain did kill her, it would be better than whatever that alpha had in store for her. She had heard the rumors and refused to be a victim to the wolf._

_When she fled the scene that day, she had hoped that she had lost the wolves, but she was wrong. He may not be very smart, but his trackers were, and they were not giving up easily._

_When Irene arrived at the mountain, a thick fog threaded through the trees, and without a second thought, she plunged into the woods. Anything was better than that man. Even if she starved to death lost in the woods or got eaten by a wild animal, she would prefer it over him._

_It was several hours of staggering through the dense fog that seemed to dull her senses when she tripped and stumbled down a small hill. When she landed, she quickly realized that she landed on something soft and warm as she sprang up._

_As Irene fell, she also screamed in panic. The sudden scream startled Seulgi awake. She was sleeping soundly in her bear form to ward off the chill of the mist when something light fell on her._

_Seulgi roared and reared up on her back legs to look intimidating as she looked around for whatever attacked her. But instead of some threat, she saw a pretty girl cowering against the small hill._

_Seulgi turned her head slightly while still on her hind legs as she got a better look at the girl. She was covered in scratches, and Seulgi could smell a very sweet smell coming off of her._

_With a grunt of curiosity, Seulgi went back down on four legs and slowly approached the girl, but when she flinched and let out a soft whimper, Seulgi paused._

_This form wasn’t doing her any good at the moment. She wanted to get a closer look at the girl, but it wouldn’t work if she continued to whimper and cower. Though Seulgi did find the soft whimpers adorable._

_Slowly Seulgi came to a stop and shifted into her human form, but the girl didn’t see it. She held her eyes tightly shut as she waited for the bear to make a snack out of her when she felt soft fingertips brush the hair that fell across her face behind her ear._

_Irene’s eyes went wide as she looked in the direction of the gentle touch and soon realized that she was staring at a beautiful girl. A very naked girl. Which caused Irene to blush and quickly look away. But that only seemed to intrigue Seulgi more._

_Slowly she crawled on her hands and knees so that she was somewhat on top of the girl and gently leaned down to sniff the girl's neck. Irene froze when she realized how close the beautiful naked girl was and seemed to be hypnotized as she looked into the rather kind looking eyes above her._

_When Irene watched the girl lean in, she automatically closed her eyes, expecting the worst but instead felt the girl gently sniffing her neck, and soon she moved to the scratches on her arm._

_Seulgi was curious, and it was very interesting to her that the vampire's blood smelled so sweet. She couldn’t place what it reminded her of, but it smelled familiar, and she instantly liked the girl._

_When she leaned back, Irene had a full view of her front and quickly looked away. Seulgi couldn’t help but smile. She found this girl's shyness adorable and wanted to learn more about her._

_Slowly, Seulgi stood up and held out a hand to the girl in front of her. Irene didn’t look up, though, and soon Seulgi let out a grunt to make Irene look at her. It was successful as she slowly opened an eye and looked up at Seulgi’s extended hand, and hesitantly took it._

_Seulgi gently but strongly pulled her to her feet, but quickly Irene stumbled into Seulgi. Her ankle was in excruciating pain, and she couldn’t hold any weight on it, causing her to fall into Seulgi’s arms. Irene quickly realized that her body was pressing against Seulgi’s, causing her to quickly panic and stumble backward._

_Seulgi was faster than her, though, and quickly caught the vampire before she fell backward onto the ground. Soon Irene was held carefully in Seulgi’s arms as she stood up and carried her to a more comfortable and safe place to rest._

_Irene couldn’t help but blush as she felt the girl's gentle but strong arms holding her. She also couldn’t help but remember that the girl holding her was completely naked. Irene was having a mini mental breakdown as she looked up into the eyes of this strange girl that hasn’t said one word to her yet._

_“What is your name?” Irene asked as she looked up at the girl with a curious expression. But Seulgi looked at her with a confused look. She didn’t understand what the girl had said and frowned. She didn’t like not knowing something. She was naturally curious by nature and liked to learn things._

_“do you understand me?” Irene asked, but Seulgi just paused and tilted her head as she looked at Irene with an adorable scrunchy face. Irene could clearly tell that she clearly didn’t understand what she was saying._

_After several moments of pointing at herself and saying her name repeatedly, Seulgi understood, and to Irene’s surprise, Seulgi repeated the name back to her. It was clear that she didn’t use her voice much, but Irene couldn’t help but smile at her sweet voice._

_When Seulgi saw Irene smile and nod happily, Seulgi smiled goofily back and quickly gave Irene a big hug in her excitement at learning something and felt proud that she made Irene smile._

_Irene, on the other hand, was having another mini mental breakdown as the girl that she quickly realized was extremely beautiful was hugging her tightly. Irene was completely confused._

_From school to college, she had never been interested in anyone or felt any kind of attraction to someone. It also didn’t help that guys constantly hit on her. Soon she was rumored to hate men. She didn’t hate them. She just was never interested. But here she was falling for a naked wild girl that was hugging her neck excitedly._

_Irene could feel Seulgi’s bare chest pressed against her, and soon the pale vampire was a bright red. Seulgi didn’t know what she was doing to make the girl blush like this, but it was cute, and she was determined to do it again._

_After Irene was done blushing, Seulgi carefully examined her and found the cause of Irene’s pain. Her ankle was injured when she staggered through the mist-covered forest, and she hurt it even worse when she tripped and fell on Seulgi._

_Seulgi frowned as she looked at the bright purple bruises and quickly looked around for something to help it. As she stood, she looked back at Irene and smiled as she signaled for Irene to stay. The vampire nodded as she watched Seulgi disappear into the mist._

_Seulgi ran over to the house that she would go to for food. She had quickly learned of a plant that could numb when she sniffed too closely, and it warned her. The numbing effect seemed to be ineffective to her, but she knew that it did work on others. It would be perfect for helping Irene with the pain in her ankle. Seulgi just hoped that she could convince the plant to come with her._

_When Seulgi first met Sol, she quickly liked him. She also liked how he would feed her and give her head pets with his thorny vines once he learned she was immune. She really liked the feeling. And when she showed up, the helpful and caring plant was there to help her._

_With basic images, Seulgi explained the situation to Sol. He understood and wanted to help. He always wanted to help if he could, and Seulgi couldn’t help but smile and quickly lead the way back to Irene._

_Irene was completely shocked when she saw Seulgi coming back in bear form, followed by a plant that walked while carrying its pot with it. She had never seen anything like it before and was even more shocked when the plant talked._

‘hi! I'm sol!’ _she heard softly in her head as she looked around for the voice. It took several minutes for him to prove that he was the voice that she heard and another several minutes to convince her that his thorns wouldn’t hurt but instead stop the pain._

_Seulgi was entertained as she looked from plant to girl as they bickered back and forth until Irene finally sighed in defeat and carefully held out her ankle._

‘finally!’ _Sol said in an exasperated tone and carefully touched his thorns to specific spots on her foot and ankle to make sure that she would feel no pain._

_Irene was extremely impressed as she looked at her numb foot and went to move it. It didn’t hurt at all. The only thing she felt was a slight tingling sensation._

‘Don’t move it! Only numb. Not healed.’ _Sol said as Irene nodded and gently set her food down. She didn’t know how he could do it, but it was almost like he was smiling at her even though he had no visible mouth, but she could just feel it._

_After his job was done, he quickly went back home. Gahyeon was taking a nap, and it was about time for her to have her nightmares, and he wanted to be there to ward them away. Sol had no problem finding home because of his bond with Gahyeon and just followed it safely back home._

_Once Sol was gone, Seulgi looked at Irene. The girl looked completely exhausted. She was also shivering from the damp cold mist that came from the lake nearby. Seulgi didn’t like her being cold and carefully walked over and gently picked Irene up, causing the girl to let out a squeak of surprise as Seulgi grinned and brought her over to her bed of soft moss that let her sleep comfortably on them._

_Irene was confused when Seulgi gently laid her down on the ground and snuggled up to her. Irene wasn’t sure of what to do, but the girl's warmth felt extremely good against her cold skin, and without knowing it, Irene let out a sigh of relief and relaxed into the girl's hold._

_Seulgi smiled as Irene relaxed in her grip. She liked the feeling of holding Irene to her. They seemed to fit together perfectly, and it allowed Seulgi to snuggle against Irene’s neck and breathe in her sweet scent._

_Irene was surprised at how cuddly Seulgi was, but it made her smile. It felt right, and she had never felt comfortable when people had touched her before, but right now, she felt completely safe and content in the arms of a girl that she didn’t even know the name of._

_“oh, what is your name?” Irene asked as she tried to look over her shoulder at Seulgi, but she was unsuccessful._

_Irene turned around, causing Seulgi to sigh. She was extremely comfortable and didn’t want to move. But being able to stare into Irene’s beautiful eyes made it all better._

_“do you have a name?” Irene asked as she pointed to herself and repeated her name and then pointed to Seulgi. The girl didn’t have a name from what she knew and shook her head._

_Irene didn’t like referring to her as ‘girl,’ so she thought carefully when a name popped into her head._

_“Seulgi. I'm Irene. And you can be Seulgi. So, you like that name?” Irene asked as Seulgi’s eyes widened. She thought a name was only a human thing. Well, except for sol. He's an exception. But here was a beautiful girl in her arms, giving her a name of her own._

_Seulgi smiled the most beautiful smile Irene had ever seen, and when she repeated back the name with a smile, Irene knew that she had chosen the right name._

_Seulgi whispered her new name to herself happily and nuzzled Irene, causing the vampire to blush again before they both settled down to sleep for the night._

_During the middle of the night, the air got colder, and Seulgi was woken up by Irene’s shivering and frowned. She didn’t like that Irene was cold and carefully stood and shifted into her bear form and carefully cuddled against Irene as the vampire sighed at the feeling of Seulgi’s dense, warm fur._

_-End Of Flashback-_

Dami and the others tried to find the two, but they were already long gone. With a sigh, Dami turned around and looked at Handong and Minji.

“if Irene goes much longer without blood, she may die. We need to get her blood somehow.” Dami said as Handong and Minji nodded.

Bora had gone out after the two in her cat form to the surprise of Wonho and Hyunwoo but came back shortly later with nothing. It was like Seulgi was a ghost in the mist. There was nothing for Bora to track.

“We can't leave her out there. Irene is a city girl, right? Her family is rich, and she never had to go outside, like camping, right?” Minji asked as the others shrugged. That was what the rumors said, but they knew not to take rumors seriously. But it was making them extremely nervous.

Though Irene wasn’t part of their friend circle, Irene was a good person. She was quiet and didn’t talk much. But she never did anything wrong and stood up to people that would try to pick on the weak. Her quietness did cause rumors, though.

Irene wasn’t interested in dating and would get embarrassed when guys would ask her. When she would try to control her face, she instead gave a look of disgust, causing multiple rumors to spread around about her being a man-hater. In reality, she just didn’t care. But didn’t like being put on the spot with everyone's grand confessions.

The rumors about Minji and the others weren't that great either. So, they tried not to fall into believing the rumors, but it was hard when that’s the only thing that you know about them.

A couple of hours later, Seulgi came back as she looked for food for herself and Irene, but instead of food, she found everyone waiting for her.

Seulgi’s smile faltered as she looked at the serious expression the girls had and looked to Sol for reassurance.

_‘it's ok. They are worried. For Irene.’_ Sol said only to Seulgi as she tilted her head in confusion. She didn’t know how they knew her Irene. But she didn’t like that and frowned.

She is very possessive of Irene while she is weak from whatever is wrong with her. And she didn’t like people calling Irene’s name.

“Can you take us to Irene? We are worried she is sick.” Dami asked as she slowly walked over. She could tell that Seulgi was hesitant as soon as they said Irene’s name. But Dami was prepared and held out a yearbook while pointing to Irene’s photo.

Seulgi’s curiosity got the better of her as she leaned in and looked at the picture that Dami was pointing at and looked at it in surprise.

Irene looked beautiful. Her hair was perfect as she looked at the camera, and without knowing it, Seulgi smiled happily as Dami and the others smirked. It was very clear that Seulgi had feelings for the vampire. They just hoped that those feelings were returned. Seulgi was so kind, and they didn’t want to see her get hurt. A broken heart takes a long time to heal.

Seulgi loved looking at Irene’s picture and frowned when Dami turned the page but smiled wider when she saw Irene in her school uniform posing for some after school club. She was extremely beautiful, and just her picture could make Seulgi’s heart race with excitement.

“Irene is a vampire. Vampires don’t eat food. They drink blood only.” Dami said as she pointed at some food and made an x with her hands. She then pointed to some blood bags and nodded happily.

Seulgi was learning quickly and carefully leaned in to sniff the blood bags but instantly jumped back when the scent of human blood entered her nose. That scent was tied to bad memories, and she refused to go near the blood bags.

Dami’s heart dropped at Seulgi’s reaction. This was a life or death matter for Irene, and if Seulgi refused to take them to her, then she would die. Dami looked back at Gahyeon with a helpless expression when an idea popped into her head.

“Gahyeon! We can show her! Feed on me! We know Minji won't feed on Yoohyeon, and if Bora does, they will probably be locked in their bedroom again.” Dami said as Gahyeon’s eyes went wide as she looked over to Handong and Elkie, but the two shook their heads. Handong couldn’t feed without making noises of pleasure, and it wouldn’t look right to the girl in front of them. The ones that have the most self-control should do it.

With a sigh, Gahyeon stepped forward and let her fangs grow as her eyes went red, showing her vampire side. When Seulgi looked over at Gahyeon, she recognized that look.

Irene had been getting weaker as her eyes grew red as her fangs got longer. Seulgi wondered why Irene started to look different though she still looked beautiful to her. But she also noticed how Irene would lean in for snuggles only to pull away, leaving Seulgi to pout.

“Irene is a vampire. She's like me. But she is pure. She can only drink blood. No food. Watch. Ok?” Gahyeon asked as Seulgi nodded as she watched the two with a curious expression.

Gahyeon approached Dami and carefully brushed the hair away from the taller girl's neck. Gahyeon could almost see the blood running through Dami’s veins and looked one last time at her mate to make sure she was ok with this. Dami nodded as Gahyeon gently put her hand on the back of Dami’s neck and pulled her closer as she carefully bit down.

Dami tried to resist it. She knew what was coming but still couldn’t fight the faint moan that escaped her throat. The pleasure that came next was intense. It seemed like the stronger the girls became, the better their bite felt.

Seulgi watched intently. She found it fascinating and noticed how Gahyeon’s skin flushed a healthy color right after she was done. It was what Irene was missing. But she refused to bring human blood to Irene. She is too precious for that.

“but she needs to feed…” Dami said as Seulgi nodded and pointed to herself as she tilted her head. She clearly intended to make Irene feed on her, but that wasn’t exactly a better choice.

Irene is most likely starved, and Seulgi letting Irene feed off of her could turn into a tragedy. Irene could easily drain her completely on accident, and it worried them greatly. But Seulgi seemed determined to do it, and nothing that the girls could say or do was going to talk her out of it.

Dami and the others made sure that Seulgi ate and took back extra with her. They worried that she would be weak after and waved bye as Seulgi ran towards to Irene happily.

Seulgi made her way back to her home and was greeted by a very weak Irene. Her skin was extremely pale, and she looked sick. Even the smile that she gave looked weak. Irene was losing her energy. She was dying in front of her because she didn’t want to feed on Seulgi. But Seulgi refused to let that happen.

Seulgi climbed closer and soon sat in front of Irene as she looked at her with worry. Without thinking, Seulgi reached out a hand and gently brushed Irene’s cheek. It was no longer full, and its color was gone. It pained Seulgi to see Irene like this, but she couldn’t help but smile as Irene leaned into Seulgi’s touch.

“drink,” Seulgi said as she removed her hand and tipped her head to the side, exposing her throat to Irene. The vampire was in complete shock that Seulgi had been picking up words but more so by how she just offered herself up as a snack to Irene.

Irene blushed and shook her head. She didn’t know where Seulgi had learned this, but she didn’t want to hurt or scare the sweet girl in front of her.

In all of the short years that she has been alive, no one has made her feel anywhere near what this smiling girl could make her feel with just one smile from her or one touch. Just being around Seulgi could make Irene smile happily and her heart race.

But this was not expected. Irene never expected Seulgi to offer herself up like this. But she couldn’t accept it. She couldn’t risk hurting Seulgi. Would she even understand what is going on? A trait from Irene’s family was an extreme pleasure from their bite. It was even more intense than any other vampire family. If Irene bit Seulgi, she might just confuse the younger girl's feelings IF there were any feelings, to begin with.

Irene was sure that she was in love with Seulgi, but she wasn’t sure if Seulgi felt the same. She had never encountered people before, let alone having a relationship. Irene wondered if Seulgi understood the feelings that she had. Was it love too, or was she just very affectionate? Irene’s doubts plus her worries about hurting Seulgi helped her resist feeding while they slept.

Seulgi didn’t like that Irene was hesitating in front of her and slowly climbed closer. Soon she was on Irene’s lap, causing the vampire to almost have a panic attack as she stared wide-eyed at Seulgi before looking away.

“s, Seulgi… please… I don’t want to hurt you…” Irene said softly as Seulgi gently tilted her head up. When their eyes met, Irene could see an expression of full love and worry, staring back at her.

“Please?” Seulgi asked as Irene looked from Seulgi’s eyes to her neck with a nervous gulp. It was so tempting, and with Seulgi’s soft plea, Irene caved.

“Are you sure?” Irene asked as she gently grasped the back of Seulgi’s neck and looked at her eyes for reassurance. Seulgi nodded one last time as Irene moved in.

When Irene’s fangs pierced Seulgi’s neck, the feeling that the bear had was indescribable. A soft moan came out of her throat as Irene drank carefully. She didn’t want to drink too much or hurt Seulgi.

But Seulgi didn’t mind at all. The pleasure was so intense that her mind went blank as she held onto Irene tightly and rode through the intense waves of pleasure.

It took several minutes after Irene was done feeding before the effects of her bite started to ware off of Seulgi. But the entire time, Irene held her close until the end.

Once everything was over, Seulgi cuddled with Irene as she smiled up at her. Irene’s face was full again, and her eyes were back to their normal shade. She looked absolutely breathtaking and healthy that Seulgi couldn’t help but smile happily and snuggle against Irene’s chest when she remembered something that she had observed.

When she watched the girls’ practice, she had noticed Gahyeon kissing Dami. Even since she had seen that, the idea of kissing Irene was constantly in her head.

Seulgi wondered how soft her lips were. How she would taste, and without thinking, she leaned up and laid a gentle kiss upon Irene’s lips. Leaving the vampire completely stunned as her cheeks flushed pink and she smiled shyly.

Seulgi liked this reaction from Irene. Carefully she leaned in again and kissed Irene’s lips. This time for a while longer, causing Irene to sigh happily as she held Seulgi closer.

It turns out Seulgi liked kissing. Lots of kissing and cuddling. This is what they did all night as Irene worried over Seulgi and made sure that she was fed and comfortable while she recovered.


	52. Chapter 52

-Morning-

Irene was the first to wake up as she immediately looked down to see Seulgi sleeping soundly with her head rested on Irene’s chest. She couldn’t help but smile as she stared at Seulgi’s calm expression as she slept. She was truly beautiful, and Irene could watch her sleep for hours.

Everything she did was beautiful to Irene. The way she would walk, how she would pick something up carefully, trying not to damage it as she examined it with curiosity. She truly was a gentle giant, and everything that Irene learned about her made her fall more and more in love with her.

Irene was smiling down at Seulgi happily when the sleeping girl slowly opened her eyes. The two stared at each other in a comfortable silence before Seulgi grinned happily and snuggled closer, causing Irene to giggle happily.

Seulgi loved it when Irene giggled. It sounded so beautiful to her, and whenever she would hear it, she would automatically giggle in return. The two were completely in love with each other, and even though Seulgi hasn’t learned to speak well yet, Irene knew her feelings.

Seulgi gently leaned forward and kissed Irene softly before snuggling back against Irene’s chest, causing the vampire to blush. They may have held each other all night while kissing, but Seulgi could easily make Irene blush. In fact, it was Seulgi’s favorite thing to do. She loved watching Irene’s cheeks flush pink, knowing that she was the one that caused it.

Irene leaned down and kissed Seulgi’s forehead causing the girl to smile and hum happily. Seulgi had a beautiful voice, and Irene wished that she would be able to use it more in the future. The thought of Seulgi telling Irene that she loved her made the vampire's heart race, and her face flush as she smiled happily.

Seulgi felt the vampire's heart race and the warmth that arrived later, and she knew that Irene blushed. She didn’t know the cause but still smiled as she nuzzled Irene happily as she felt herself dozing off while listening to Irene’s heartbeat and the rise and fall of her chest. It was so soothing to Seulgi, and without knowing, she fell back asleep.

Irene wrapped her arms around Seulgi and held her happily as she too drifted off again. The next time that they woke up, the sun was up, and they could tell that it was still early. The sky was a beautiful orange threaded with pinks, and Irene couldn’t help but lay there with Seulgi in her arms and enjoy the view.

What had she done before she ran away? Why had she never watched the sunrise? It was absolutely beautiful, but she never found the time for it. But why? What was more important than living? She wondered before she remembered. Her family…

Irene came from a very rich and powerful vampire family similar to Minji Bora and Handong, but unlike their parents, Irene’s were extremely strict and wanted her to behave how they thought someone of their stature should act.

Even when she was little, she was never able to behave like a child. She was always in lessons and classes to teach her why she was better than everyone else, and she hated it. If she wasn’t afraid of disappointing her father, she would have run away much sooner.

But when she overheard her father talking to her mother about how the new alpha in town was powerful and also from a powerful family, they talked about if a marriage proposal would be a good idea. She was never asked what her thoughts were, and when she confronted them. She was told that maybe she should just be a little more open-minded and ignore all of the nasty rumors going around about him if it would help the family.

Irene didn’t know if that wolf grabbed her that day knowing what her parents had in mind or not, but she wanted nothing of it. She had unwillingly led a sheltered life only to be thrown to the wolves literally, and she would rather die than be with him.

But who knew that she would end up finding the one for her when she expected to die? The rumors were that you wouldn’t survive this mountain, and after the commotion at an old factory, some wolves had come back to town seeming completely mad as they talked about the cursed mountain.

But here she was, safe and sound holding someone that she cared so deeply for that sometimes it hurt. She loved the girl in her arms so much that sometimes her heart would ache happily. It was the weirdest thing, but she wouldn’t change anything.

Well, maybe one thing. She wanted to learn who was teaching Seulgi these new things. How did they know to teach her that Irene needed blood? There were so many questions running through her head and only one way to answer them. She needed to meet the ones that have been feeding Seulgi.

Once Seulgi was fully awake, Irene decided it was time to ask her to take her with her this time. Every morning, Seulgi would wake up and head off to find food and would come back later with a basket filled with all sorts of food.

When Seulgi looked up at Irene, she could see that her expression was serious and sat up curiously. Something was bothering Irene, and Seulgi wanted to know what it was.

“Seulgi… can you bring me with you? When you go for food?” Irene asked as Seulgi turned her head curiously. She understood what Irene was asking, but she couldn’t understand WHY.

Why would she want to go with Seulgi? Was Irene finally bored with living in the forest? Did she grow tired of her already? Seulgi’s head was swimming with images of Irene leaving her, and it hurt.

Seulgi didn’t want to lose Irene. With the short time that she has known her, Irene has become her world. Losing her would crush Seulgi. Fear made her refuse to take Irene with her. But what happened next caught Seulgi off guard.

Seulgi was completely weak to Irene pouts. And here was an extremely adorable pout on Irene’s face. Seulgi could feel her resolve melting as she looked at the cute expression and frowned. Irene knew she won when Seulgi frowned and jumped up in excitement as she hugged Seulgi around the neck excitedly.

It was now Seulgi’s time to pout as she sighed heavily and stood with a frown as she helped Irene up. If they wanted to get there before all the food was gone, then they needed to leave soon.

-Breakfast-

Siyeon made sure that everyone was up, and soon they all were sitting at the dinner table as they chatted about different topics when Yoohyeon asked Wonho a question that got everyone's attention.

“last night, Sunmi called you old. You don’t look old, but wolves don’t really age much after their twenties. How old are you?” Yoohyeon asked as Wonho paused to think about it.

“I don’t actually remember. I stopped counting when I hit my seventies, and that was many many years ago.” Wonho said as he looked to Sunmi. She would probably have a better answer for the girls than he did.

“I think we met about a century ago. They were still teens and had just escaped a bad situation when we met. So, you are at least one hundred years old. Old man.” Sunmi teased as Wonho laughed and pointed his fork at her.

“then what does that make you? A granny?” he asked as Chungha giggled furiously and put her arms around Sunmi’s waist.

“believe me. She's far from a granny. Grannies are never that flexible!” Chungha said as both Wonho and Hyunwoo gagged at the mental image that popped into their heads.

“ugh! Please! Now I'm imagining a wrinkly Sunmi doing naked backbends, and I will never unsee that!” Gahyeon said as Dami choked on her food. She wasn’t expecting her mate to say that at all.

“yes, let's please not talk about that. The images are quite terrifying…” Hyunwoo said as everyone giggled around the table while Sunmi pouted.

“I have a great body I hope you know! I am still in my twenties in fox years!” Sunmi said with a pout as Chungha giggled and hid her face against Sunmi’s neck to try to stop the laughter.

“so, you had to escape a bad situation? Was it similar to the one that we are in?” Siyeon asked curiously as Wonho thought of the answer.

“well… yes and no. You see, at the time we were born, there was a huge black-market trade, and dogfighting was very popular in the underground scenes. Someone got the idea to breed wolves to fight for their entertainment, and that’s what we were dragged into.” Wonho said as everyone looked at him in shock.

“I was kidnapped from my family around age ten. Hyunwoo was born in captivity, though. He was bred to be strong and powerful while I was always weak and scrawny.” Wonho said as the others looked at him in disbelief.

“what? Are you shocked about Hyunwoo’s past or me being scrawny?” Wonho asked with a smile as everyone thought.

“both,” the girls chorused as Wonho and Hyunwoo smirked before he continued with the story. This would explain why the two males were so great at fighting. They had to fight to live.

“at the time, Hyunwoo went by the name his ‘owner’ gave him. Shownu. He hates it now because it reminds him of his past, While I prefer the name that was chosen for me. I went from being weak and defenseless to strong and confident. I don’t want to forget my past but grow stronger from it.” Wonho said as the girls nodded.

The two seemed very different, and this could explain why. Siyeon wondered why the taller one seemed so quiet and stoic. But he was raised to be that way. Siyeon couldn’t imagine living that lifestyle. How they managed to live a normal life after all of that was amazing.

“is that why you look like a hybrid? Because they bred you to be stronger? Like a new type of wolf?” Dami asked as Hyunwoo’s expression darkened.

“I don’t know. There were rumors that I was a hybrid of something or that I'm just a rare genetic trait that surfaced. I don’t know, but I do know that I was the top fighter.” Hyunwoo said as Dami nodded in understanding. She too didn’t know about her parents until recently.

“Hyunwoo is a bit touchy about his past because no matter what we did, we could never find out about his past. Even when we confronted his ‘owner.’ She said that she didn’t know who his father was. It was part of a breeding program where she sent his mother to some stranger, and his mother was returned pregnant.” Wonho said as the girls looked on in shock.

“people really behaved like that?” Minji asked as Wonho nodded.

“I know it seems hard to believe, but it didn’t take much of a push from someone fighting dogs to get the idea to fight wolves. We had to learn to fight with and without our wolf forms to survive. It’s the thing that kept us alive, and I'm glad that we can help someone with this knowledge. It allows us to turn this negative experience into a positive one.” Wonho said as Siyeon nodded to herself.

“But you didn’t escape that life that easily, did you? that’s why you said that your past is kind of like ours, isn’t it?” Siyeon asked as he nodded.

“once we thought we were free, we found out how quickly we were wrong. Many wolves thought of us as rogue wolves or humans’ pets that needed to be put down. So, they all came to try to take out the threats. But they couldn’t win against us. That made stronger and stronger opponents show up.” Wonho said as he looked ad Hyunwoo as they remembered the past.

“it’s why we like to travel and not stay in one place for too long. If we do, we still draw people even now.” Hyunwoo said as Sunmi remembered the last time that they visited.

“last time you angered another shapeshifter by refusing her and her whole family went after you. what kind of shifters were they again?” Sunmi asked with a smirk as she watched him shiver.

“birds. They could shapeshift into birds or just use their wings while in human form. Its where most of the legends of angels came from. Don’t they know I have a fear of heights!” Wonho shouted as Sunmi laughed and shook her head.

She remembered when the woman grabbed him and tried to take him flying to cure him of his fears, but it backfired. He panicked and shifted, causing her to drop him. It didn’t help his fear of heights at all.

“so how long will you stay here? You said yourself that you like to travel, so how long will you be staying here?” Siyeon asked as the two looked at each other before looking back at Siyeon.

“until we are sure that you can protect yourself. Hopefully, that will not take long. We don’t want to draw any more opponents to you or… his bird lover…” Hyunwoo said as he tried to keep a straight face while Wonho paled at the mention of her.

“so how did you two become mates? I'm curious.” Gahyeon asked as everyone looked at the two wondering the same thing.

“well, when I was first brought to the compound, I was weak and always picked on. One day Hyunwoo saw me getting bullied and got in a fight protecting me. He was the one that taught me to fight and helped me get stronger. Without him, I would have probably been killed long ago.” Wonho said as Hyunwoo nodded.

“We ended up being the top two fighters. We knew it would happen eventually, and one day they announced that we would fight each other. We had discussed what to do if that were to happen, and we knew we would get beaten for it but on the night of the fight… we refused to fight.” Hyunwoo said as Wonho smiled and looked at him.

“I'm sure that didn’t go well…” Handong said as Elkie held onto her arm nervously.

“it didn’t. We were almost beaten to death. But once we were strong enough to walk, we planned our escape and freed the others. But do you know that some refused to leave?” Wonho said as the girls looked at him in surprise.

“It’s because it was all they knew, wasn’t it?” Elkie’s mother asked as she walked up. She had spent the last couple days in her room and finally made her appearance to the relief of the girls.

Hyunwoo smiled and nodded at the woman and pulled out the empty chair beside him for her as she sat down nervously. She was still not comfortable around alpha males. It took her a lot of time to come out of her room when she found out that they were here.

“yes. Most of them were born in captivity like I was. They didn’t know how to live normally and would rather stick to what they know. Even if it means that they may die.” Hyunwoo said as she nodded.

“There was one like that I used to know. Sadly, instead of helping the boy adapt to normal life, he was raised to be an emotionless monster by my ex-husband.” Elkie’s mother said as her daughter thought for a second.

“you are talking about Bambam, aren’t you?” Elkie asked as her mother nodded.

“he was born in captivity too but was sold to the pack like a pet with his friend. Instead of their lives getting better, they got worse as my ex-husband made sure that no emotions except anger and rage were left. He told everyone that they just showed up wanting to join. But I was there when he bought them.” Her mother said as Hyunwoo nodded.

“it's still like this now in some places, but it was worse back then. We have taken out several fighting rings in the past, and now they are getting sneakier as they try to cover their tracks.” Wonho said as everyone fell quiet. It was a shock to know that this practice was still going on.

_‘why? Why they hurt others like that?’_ Sol asked as he looked up from blinding Handong to Hyunwoo and Wonho.

“I don’t know the answer to that. I wonder the same thing every night. But all we can do is make sure that we balance the negative in the world with positive.” Wonho said with a smile as Sol thought quietly for a couple of seconds.

_‘like when I help people?’_ Sol asked as Wonho nodded.

“yes, Sol. Helping someone helps the world be a bit more positive.” Wonho said as Sol shook happily. He liked knowing that he was doing something good in the world.

_‘oh! Friend is here!’_ Sol said as he stood up and held his two halves of his pot together and walked outside.

“why is his pot broken?” Wonho asked as Gahyeon shook her head.

“don’t ask him about it or he sulks. It was his first gift, and he was heartbroken when it broke. Whenever he remembers it, he pouts and looks for a replacement from our belongings.

“last night, he refused to leave our closet as he tried out our luggage because he ‘liked that it had wheels’ but it wasn’t comfortable enough and left leaving a ton of dirt all over our clothes…”Yoohyeon said as Minji laughed.

“he refused to leave the closet and finally slammed the door in Yoohyeon’s face. They spent the next ten minutes playing tug of war with the door before he finally let go to stalk out, saying he didn’t like our luggage while Yoohyeon went flying across the room…”Minji said as she snorted while Yoohyeon rolled her eyes.

“It was not that funny…” Yoohyeon said with a pout as Minji, and the others tried to fight back laughter.

_‘may want to see this!’_ Sol said quickly as he peaked into the room and walked back outside.

“He seems excited for something…” Gahyeon said as she stood, followed by Dami. They were curious at what got Sol so excited.

“ok, now I have to know too…” Siyeon said as she stood followed by the others as they walked out the door and found Sol and Seulgi.

Sol was gently petting Seulgi as she held her knees and pouted. Whatever it was she was here for, It wasn’t just food this time. She seemed upset.

“what's wrong?” Dami asked as Sol asked Seulgi in images. He was shortly answered as she showed the images of her conversation with Irene that morning followed by a lone image of Irene watching Seulgi climb over the wall.

_‘Irene here?’_ Sol asked as everyone's eyes went wide as they looked at Seulgi in shock.

“Why does she seem upset, though?” Dami asked as Sol asked the bear.

_‘she worried Irene won't like her after she meets someone… not wild? What word?’_ Sol asked as he looked at Dami.

“I will work with you later to help you practice your words. Right now, we need to make sure she is ok. Is that alright, Sol?” Dami asked as Sol nodded happily.

_‘ok! Over wall!’_ Sol said as Dami went running. She was quickly followed by Seulgi. She didn’t trust leaving Irene alone with the wolf.

“coming over!” Dami shouted as she quickly ran and grabbed the low branch and flung herself over the wall, and almost landed on Irene.

The two jumped back in shock as Irene examined Dami closely.

“you are Dami, aren’t you? Minji’s girl?” Irene asked as Dami gave her a strange look.

“Minji’s girl?” Dami asked as Irene laughed, realizing her wording and nodded.

“the girl that no one was allowed to mess with without feeling Minji’s wrath,” Irene said with a smile as Dami laughed and nodded.

Seulgi didn’t like the exchange and pouted, causing Irene to laugh and walk over to hug Seulgi only to squeak as the girl picked her up and spun her around happily. The vampire laughed happily in Seulgi’s arms.

“ok, put me down I'm getting dizzy!” Irene said as Seulgi set her down carefully.

“you seem very fond of her,” Dami said with a smile as she watched the two. Irene blushed as she nodded and looked at the ground.

“yes. I do. And I wondered how she knew I needed blood. This explains so much!” Irene said as Dami laughed and nodded.

“Come, let's walk around the wall and maybe get you a warm shower or something,” Dami said as Irene smiled happily. A shower sounded amazing to the vampire right now.

“Are you sure we wouldn’t be intruding?” Irene asked as Dami assured her that it was alright and led the way.

After a couple of minutes, the girls walked to the front of the gate, where the others were waiting. Dami had told them where they were headed as Siyeon, and the others waited patiently for the three to arrive.

When Dami Irene and Seulgi finally made it around the wall to the gates, Siyeon smiled as she opened the gate.

Irene froze as she looked at everyone and slowly put everything together. The fight at the warehouse and everything else. But how could so few do so much damage? It made Irene curious.

“Siyeon? Minji? Bora? And of course, Handong. What is going on here? Why are you on this cursed mountain?” Irene asked as Siyeon sighed.

“it’s a LONG story. Let's get you inside first.” Siyeon said as she turned around and led everyone inside. But they forgot to do one thing. They didn’t close the gate back. With the gate open, the wards on it were useless.

“This house is beautiful…” Irene said as she looked around in amazement.

“thank you. it was my mothers.” Minji said as she led Irene to another spare room and showed her where the bathroom was and had Yoohyeon bring her some clothes that they thought would fit the vampire.

“thank you…” Irene sighed with happiness as she looked at the shower excitedly. The thought of warm water washing over her sore muscles sounded amazing.

“no problem. We will be downstairs. Oh, and we tried to get her to bring you blood bags, but she refused. You may have to drink them while she can't see…” Minji said as Irene nodded.

“so, that’s why you told her that I needed to feed,” Irene said as Minji nodded apologetically.

“We tried to convince her, but she's so stubborn…” Minji said as Irene laughed and nodded.

“she is, but I love her,” Irene said without knowing it and froze. She had never said that before to anyone, and it just came out so easily right now. And for a girl, she just met no less.

“love, huh… you two do make a cute couple…” Minji said as she left with a wink as Irene turned a bright red.

Seulgi didn’t know what Irene said, but she could tell by Irene’s blush that it was about her and smiled happily as she put her arms around Irene’s waist and pulled her closer.

Irene couldn’t look at her for a second as she tried to get her blushing under control but soon felt a slender finger under her chin as her head was tilted up so that Seulgi could look at her.

Irene looked up into Seulgi’s eyes and saw the bear smile softly before she kissed her gently. Ever since their first kiss, they felt something special for each other. They didn’t know how to describe it, but it was always there.

“want to join me in the shower?” Irene asked as Seulgi tilted her head curiously as she was pulled into the bathroom as Irene shut the door.

It turned out Seulgi was not a fan of hot showers. Or at least she wasn’t prepared for it. When Irene turned on the water, it had Seulgi’s attention, but that quickly changed when Irene started taking off her clothes.

It was Seulgi that now blushed as Irene looked up and giggled. She had no problem walking around naked, but Irene being naked caused the bear to blush? Irene found that cute.

But Seulgi didn’t know that Irene’s plan was to get Seulgi bathed and dressed before going back downstairs. She didn’t want the others looking at Seulgi’s beautiful body. It was only for Irene’s eyes only. It turned out that Irene was also possessive.

After several minutes of Irene pulling Seulgi under the water only for her to scramble out of it, Irene decided on a new tactic.

Irene quickly pressed her body against Seulgi’s as she kissed the bear passionately. It succeeded in distracting Seulgi as Irene led them back under the water. Several minutes and steamy kisses later, both girls were bathed, and Irene was drying Seulgi’s hair for her as they smiled at each other in the mirror.

Irene brushed Seulgi’s hair and quickly gave it a trim before they moved on to the clothes. Luckily there were two sets of clothes here, and one set was obviously from Yoohyeon. It was clearly meant for a taller person than Irene.

After several more minutes and distraction kisses, Seulgi was dressed in a white oversized hoodie and sweats while Irene was in a comfortable sweater and shorts that seemed to be Bora’s judging by how short they were.

Irene led Seulgi downstairs, and everyone couldn’t help but look at Seulgi in shock. Her new brushed and cut hair looked amazing on her. They knew that she was beautiful, and it was easy to see even with her in an oversized hoodie and sweats.

“thank you. that shower felt amazing after being lost in the woods for so long…” Irene said as Seulgi nervously took her hand without thinking. She didn’t like everyone staring at her.

“no problem. We are just glad you are alright. When we heard your voice over the wall, we knew that you had to be starving.” Siyeon said as Irene smiled at the kind wolf.

“Seulgi? Are you hungry?” Siyeon asked as the girl looked excitedly at Siyeon and nodded. The wolf smiled and led everyone back to the breakfast table.

“Why are there so many plates?” Irene asked as Minji flopped down and took a bite out of her food to Irene’s horror.

“Minji! you are going to make yourself sick!” Irene said as Minji looked at her with a confused expression before she realized the problem.

“oh! No, we are part of Siyeon’s pack now. The side effect is that we can eat solid food now. It's ok!” Minji said as Irene looked from girl to girl before finally looking to the two boys.

“so, they are the alpha males? But don’t the males lead?” Irene asked as Wonho laughed.

“We are here to help them, but we are not here for taking over Siyeon’s pack. We are here for help only.” Wonho said as he smiled sincerely as she shook her head. Everything sounded crazy.

_‘hi, stubborn girl…’_ Sol said as Irene squinted at the plant and stuck her tongue out at him. Sol puffed up in offense as he pointed at her.

_‘you see that?!? Rude!’_ Sol said as he stomped over to sit beside Gahyeon. Seulgi laughed at the interaction. She found the way the two would always bicker was hilarious, even if she didn’t understand all that they were saying.

“you know Sol?” Gahyeon asked as Irene nodded and quickly explained about her injured ankle.

“Sol… you knew about Irene and acted like you didn’t know who w-was making Seulgi happy lately…” Dami said as Sol jumped guiltily.

_‘uh oh… promised Seulgi… secret. I'm sorry…’_ Sol said sadly as Gahyeon smiled at the plant. He was trying to keep a promise so they couldn’t fault him for that. But they will need to teach him what is ok for secrets and what isn’t later.

As the group continued breakfast and they chatted happily, the two quietly held each other's hands under the table. Both girls were nervous, and it helped calm them greatly.

Breakfast was almost over when there was a call on Siyeon’s cell. The wolf looked at her phone for a second before answering it.

“Hello? Jinyoung? What's wrong?” Siyeon asked as she listened and soon tensed. Everyone was suddenly on high alert by her reaction and looked at her worriedly. Once Siyeon hung up, she stood quickly and ran to the front door while shouting.

“Sunmi, we didn’t lock the damn gate, and that male has been missing in town for several hours!” Siyeon said as she made it to the front door to hear a loud banging as someone beat on the door.

Siyeon and the others went dead silent as she looked back at them. This didn’t sound good…


	53. Chapter 53

-A Brief Confrontation-

Siyeon screeched to a halt from her race to the door when someone banging loudly on the door. Siyeon mentally swore at herself. She should have remembered to close the damn gate! Because she didn’t, she put everyone at risk and was kicking herself mentally for the mistake.

Wonho and Hyunwoo stood and rushed to the door. If there was going to be a fight, they needed to make sure that the girls were not the first ones to open the door just in case an ambush was planned.

Wonho quickly opened the door and stepped out with Hyunwoo. The two exuded their alpha auras as they faced the idiot from town with three others standing around him.

They didn’t seem confident to stand beside their alpha. Instead, they seemed to fear him. They were slightly leaned away from him and would continuously look out of the corner of their eyes at him like they were trying to judge his mood at the moment.

Wonho knew from their reactions that this alpha was unpredictable and started to worry. The more unpredictable a wolf is, the harder they are to fight. It was one of the things that they learned when they would have to fight for their lives.

“go figure you two would be here… here to take my prizes?” the alpha asked as Wonho scoffed and stepped forward.

“your prizes? There is nothing for you here. Leave now while you still have your head attached to your body…” Wonho said as he let out a low growl while his eyes flashed an iridescent red.

The sight of Wonho’s eyes caught the alpha off guard. It reminded him of a vampire's eyes, but it was a bit different, and the alpha couldn’t help but feel nervous. Something was different with this wolf and the one standing beside him.

They both had an aura of confidence that made him nervous. And he HATED feeling nervous. His packmates noticed his jaw tense and knew something was coming.

“gas them!” he shouted as they quickly let loose two cans that released a smoke obscuring everything as Wonho and Hyunwoo quickly put their backs to each other while waiting for an ambush.

Siyeon saw the smoke and ran out with the others to give the two some help. She didn’t know if the two wolves had as much experience as they did with fighting blind. They had a lot of experience with Dami’s shadows.

As soon as Siyeon ran out there with her pack, she realized that something was wrong. Wonho and Hyunwoo were starting to struggle to stand. Whatever was in this gas, it was making them weak. It's not often that something like this can work on their kind. It meant one thing… this gas was from the government. How this alpha got ahold of it, they had no idea, but Siyeon and the others couldn’t move back inside fast enough as they felt their legs going numb and collapse out from under them.

Sol felt Gahyeon’s sudden panic as her body began to feel sluggish as she started to feel herself going numb and quickly ran outside to find his girls collapsing in the smoke.

For the first time, Sol felt pure rage. He shot his vines above the smoke so that he could feel the sunlight and felt a surge in energy that he shared with all of the plants around the smoke. Quickly they filtered the air for the girls as Sol grew rapidly as he pulled in the foul smoke, and soon the smoke dissipated.

Sol, however, felt the effects of the smoke, unlike the other plants, as he felt himself shrink back down to normal size and felt unable to move as the smoke dissipated completely.

The alpha looked surprised that the smoke cleared so quickly but smiled as he noticed that it was still effective. Siyeon and the others were too weak to stand though they struggled to.

“it's useless. You will be weak for several hours. It's More than enough time for me to kill your mates and claim you as mine. Or maybe I will just toy with you for a bit. Who knows!” the alpha said as he laughed while his packmates flinched away from him.

“Stop this!” Irene shouted as she looked at everyone lying on the ground, looking helpless. She knew how strong the girls were from the rumors of what happened at the warehouse, and obviously, so did he if he planned such a dirty trick.

“well… look who it is! We thought you died up here! Now I have another toy to play with!” he said happily as he slowly made his way towards Irene.

Irene was frozen in fear. She didn’t know why he scared her so much, but it is even worse now that it was before. But if she were going to have some tragic fate, at least she would say what she wanted before it.

“too weak to take them on one on one? Not man enough to do it? You had to resort to tricks?” Irene asked with a glare that luckily hid how terrified she was.

The alpha froze in place for a second as rage flashed across his face. He didn’t like being called out on his tactics. He knew that if the rumors were true, then the girls would be extremely powerful. Too strong for him and his small pack. So, he decided to play dirty. But here was some worthless vampire challenging him and he didn’t like it one bit.

“you talk a lot for someone who ran away instead of standing up to me…” he said with a growl as he slowly approached again.

“says the one who refuses to give his name to ANYONE! No one knows who you are, and that makes you a nobody. You realize that, right? No one will remember your name because you are too afraid to give it. I'm right, aren’t I?” Irene asked as she watched the wolf's face turn purple.

It was like she knew all of his buttons and could press them at the same time. He quickly took the last steps to her and grabbed her jaw harshly as he tilted her head up so that she had to look at his eyes. She saw the rage behind it, and instead of showing fear, Irene smirked, only agitating him more.

Seulgi came to the door as she felt something wrong and watched as some male grabbed her Irene roughly. Seulgi suddenly saw red as she noticed how terrified Irene was. Though she wasn’t showing it on her face, Seulgi could see it all over her body, and when the wolf finally struck Irene hard enough across the face to knock her to the ground, something clicked in Seulgi as she let out a terrifying roar and charged the wolf.

Seulgi burst through the door and shifted quickly into her bear form as she charged at them while being careful not to step on the girls.

The alpha's eyes went wide as the large bear barreled towards him. Without thinking, he gave the orders for his packmates to attack. They quickly followed his orders as the two females lunged in at Seulgi. There was no way for her to dodge them in her bear form, but she suddenly remembered what the two wolves had taught the girls.

Quickly she turned sideways and shifted out of her bear form as the two wolves barely missed her as they flew past her waist. She quickly shifted back and turned to face the next one that charged her. This one was a male with shiny black fur but seemed hesitant.

Seulgi knew that she had to stop him so that she could get to the one that hurt her Irene, and quickly charged him as the two females were trying to recover from their crash landing after barely missing the bear.

The black wolf lunged in and tried to distract her while she felt the two positioning themselves behind her for an ambush. But she was ready. Seulgi was extremely fast even though she was a bear, and she also didn’t fit the typical bear stereotype of being clumsy. She was the complete opposite, and when they lunged at her, they learned it the hard way.

One of the wolves that was smaller lunged at Seulgi from behind only to have Seulgi rear on her hind legs and smash her out of the air as a yelp echoed throughout the area.

The other female quickly lunged for her other arm and bit down hard as she hung from Seulgi. The wolf was trying to slow her down so that the male could attack her a bit easier, but as he lunged at her, he was met with the wolf that was dangling from Seulgi a second ago.

Seulgi swung her arm forcefully as she flung the girl right into the nervous male. The two yipped in pain and didn’t move. They were knocked out cold.

Seulgi quickly spun around to look for the one she batted away and found her struggling to stand. Seulgi was ready for her to attack, but instead, the wolf slowly walked over to the two knocked out wolves as she whimpered at the female and nuzzled her softly before laying beside her and rested her head on the other girl.

The alpha roared in anger as he watched what little members of his pack he had taken out so quickly by only one opponent. And what made it worse is that instead of fighting to the end, one of his packmates chose to check on their mate.

He honestly didn’t understand the feeling of what a mate was and didn’t want to. He thought it would make him weak, and quickly he shifted. He was determined that if his packmates weren't going to follow orders than they didn’t deserve to be in his pack.

Seulgi was ready to fight the alpha but didn’t think she would have to protect his own packmates from him in the process. She quickly noticed that his eyes filled with rage, and when he shifted, he moved towards his packmates instead of her.

Seulgi’s protective instincts kicked in as she quickly put herself between his packmates and the raging alpha. She knew that if this was a trap, she had just exposed her back to the enemy, but the girl only looked up weakly as she let out a soft whimper as she snuggled back against her mate.

He didn’t like being blocked from his targets, and this bear did it twice. She first stopped him from touching Irene, who was still slightly dazed as she watched the fight unfold before her. And again, as he was blocked from his own packmates.

_‘bear… I don’t care who you are but move away from them. I can do with them what I please. They are MY pack. Not yours…’_ he said as Seulgi ignored him. She didn’t understand half of it after all. All she knew was that she needed to crush him so that Irene and the others were safe.

When Seulgi didn’t move after his warning, he felt even more enraged. She completely ignored him, and he felt like she was refusing to accept that he was an alpha. It made him feel like less of a man, and he hated it.

With a snarl, he lunged forward, but unlike his human form, he was smaller compared to Siyeon and the others. His fur was also just an ordinary brown. Nothing stood out to say that he was a powerful alpha at all, and Seulgi felt no fear as she stared at him.

When he lunged forward, Seulgi decided she was going to play with him. She was determined to make him pay for hurting her Irene, and when he was almost to her, she smashed him out of the air with a powerful paw.

Her long nails left deep gashes in his shoulder as he went flying backward to land very ungracefully with a thump. It was the first time he was up against someone that was so much stronger than him that he felt helpless. For once, he felt weak, and he wished for his older brother to be here with him.

With a grunt, he stood up and turned to face the bear only to be staring at her human form instead. She had a challenging look on her face, but he felt like she was giving up. Why else would she shift out of such a strong form?

When he lunged in, he quickly understood why as she pulled on the strength of her bear form and launched him backward with a slap so hard that everyone winced. Siyeon and the others may not be able to stand, but they were definitely watching and were quite impressed with the power Seulgi put behind that his to knock him back thirty feet so easily.

It had to sting both physically and mentally. He was actually backhanded out of the air and knocked back several feet without Seulgi even looking like she was trying.

His head was spinning, and his neck was killing him as he staggered to his feet. He refused to be treated like this. He wasn’t some toy to be batted around like it was nothing. He gathered all of his remaining strength and charged forward, but Seulgi was ready. She wanted to finish this now.

Irene was still not getting up, and it was making Seulgi extremely worried for her. So this needed to be ended now and she was ready.

When the wolf charged, Seulgi went up on her hind legs and swung down with such force that when her paw connected to his skull, the sound of it crunching was audible throughout the area as he dropped instantly.

That quickly and it was ended. Irene couldn’t believe it. She ran away from her own home from this terrible alpha, and the one that she fell in love with while fleeing from him just ended him in seconds.

Irene should feel relieved, but instead, she was only worried about Seulgi. Her arm was bleeding heavily from the wound that wolf inflicted when she hung from her, and just the sight of it made Irene’s heart hurt.

Seulgi slowly lowered back down only to rear up again as she heard running from the trail as three wolves burst through the gate to freeze as they stared at Seulgi’s giant bear form.

_‘is that the bear?’_ Youngjae asked as he looked at Seulgi in shock as Jinyoung looked around in a panic. He saw all of the girls on the ground and thought the worst as he quickly turned to face Seulgi.

“wait! Don’t! Seulgi only helped us! She didn’t hurt anyone!” Irene shouted as she struggled to her feet. When Seulgi saw the panicked look on Irene, she quickly shifted back and ran to the vampire.

Irene quickly wrapped her arms around Seulgi protectively as Jinyoung slowly took a step forward and shifted back into his human form.

“We know. We met her once before. Though I don’t think we can say she didn’t hurt ANYONE… Jinyoung joked as he looked at the dead alpha and his injured packmates.

Seulgi didn’t know what Irene was so afraid of, but she didn’t like her shaking in fear. She carefully snuggled against Irene as the vampire slowly relaxed in Seulgi’s hold. But she could smell Seulgi’s blood as it dripped down her arm and onto Irene.

“your arm…” Irene said softly as she carefully shifted in Seulgi’s hold so that she could see the wound. It was quite bad. When Seulgi flung the wolf off of her, it caused her arm to be ripped open. It must be excruciating, but Seulgi stood there calmly as Irene checked the wound.

“Siyeon?” Jinyoung called as he looked around and finally spotted her. The alpha was using her own body to protect Bora, who seemed to have been knocked out from the smoke. In fact, all of the vampires were unconscious from the gas. Dami and Gahyeon were conscious but barely.

What worried Jinyoung the most was that Sol was quiet in his pot as his vines lay limply beside him. He quickly walked over to Sol as he called out to him. But Sol was quiet. He didn’t know that Sol was just feeling the effects of the drug and was basically stoned and didn’t know anyone was talking to him.

Gahyeon also was feeling the effects that Sol was as she giggled beside Dami. Just like Siyeon, Dami shielded Gahyeon with her own body, and she couldn’t help but worry when Gahyeon started giggling like she was drugged.

“Siyeon… something is wrong with Sol…” Jinyoung said as Siyeon groaned while struggling to stand. It wasn’t working well, but at least she managed to sit up.

Wonho and Hyunwoo were feeling it the hardest, though. They were in the smoke for longer, and their sheer size made it difficult for Yugyeom to lift him. In the end, he ended up calling Youngjae as they finally got the two up and inside one at a time.

Next, the boys moved the vampires, followed by Sunmi and Chungha. They were worried about moving Gahyeon, but while they got the others inside, the sunlight's position changed. The light was now shining down on Sol and Gahyeon.

Dami was still beside her and could feel the change in her mate as soon as the sunlight touched her. But the only issue was that Dami was blocking most of the sunlight from reaching her.

With a groan, Dami struggled and rolled away from Gahyeon as her mate sighed softly. The sunlight felt good against her skin, and her head was clearing as she felt her energy surging.

Dami could feel as well as see the change in Gahyeon when Jinyoung came back out of the house with the others.

“move… Sol… into sunlight…” Dami whispered weakly, but luckily, she didn’t have to repeat herself. The issue was that they couldn’t grab his broken pot with his thorny vines lying limply beside him.

It was then that Seulgi walked over. She had watched the boys struggle as they tried to avoid Sol’s thorns carefully and decided to help. After all, she is immune to Sol’s numbing thorns.

Her arm was now treated and bandaged, so she was confident she wouldn’t have a problem lifting Sol up and moving him.

Seulgi slowly walked over and carefully slid her arms on either side of his broken pot so that when she lifted him, the pot wouldn’t get damaged and brought him where Jinyoung pointed.

They all waited as they watched him for several minutes. Slowly they started to see movement though it was severely creeping out the boys.

Sol’s vines were slowly starting to twitch and wiggle. It reminded them of snakes, causing them to shiver as they watched the effects of the smoke wear off of him.

After several more minutes, Sol seemed like he was back to normal, and Gahyeon was as well. The sunlight definitely had an odd effect on both Sol and Gahyeon, but Dami was just happy that Gahyeon seemed like herself again as she gently touched Dami’s face as the cool tingling of her power flowed over Dami.

The older girl smiled as she felt the sluggishness lifting and looked over to Gahyeon, who was smiling sweetly at her.

“I love you. I was so worried when you didn’t seem like yourself…” Dami said as she carefully leaned over and kissed Gahyeon gently but was interrupted by Jinyoung.

“that’s sweet, and all but let's get you inside, and then we can decide to do with the one dead wolf and three unconscious wolves on your lawn…” Jinyoung said as the two girls sighed. They would have to continue this later.

After everyone was inside, Gahyeon helped Sunmi and Chungha as the effects of the smoke slowly wore off, and once they were back to normal, the three moved through the group as they helped everyone. They worked their way through everyone, and now it was Seulgi’s turn.

Seulgi was hesitant to let anyone but Irene look at her arm, though. She was like a wounded animal that wouldn’t let them near her, but whenever Irene would touch her, the girl would relax slightly.

Sunmi tried first, but it didn’t go well as Seulgi flinched and leaned against Irene nervously. Irene would complain, but she found it adorable how Seulgi went to her for comfort when she was nervous. Clearly, Irene was the one she trusted most, and that made the vampire smile happily as she leaned down and kissed Seulgi’s forehead.

Irene was sitting on a counter when Gahyeon treated her, and that made Irene taller than the bear for once. For some reason, it made Seulgi even more cuddly than usual as she snuggled against Irene nervously.

Seulgi knew she was acting silly. The girls wouldn’t hurt her, but she was just hesitant to let someone other than Irene touch her while she was injured. She could see the others felt better almost instantly, and it would be amazing if her arm would stop throbbing so painfully, but she was still feeling nervous.

Gahyeon looked to Irene for help. The vampire had bandaged her wound, but the bandage was soaked entirely with blood now, and the bear was looking slightly woozy.

Irene knew what Gahyeon wanted and gently rested her hands on Seulgi’s cheeks as the girl looked at her with curiosity. But when Irene leaned in for a kiss, the bear quickly leaned in to meet her. Just like before, it distracted the bear and allowed Gahyeon to quickly heal the injury and move away before Seulgi could notice.

She wouldn’t notice until much later, though. The vampire had her complete attention as Seulgi looked at Irene with the sweetest expression she had ever seen. The soft smile on her lips was just for Irene, and she could feel her heart melt at those beautiful eyes.

“you know… I know this is a bit of a personal question, but have you two slept together yet?” Siyeon asked as Irene’s face went bright red, and she started stammering incoherently.

“I only ask because I am starting to think you two are mates. The way you two look at each other is the same as I look at Bora. It looks like more than just love…” Siyeon said with a smile as Irene turned to look at Seulgi, who was starting to get sleepy from her healing as she snuggled against Irene’s collarbone as she breathed in Irene’s scent happily.

“what does being her mate mean?” Irene asked worriedly as Bora walked over. She had finally woken up and was a bit groggy but knew that it might be easier for Irene to understand if it came from another vampire.

“When I found out I was Siyeon’s mate, it was like everything felt right. There was an instant feeling that she was special. It could take your breath away.” Bora said as Irene thought back to their first kiss. She had never really been interested in kissing others, so she just assumed that it always felt so powerful, but when she explained it to both Siyeon and Bora, they smiled widely.

“that sounds like you two are mates. You are meant to be together. And when the time finally does come, it becomes official. For wolves, our scent changes to let others know we are taken. I don’t know how she will change, but it lets others know that we are not interested because we have someone.” Siyeon said as Irene looked at Seulgi, sleeping in her arms.

“I wouldn’t want to do that yet. I still don’t know if she understands all of her feelings. She can't even understand most words yet. I wouldn’t want to make her do something before she is ready…” Irene said as she gently stroked Seulgi’s hair as she slept.

“I'm not expecting you to do anything right now. Though you can, if you won't just be in a room first…” Bora teased as Siyeon elbowed her.

“but what Siyeon was trying to say is that you are meant for each other, so don’t let her slip away. It's hard to explain how happy I am with Siyeon. I love everything she does. I also love to tease her…” Bora said as her hand snaked behind the alpha as she jumped in surprise.

She was the victim of another random Bora butt groping, and Irene couldn’t help but giggle at Siyeon’s startled reaction. The two were cute together. Actually, everyone was cute together. Irene had always envied Minji and Yoohyeon back in school. They always looked so happy together.

Handong looked so much happier with Elkie too. Irene remembered how Handong would always watch Minji and Yoohyeon with an almost sad expression. It was almost like she was missing someone, but now she looked like she was complete.

It gave Irene a lot to think about as she looked down at Seulgi’s sleeping face and smiled. She didn’t mind spending the rest of her life with Seulgi. In fact, she could no longer imagine her life without the girl. If only she could think of a way for her parents to not interfere with her love life, she would ask Seulgi to spend the rest of their lives together.

_‘what's wrong?’_ Sol asked as he walked over to Irene after Siyeon and Bora walked away. He could tell that Irene was struggling with something and was curious as to what it was.

“what Siyeon just said has me thinking. I really want to spend the rest of my life with Seulgi, but…” Irene said as she hesitated.

_‘but?’_ Sol asked as Irene sighed. She didn’t know how to word it. Would Sol even understand? But at least she could talk to someone.

“but my parents basically control my life. They wouldn’t let me. They would want me to marry some rich son of another powerful family. They even wanted to have me marry that alpha outside. They thought he was from a powerful family and wanted to use him and me for money and power…” Irene said as Sol gasped.

_‘what if you stay here? Join Siyeon and others? They can't mess with you then, right?’_ Sol asked as Irene laughed softly.

“a vampire can't just join a pack…” Irene said as Dami spoke softly beside her, causing the vampire to jump and wake Seulgi.

“you CAN join a wolf pack. Bora Handong and Minji are part of Siyeon’s pack after all. Its how they can eat solid food. Remember?” Dami said as Irene remembered breakfast. It was true that the three could now eat solid food, and now Irene was curious to learn more. But she knew that the possibility of Siyeon accepting Irene and Seulgi would probably be slim. She did just bring that alpha to them, after all. The gate wouldn’t have been left open without Irene wanting to visit them.

“what are you frowning for?” Dami asked as Irene sighed.

“it's not like I would get accepted here anyway. You all don’t even know me well. Plus, I'm sure that my parents wouldn’t take this well…” Irene said as Dami looked at Siyeon.

“who said you wouldn’t be welcome? We all saw you stand up to that alpha even though you were terrified. You probably also have had no training in fighting, have you?” Siyeon asked as Irene blushed.

“no, I have never been taught to fight… it wasn’t proper…” Irene said as Minji scoffed and stood beside Siyeon.

“you had no fighting experience, and it looked like you expected the worst outcome but decided to stand up and speak your mind knowing you would get hurt. That was brave of you.” Siyeon said as Irene scoffed.

“no, it was stupid of me. But I just didn’t want to always keep quiet and be the obedient girl. If I was going to die, I wanted to speak my mind…” Irene said as Siyeon smiled.

“I'm still going with brave. And we would be more than happy to have you and Seulgi join us.” Siyeon said as she smiled.

“But I have no fighting experience, and Seulgi can't even talk yet…” Irene said as Dami smiled and stepped forward.

“yet. The keyword is yet. Seulgi loves to learn and figure things out. I'm sure that she would learn quicker than you think. And I wouldn’t mind helping teach her.” Dami said as Sol gently threaded his vine around Irene’s hand.

_‘I can try to help too! Not good with words yet. But trying to get better!’_ Sol said as Irene smiled. She liked Sol. Even when they argued, it was more for fun than being serious, and both Sol and Irene knew it.

“thank you, Sol. But my parents still wouldn’t leave me alone…” Irene said with sadness as she looked into Seulgi’s now awake eyes.

Seulgi stood up as she noticed the sad expression on Irene’s face and looked at her with worry. She didn’t know what to do to help make her smile again and looked at the others with a pleading expression.

“believe me when I say your parents won't be able to touch you once you join. Plus, if they wanted you to marry into a powerful family, well, we are most likely the most powerful family in town. We have two chosen of the moon. Two demon hybrids, two nine-tailed foxes and three vampires that are now so powerful that they can turn into large felines. I believe that is what you call powerful.” Sunmi said with a smile as everyone nodded.

“and don’t forget that Bora Handong and I come from the three richest vampire families. They would have nothing to complain about.” Minji said with a smile as Irene looked up, finally feeling a bit of hope. Hope of being free of the pressures of her family and finally finding a place that felt like home, and she realized that she might have finally found it.

“that’s all beautiful and everything, but what about the three living wolves outside?” Jinyoung asked as everyone looked to Siyeon for an answer.


	54. Chapter 54

-The Rogue Wolves-

Irene was thinking of the possibilities of living with Siyeon’s pack and, more importantly, Seulgi when jinyoung walked up and ruined the moment.

“that’s all beautiful and everything, but what about the three living wolves outside?” jinyoung asked as everyone looked to Siyeon.

“I'm not sure… this isn’t an ordinary situation. They clearly didn’t want to fight us. They just seemed terrified to stand up to that alpha. Plus, that one refused to fight and instead went to check on her mate. I don’t think that they will be a threat, but at the same time, they did attack Seulgi…” Siyeon thought aloud as she looked out the window at the wolves.

The two females were curled up together while the other one rested beside them. His breathing looked difficult.

“If we leave him like that, he will die…” Siyeon said as she looked at the struggling wolf. She was torn on what to do and looked at the most logical one in the pack.

“Dami? What do you think?” Siyeon asked as the younger wolf looked out of the window at the three while thinking deeply.

“I wish there was a way for us to keep them contained without putting ourselves at risk…” Dami said as she looked at the three. The male's breathing was taking a turn for the worse when Wonho struggled to his feet.

“there is a way. They used it on us when we were used in dogfighting. It’s a type of collar or shackle that is coated with a plant that stops our shifting and healing. It would allow us to heal them and question them about the one that Seulgi smashed out of existence.” Wonho said as Hyunwoo frowned. He didn’t like using that method but couldn’t think of anything else and stood as he walked out the door to fetch something out of the trunk.

“don’t mind him. He doesn’t like using the collars or shackles. I don’t blame him. He was raised with them for the first half of his life. He will be alright later.” Wonho said as Siyeon watched Hyunwoo walk out the door and down the path.

“so is It alright for us to start healing them?” Gahyeon asked as Wonho thought for a second. He was hesitant to say yes without anything to stop the unknown wolves from shifting. He didn’t want the girls to get hurt because of a slip up on his part.

He was still agitated that they used a paralysis smoke on everyone. That isn’t something that regular people could get ahold of. It was created by the government, and only the rich could afford it. It was effective on almost everything.

Very few creatures could resist that gas. It was why the government had experimented on wolves vampires and any other kinds of beings they could get their hands on over the years to perfect it.

This meant that the dead alpha was either backed by someone influential in the government or had the money to purchase such expensive things.

Setting the government on them was the last thing that they would want, so Wonho prayed that he was just some power-hungry rich boy.

Several minutes later, Hyunwoo walked back and injected something into each wolf and waited. The thing he injected would force them out of their wolf forms, and once that happened, he quickly attached a shackle around the wolves' wrists while being careful not to make their injuries worse and soon signaled to his mate that it was now safe to approach them.

As soon as he gave the signal, Gahyeon ran out and instantly started treating the male who was slowly getting worse.

It took several minutes to repair all of the broken bones, and when she did, Gahyeon realized why his breathing was so labored.

One of his ribs had broken, and the jagged edge of it punctured his lung. The more he struggled to breathe, the more blood would flood the injury, making it worse. When Gahyeon first started healing him, she noticed an odd sound that she couldn’t describe, but now she knew the cause.

Gahyeon was sure that the more she started to heal, the more she would learn, and it was beginning to catch her interest. She liked being able to heal and help others.

When she was healing his broken rib, her powers had to force the bone back into its proper place. There was a soft whimper that came from him, but after that, he went silent as his breathing became more natural, and finally, he was sound asleep.

Next was the two girls. Sunmi and Chungha were working on the one that was the most severe, so that left Gahyeon on the one that refused to fight.

When she took a closer look at the girl, she could see bruises that didn’t look new. They looked old, and she tried to cover them, but she couldn’t cover everything.

“Sunmi? Chungha? Are there old bruises on the other girl too?” Gahyeon asked as they quickly started to check and nodded.

“they look old but painful. This was done by someone really strong. I think we know why they would flinch away from him.” Sunmi said as Chungha touched each bruise gently as she healed them.

“I don’t like this guy. I'm glad Seulgi took him out. There are so many bruises, and it feels like her cheekbone was broken, and it wasn’t going to heal properly if it wasn’t for us.” Chungha said with a frown.

“I forgot to check the guy for odd bruises, but I'm sure that they were there too,” Gahyeon said as they looked down at the three. They were clearly mistreated, and it made Gahyeon hate the dead wolf even more.

Once they were completely healed and sleeping soundly, Siyeon came out of the house with Wonho and Hyunwoo.

“We moved some things from the basement, and I made Hyunwoo fix the broken light. I asked Wonho at first, but he wasn’t tall enough.” Siyeon said as Wonho pouted, and Hyunwoo laughed.

“we will keep them in the basement?” Gahyeon asked. She was wondering where they were going to keep them and didn’t even think about the basement. It would be the perfect place, and it was right by the kitchen so that it would be easy for the girls to bring them food.

“that’s a good idea. I didn’t even think about that!” Sunmi said as she carefully stood and walked into the kitchen. She had some herbs that she could make into a tea that would help numb the wolves' pain. Unlike with Gahyeon’s powers, Sunmi’s powers could heal the injuries but not all of the aches that would remain after.

“let's get them inside, shall we?” Wonho said as he carefully lifted up the male leaving the two females behind and walked down into the basement.

“I will carry one of them. Can you carry the other?” Hyunwoo asked as Gahyeon nodded. They didn’t look that heavy. They clearly didn’t get as much food as that alpha did, and it showed on them.

“alright. I will carry the lighter haired girl. You carry the darker haired girl, ok?” Hyunwoo asked as Gahyeon nodded, and they quickly scooped the two up and carried them into the basement.

Gahyeon was amazed at what everyone had done in such a short time. They managed to clear out the basement and set up three small beds that looked antique, and there was even a large bathroom in the basement that the wolf didn’t know about.

It was blocked by all of the things that were stored there before, but now that it was clear, they knew that it would need cleaning. It was covered in dust from being unused for such a long time.

“I forgot that there was even a bathroom down here…” Sunmi said as she looked at the room.

“How could you forget?” Gahyeon asked as Sunmi only laughed and shook her head.

“Minji’s mother was always afraid of the basement. She swore that it was haunted and that she met a ghost one time when she was younger. I have never seen it, but you never know. It is a very old house.” Sunmi said as Gahyeon nodded and looked around. It didn’t look haunted, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t.

The three wolves were carefully set on the three beds as their shackles rattled softly. Siyeon observed all of this carefully as everyone slowly left the basement. Soon she was the only one that remained with the three.

Siyeon didn’t know what it was, but something didn’t sit right with her. That alpha was strong, and she was sure that he should have a larger pack than this. It meant one of two things to Siyeon. Either only a handful of his pack went with him for the attack, or he may have killed others in his pack that refused to follow orders.

From what Gahyeon said about their injuries, she suspected that it was the second option, but she still didn’t want to let her guard down. The first thing she needed to do was ensure that the gate was closed and sealed properly as they decided what to do next.

Siyeon also needed to call her father and let him know about the wolf's appearance and how he ended up being the broken and dead wolf that he is now. She wasn’t looking forward to that call. He would either yell at her for leaving the gate open and run over or worry about everyone and rush over. Either way, she was expecting him to rush over, and she worried about what he would say.

Before Siyeon went upstairs, though, she walked over to the two girls and looked at their wrists. The shackles had small spikes on the inside. It looked painful, but if it kept her pack safe, she would just have to deal with it until she learned more about these wolves.

When Siyeon went back upstairs, Gahyeon was checking on Sol. He was almost back to normal and behaving normally except for a random giggle here or there, but he also was very clingy. He would carefully hold Gahyeon’s hands or anyone that walked too close to him.

Yoohyeon had been tripped three times by him and was starting to think it was on purpose. The giggling was also a bit of a giveaway. She wouldn’t say anything because without him, who knows what the outcome would have been. She decided to let him have his fun, though her knees were getting extremely bruised.

Handong was helping Elkie move some of the things from the basement into the spare rooms, and they had just returned to watch Sol trip Yoohyeon for the fourth time. The vampire chuckled as she shook her head. She knew that Sol would be a bit out of it and was very relieved that she wasn’t the target but Yoohyeon this time.

“sad that it's not you?” Elkie teased as she leaned closer to Handong’s ear. The wolf knew that she was effecting Handong as she watched a shiver run down the vampires back and smiled. Whatever Handong was thinking about was gone as she focused on how close Elkie was to her.

Handong had no idea she liked blondes so much until Elkie dyed her hair, and now every little thing that the wolf would do drove Handong crazy. Elkie loved this new ability and would mess with her mate every time no one was looking.

“what?” Handong asked as she looked over at her mate as Elkie chuckled.

“I asked if you are sad that it's not you…” Elkie said with a smirk as Handong shook her head.

“nope. Not sad at all. Hopefully, she will be his target at lunch too. I'm tired of seeing dots for an hour after eating.” Handong said as Elkie laughed and held her mate. She had to admit that it was cute to watch Sol blind Handong, and she was just glad that Handong had rapid healing like wolves, or she would see spots for much longer than an hour. He learned how to polish his spoon, and the shine was now quite bright.

Irene watched everyone's interactions as Seulgi cuddled with her. One thing Irene was was noticing is how everyone was so calm. They were genuinely comfortable around everyone, and Irene realized that she had never felt like that.

Her family had always raised her to be proper and guarded around everyone. Everything was about their image. But here she could actually let her guard down for once, and everyone had already accepted her for who she is, and they didn’t even know her long.

As Irene looked at Seulgi, she realized that she didn’t care where she was. All that mattered is that Seulgi would be by her side.

What worried her was that she didn’t know how she would change once she joined. She already knew that the other vampires could now eat solid food, and she was sure that there were other changes that she wasn’t aware of either, and that made her nervous. But she would go through it all if she could stay with Seulgi, so it didn’t matter.

Irene’s mind was already made up. She now just hoped that their offer would still stand after they dealt with the three wolves in the basement.

“what are you thinking about?” Siyeon asked, causing Irene to jump. She never noticed how silent the wolf could be when she wanted to be.

“Oh… thinking about the future…” Irene said as Siyeon raised a brow questioningly.

“and? Does that future show you here with us or no?” Siyeon asked as she observed Irene’s reaction.

“with you. if the offer still stands?” Irene asked as she looked nervously at Siyeon, who smiled.

“of course it still stands. And you don’t have to worry. The offer is for both of you or just you. if Seulgi isn’t comfortable joining its alright, she will still be welcome here, and you will still protect you from your family.” Siyeon said with a smile as Irene sighed in relief.

Irene had worried that if Seulgi refused the offer that she would lose the offer too. It was nice to know that wasn’t the case. She was welcome, no matter what.

“thank you…” Irene said softly as she held Seulgi tighter and gently kissed the sleeping girl's forehead.

“no problem. You are welcome. Just know that we will tend to draw people. You will have to learn how to fight. As long as you know that and are ok with it, then you are welcome.” Siyeon said as Irene smiled.

“not being useless and able to actually help sounds amazing. I don’t want to just ‘stand there and look pretty.’ I'm more than that. Or at least I think I am.” Irene said as Siyeon smiled.

“oh, believe me… you will probably be way stronger than anyone in your family AND have cute cat ears.” Siyeon said as Irene smiled and then looked confused.

“cute cat ears?” Irene asked as Siyeon laughed and called Bora over.

“babe, can you show Irene your ears?” Siyeon said as Bora’s eyes went wide.

“are you trying to scare her away before she joins?” Bora asked as she blushed. It was one thing for her packmates to see her ears and tail, but Bora was worried about being teased by Irene.

“Please, baby?” Siyeon begged as she pouted cutely. Bora melted at the sight and sighed as Siyeon smiled. She knew that she won as Bora sighed and closed her eyes. It didn’t take long to let her mind drift instinctively, and soon she felt her tail twitching as she waited for some sort of response from Irene.

When nothing came, she slowly opened her eyes to see Irene looking at her like you would look at a pet kitten.

“oh my god, that’s so cute…” Irene said as she stared at her excitedly. She watched intently as Bora’s ears flattened out of embarrassment.

“but will you think its as cute when it's on you?” Bora asked as it dawned on Irene that she would have cat ears too.

“ok, remind me later to ask you HOW you got them. For now, I'm just shocked you are not a leopard. You always looked at leopard print.” Irene said as she remembered Bora checking out girls in leopard print in school.

Siyeon looked at her mate suspiciously as Bora flushed red. This comment sounded oddly familiar.

“well, technically, she is a black leopard. If you look closely when she is in her cat form, you can see the leopard print.” Dami said as Bora blushed even more.

“so, you ARE a leopard!” Irene said as she smiled. She found it cute and wondered if Bora was just drawn to it naturally, but Bora swore that wasn’t the case.

Suddenly there was a thump from the basement. Siyeon’s head snapped up as she looked over at the basement door and then to Sunmi.

The fox had begun cooking lunch and made sure that there was a meal prepared for each of the three wolves in the basement. And when Siyeon heard the noise, she walked over and picked up a tray followed by Dami and then Wonho.

The three quickly opened the basement door and descended the stairs to see the male wolf groaning on the floor. He seemed to have rolled off of the bed in a panic and knocked the wind out of himself.

“you alright?” Siyeon asked as the wolf looked up in a panic. He looked like a caged animal and kind of was. The shackles and basement probably didn’t give off a very safe feeling, either.

“Siyeon stopped several feet away. She made sure that there was still enough space so that he didn’t feel cornered and watched as he slowly shifted back until his back hit the wall. But instead of that making him feel more comfortable, it made him panic more. He truly felt cornered, and the shackles didn’t help.

“relax. We are not here to hurt you. we just came here to drop off some food and see if you were alright.” Siyeon said as the wolf scoffed and flinched like he expected to be struck for it.

“if that is the case, then why do I have THESE on!” the wolf said as he held up his wrists. The spikes had stabbed into his wrists, causing them to bleed as he struggled, and Siyeon couldn’t help but feel sorry for the wolf. It looked extremely painful.

“well, you did just try to kill us. Right?” Siyeon said sarcastically as he went to say something. She had a point. The fact that he was still alive when he knew that he was dying was shocking. He should be grateful that he was alive and quickly closed his mouth.

He didn’t know if this woman was like his old alpha, and he didn’t want what he said to be taken out on the girls again.

“look no need to be so terrified. We just brought you food. Here is your tray. We have food for the other two as well. Can you make sure that they eat when they wake up? You three all had to be healed, and it takes a lot of energy out of you. you need to eat so you don’t feel weak.” Siyeon said as he nodded obediently.

He didn’t want to put the others in danger. He would try the food first before giving it to the girls. If he dies, then they would know not to eat it when they wake.

“those stop you from shifting. We are not trying to keep you captive. We just want to make sure that we are safe. So don’t worry. We have no ill intentions.” Wonho said as he set his tray on a small table by the girls, followed by Dami.

“Besides, if you try to harm us, my mate won't heal your wrists,” Dami said with a glare as Siyeon rolled her eyes. Dami was still in her overprotective phase and had to make sure to tell them to stay away from Gahyeon.

“yes. Ok, Dami. Not helping…” Siyeon said as Dami’s eyes flashed the red and gold causing his eyes to widen in shock.

He knew that Dami wasn’t just a wolf, and whatever she was, she was something to fear if she was crossed. He made sure to remember that.

“we will be back later. We want to ask you some questions before we decide what to do.” Siyeon said as his eyes went wide. He feared the worst. That they would be killed as soon as they answered the questions Siyeon and the others needed.

He decided one thing. If that were going to happen, he would accept it if they would only free the girls. They had been through so much and deserved to be happy even for a short while.

Siyeon watched his expression as Dami felt his emotions, and soon, they walked back upstairs with Wonho.

“What did you feel?” Siyeon asked as soon as the door closed as Dami looked at her.

“he was terrified but also extremely protective of the girls. When he feared you would hit him, he then feared you would hurt them instead. I wonder if the girls were the target of the alpha to make him submissive. He seems like a very protective person.” Dami said as Siyeon nodded. They both noticed his panicked glances at the girls.

“he didn’t show any signs of aggression other than his speech. I don’t think he is the issue. Those girls were the true fighters. You saw how they tried to attack Seulgi, right? There was no way for her to dodge besides shifting out of her bear form. And even then, she had to turn sideways for them to slip past her safely. Seulgi’s reactions are amazing, but theirs are no joke either. We need to be careful.” Wonho said as Siyeon and the others nodded in agreement. Everyone had gathered around to see how the conversation with the rogue wolves went.

“well, the first thing I need to do right now is to notify my father that the alpha has been taken care of,” Siyeon said when jinyoung stepped forward.

“um… you don’t have to. We already did it for you. Yesterday your father contacted us, and we have been helping him with some tasks. I hope you don’t mind.” Jinyoung said as Siyeon sighed in relief. She didn’t want to make that call, and she was glad that her father was getting the help that he needed. He had been saying that he needed help for years.

“well, now that matter is settled… we now have to get Irene and Seulgi settled. Let's get them settled and in their room. Seulgi has been clinging to Irene, since the fight, and needs to rest. Let's go.” Sunmi said, making her sound like a parent sending their children to bed.

“I will bring you two food up to your room so that you two will have some alone time. I'm sure you will want some time to yourselves after everything that has happened.” Sunmi said with a wink as Irene blushed, and soon she and Seulgi were safely in their room. It was the same one they showered in, and Irene was ecstatic to see a bed again.

Sunmi quickly dropped off two trays of food and left quickly as Irene got the sleeping girl placed comfortably on the bed.

Once Irene tucked Seulgi into bed, she slid in as well, and they slept for several hours. The food and blood were forgotten entirely. Right now, all Irene wanted to do was fall asleep holding Seulgi.

But while irene and Seulgi slept peacefully, two girls were having terrible nightmares until they finally awoke startled to find themselves chained in some basement. As the girls looked around the room, they felt their panic rise.

“Jiwoo… where are we?” the dark-haired girl asked as she looked at her mate with a worried expression.


	55. Chapter 55

-Trust-

Down in the basement, the two girls woke in a panic. Their nightmares woke them up only to feel intense pain in their wrists. They quickly found out that their wrists were chained together painfully. Somin could feel blood flowing from her wrists as she struggled and stopped as she tried to hear for her mate. Without her, this situation would be even more terrifying.

“Jiwoo… where are we?” Somin asked, praying to hear her mate answer back. She heard a sigh of relief from several feet away as Jiwoo sighed happily at hearing Somin’s voice and struggled to sit up as she felt the sharp pain in her wrists as well.

“ahh. Shit… this hurts…” Jiwoo said as she looked around in the dark, trying to find Somin. Their night vision was not working for some reason, and it was making them anxious. It was not fun to feel blind in the dark when you wake up in a strange place.

“Somin? Are you alright?” Jiwoo asked once she struggled to her feet and stumbled over to the sound of Somin’s voice. The last thing that Jiwoo remembered was Somin lying on the ground, looking completely broken. The only thing she could think about was being with her mate if it was the last moment they would have together.

Jiwoo didn’t even care if she was killed. All she wanted was to be with Somin as she curled up and rested her head on Somin with a whimper. That image of Somin was burned into her mind, and she needed to hold her in her arms. She needed to feel that she was alright.

“I'm fine. I don’t know how… but I'm alive…” Somin said as Jiwoo reached her. It took some struggling with the chains, but soon Jiwoo had her arms around Somin’s waist as she snuggled against her mate for reassurance.

Somin smiled as she kissed her forehead and snuggled her happily. She didn’t know how she was alive right now, but to have Jiwoo holding her right now, she didn’t care. She just enjoyed listening to Jiwoo’s breathing even out as they both drifted off to sleep again.

Their moment of panic went unnoticed by Taehyung. He had been struggling for a while until he finally fell asleep and was now dead to the world. The healing made him exhausted.

It was a couple of hours later when Siyeon went down with more food trays. She was worried that the girls wouldn’t wake up in time to eat before the food got cold, and she was right. But when she walked into the basement, she noticed shadows.

The shadows numbed her senses, and she knew right away that either Yoohyeon or Dami was behind it. With a sigh, she walked back out of the room and set the trays of food down before looking for her packmates.

Yoohyeon was snuggling with Minji on the couch, so it wasn’t her. That meant it had to be Dami. Siyeon knew why too. She was still worried that something would happen to Gahyeon, but keeping the three in darkness wasn’t going to help anything.

Siyeon knocked on her sister's door, and when she saw Gahyeon’s sleepy expression, Siyeon couldn’t help but smile as she asked for Dami.

Dami looked guilty as soon as she saw Siyeon. The alpha tried not to laugh at the expression. She looked like a guilty puppy that was expecting to be scolded, and it was making it extremely difficult for Siyeon to keep a straight face.

As Siyeon sat on the edge of the bed, Dami looked at the floor. It had been a long time since Dami looked this shy. It reminded her of the first time they met.

“Dami… I know you are worried about Gahyeon, but please don’t keep them trapped in your shadows. We want them to trust us. We don’t know if there are others, and that would be a greater threat than the three chained up in our basement…” Siyeon said softly as Dami sighed and nodded.

Siyeon jumped as she noticed the shadows oozing up from the floorboards before slowly withdrawing back into Dami. The girl's shadows were becoming much more solid than before as Dami’s powers grew. It made Siyeon wonder what all she will be able to do with them later on.

“if it makes you feel better, do you want to go down there with me? I'm about to bring them food and see if they are alright.” Siyeon said as Dami nodded while still looking at the ground.

“relax. I'm not mad. We all are still protective over Gahyeon. Are you going to go in there looking like an omega?” Siyeon asked with a giggle as Dami’s eyes went wide as she slowly went back to her normal self.

“well, let's go!” Siyeon said as she stood up, and the two made their way downstairs.

Gahyeon had left the room and went into the living room so that the two could talk and smiled when she saw her two favorite people walking down the stairs. Gahyeon couldn’t help herself as she shamelessly checked out her mate. The girl always looked perfect in anything she wore, and this time was no different.

“you know you are going to drool if you are not careful…” Yoohyeon said in a teasing tone as Gahyeon jumped and blushed a vivid shade of red.

“stop teasing her. You are even more shameless!” Minji said as Yoohyeon grinned widely and snuggled into Minji’s neck with a smirk.

“really? I have no idea what you are talking about…” Yoohyeon said as Minji rolled her eyes.

“you see what I have to deal with? She is either mischievous or cute as hell!” Minji said as Yoohyeon snuggled closer with a smirk.

“Gahyeon?” Siyeon called, grabbing her attention.

When Gahyeon looked over, she noticed Dami looked nervous. That meant only one thing. Siyeon wanted her to go into the basement too.

“yes?” Gahyeon asked as she walked over. Dami was almost whining as she looked pleadingly at Siyeon, who only rolled her eyes.

“if anything happens, you can blind them with your shadows again. Besides, they are still chained up…” Siyeon said with a sigh.

“but…” Dami mumbled as Gahyeon walked over and held her hand. The gesture really helped Dami relax, but she was still worried about her mate.

“I will be alright. Will you feel better if Sol comes with us?” Gahyeon asked as Dami nodded.

_‘need me?’_ Sol asked as he walked from the kitchen and over to the girls. He was now feeling much better and less giggly.

“We are going to go down and check on the three in the basement. Would you mind going with us and protecting Gahyeon for us?” Siyeon asked as Sol puffed up. The words ‘protect’ and ‘Gahyeon’ instantly got his attention as he nodded and walked into the kitchen to stand by the door.

“why do I feel like that was a bad idea…” Siyeon said as she watched Sols thorns grow to threatening spikes as their color grew more vivid.

“well, too late now. Let's go!” Gahyeon said excitedly as they grabbed the trays. Sol opened the doors for them and closed it behind them as they descended the stairs.

Once the door closed, there were three wolves that startled awake as they looked up to see the three girls with what looked like a moving plant came down to them.

Once they arrived at the bottom stairs, Sol walked in front of Gahyeon and tried to look threatening. He grew larger, and so did his wickedly sharp thorns. He tried to puff himself up to look big and threatening, but Gahyeon couldn’t help but think he just looked cute and silly.

“How are you feeling?” Siyeon asked as she looked from the male wolf in the corner to the two that held each other tightly for fear of being separated.

“I figured you two might not wake up in time to eat. So I brought you something to eat.” Siyeon said as she went to walk over to the table, but instead, she felt a thornless vine gently grip her wrist, signaling her to stop.

Siyeon looked over to Sol and watched him as he extended three vines to quickly grab the old trays and swapped them with the new ones without spilling a drop.

_‘want you safe…’_ Sol said softly as Siyeon smiled at him and rested her hand on the vine, still gently holding her wrist.

“thank you, Sol,” Siyeon said as he puffed up happily. He liked being thanked. It made him feel like he did something good.

“What is that?” the boy asked as he slowly sat up and looked at Sol curiously.

Sol shook his thorns abruptly, startling the wolf. Causing him to jump made Sol feel amused as Gahyeon shook her head. He was learning bad habits. She should really correct him, but how could she when he was so cute and happy all the time?

“This is Sol. Think of him as Gahyeon and Dami’s child…” Siyeon said with a smirk. She had taught Sol a new trick, and he immediately picked up on it and went along.

_‘mommies!’_ Sol said softly as he looked up at the two who looked completely startled. They quickly looked at Siyeon with a suspicious look and knew they were right as Siyeon desperately tried to hold in her laughter but was visibly struggling.

“what are you teaching him?” Gahyeon said as she sounded like a protective mother. It wasn't helping Siyeon keep her composure at all as she started laughing hysterically while Dami rolled her eyes.

“ignore our alpha, who is laughing like an idiot right now. I promise we all are not as weird as she is…” Dami said as Siyeon tried to gain control of her laughter.

_‘is this the great pack that he wanted to gain control of? They look like normal girls…’_ Somin said to her two packmates, who agreed silently.

“sorry…” Siyeon said with a smile as she looked at the three. Her goal was to cause the three to relax a bit, and it seemed to work.

“How are you three feeling?” Siyeon asked as she looked from one person to another.

“Why are we here?” the darker haired girl that was being snuggled by her nervous mate asked. Her voice shook slightly, so her mate wasn’t the only one that was nervous.

“would you rather we let you die?” Siyeon asked as the three froze.

“We saved you and had Gahyeon heal you because you didn’t seem to want to be like your alpha. You actually seemed terrified of him. How could we leave you to die?” Siyeon asked as the two girls looked at each other.

“Plus, your mate chose you over fighting. Even if it meant dying, she chose to be by your side. How could we let you two die after that?” Siyeon said as Somin looked down at Jiwoo.

Jiwoo held Somin tighter at the mentioning of the memory that had been haunting her since she woke up. Her physical pain was nothing at that moment compared to the emotional pain at seeing Somin lying there still and barely breathing.

Somin looked down at Jiwoo and smiled sadly. It must have been very bad if Jiwoo wasn’t trying to act tough. She was the softest person that Somin knew but didn’t like to show that side to anyone but her. But right now, the idea of letting go of Somin was much worse than these wolves finding her weak.

“I came down to check on you. I'm worried that those shackles are hurting you…” Gahyeon said as she went to step forward, but Sol didn’t want her going alone. He surrounded her in a cage or his thorns as they walked closer to the three.

“ouch…” Gahyeon said as she winced and looked at the spikes digging into the girl's wrists. Their wrists were coated in a mixture of new and old blood as they tried to struggle or move.

“does it hurt?” Gahyeon asked Somin, who could only nod nervously. She flinched when Gahyeon reached out as the cool tingling feeling of Gahyeon’s healing flowed from her fingertips as it washed over the tender skin as it soothed the raw flesh of her wrists.

Somin looked at Gahyeon in amazement, but when Gahyeon went to look at her mate's wrists, the girl hid her face in a panic. Gahyeon froze right away. She didn’t want to make her panic worse and looked to Somin for some help.

“Jiwoo… it's alright. She healed my wrists. They don’t hurt anymore. Let her check yours… please?” Somin asked, knowing that Jiwoo would cave as soon as she heard her say please.

Her arms were around Somin’s waist, and Gahyeon had to wonder how she managed it. But she was stopped from asking when she noticed how damaged the girl's wrists got just so that she could hold her mate.

“Sol? Can you numb her wrists for me? I can heal it, but It must be painful with how deep the spikes are in there…” Gahyeon said as Somin tried to look at her back where Jiwoo’s wrists were.

_‘ok…’_ Sol said as he gently used his thorns to prick the skin around the wounds. It was painful only for a split second, and soon the numbness settled in. Jiwoo felt herself relax slightly as the pain subsided, and soon Gahyeon healed her wrists as much as she could. With the way she was holding her mate, it caused several of the spikes to dig deeply into the skin.

“the numb feeling may be annoying, but its better than the pain…” Gahyeon said as she smiled and slowly stood back up. She was careful not to scare the two and slowly made her way over to the boy in the corner.

He was silent as she healed his wrists and finally walked back to Dami, who was looking like she would have a panic attack any second.

“Why do you have these on us?” Somin finally asked as Gahyeon stood beside Dami.

“you three tried to kill Seulgi and gassed us. I think you were just following orders, but Wonho suggested us using them just in case. It stops you from shifting and hurting one of us.” Siyeon said as Somin looked at the metal around her wrists.

“I know its probably hard to believe… but we are not bad people…” Somin said with a sigh. Clearly, she remembered some dark memories as she looked down at Jiwoo with a sad expression.

“I never said you were bad people,” Siyeon said as she looked at Somin calmly.

“but everyone in town does… we couldn’t disobey. We didn’t have a choice…” Somin said as tears streaked down her face.

“he was a monster Somin. We all know it… I just wish Matthew never left. We all knew that it was a bad decision for him to leave his younger brother in charge. Everyone knew he had an inferiority complex, but Matthew just refused to see it…” the boy said as he looked at his feet sadly.

“who is Matthew?” Siyeon asked as the three flinched. Taehyung was wondering if he should tell the truth or lie and decided that the truth was the best choice. He didn’t want to lie and the girls to be punished for his mistakes again.

“Matthew was our alpha. He went to study in the US. We didn’t want to leave our home, so he made his little brother who was the beta into our temporary alpha until he comes back… it was the worst decision ever…” Taehyung said as he looked over at the two girls with a sad expression.

“was your pack always so small?” Siyeon asked as the three shook their heads.

“he had a temper, and several of our pack became casualties of his temper. He only started trying to hold his temper better when our numbers shrank drastically…” Taehyung said with a sigh of frustration as he ran his fingers through his hair while being careful of his shackles.

“When I say he was a monster, I mean it…” Taehyung said as he looked over at Somin and Jiwoo one more time. Siyeon slowly walked over and whispered where only he could hear her.

“he would take out his anger on those two, wouldn’t he?” Siyeon asked as he looked back at the floor and nodded.

“I am his best tracker while Somin and Jiwoo are his best fighters. When I would refuse to do something, instead of taking it out on me, he would take it out on one of them. They couldn’t fight back for fear of him hurting their mate. He would always catch them when they were alone. I felt helpless…” he said softly. Siyeon could tell that he felt protective of the girls and that alpha used it against him.

“well, I know you wouldn’t believe me right now, but we are not like him. We won't hurt you. and hopefully, those chains won't need to be on much longer.” Siyeon said as she slowly stood up and walked over to Gahyeon Dami and Sol.

Her expression told the others that their assumptions were right. That alpha was beating the girls as a way to control all of them. It made Siyeon furious.

How could there be so many bad alphas out there? It didn’t make sense to her, but she knew that it was an issue everywhere. Many alphas didn’t know how to behave properly or were taught that their bad behavior was correct, and their entire pack would suffer.

If this was fixed early, then there wouldn’t be people like Jackson or that dead alpha. But many old alpha males preach that an alpha should be supreme, and their orders should be obeyed no matter what. This was leading to several issues, no matter where you are.

“oh!” Siyeon said as she spun around to look at the three as they jumped.

“Sunmi told me to ask you if any of you have any allergies to food or anything you don’t like to eat. She made the food you have and wanted me to give you this!” Siyeon said as she pulled out a list of ingredients that were used in each dish so that they would know what is safe to eat or not.

“she said if you have any allergies to let her know and she will make sure to not include them in your food,” Siyeon said as the three looked at her in shock. They were not used to someone being so nice to them. It had been so long since Matthew left, and it now felt so wrong to them for someone to act nice to them.

Siyeon talked for a while with them and soon came back to Sunmi with the list she requested. There wasn’t much on it, and she knew that it was probably due to them being so untrusting, and she couldn’t fault them for it. They were locked in her basement after all.

“This doesn’t look right. I'm sure there are more…” Sunmi said as Siyeon shrugged.

“I tried, but they were still so hesitant to talk to me. I don’t know if its because I am an alpha or if they now just have a difficulty trusting others now.” Siyeon said as she frowned. She felt for the three. They were so mistreated, and she couldn’t help but feel her anger rise as she tried to think of what they went through.

“Siyeon?” Sunmi asked as Siyeon was surprised out of her thoughts.

“is it alright if I try to go down there later and talk to them? Maybe someone who is not a wolf will be easier to talk to.” Sunmi said as Siyeon nodded. She hoped that would work. They needed the three to open up to them soon. Siyeon didn’t want to keep the three chained up in the basement for much longer.

Siyeon had a bad feeling and wanted this to be solved as quickly as possible. She didn’t know why, but she was correct to worry. Their true alpha Matthew had finally come back from the states only to find his pack missing and bad rumors about what happened to them.

Matthew swore that they couldn’t be true but decided to track them down and try to find out the truth. He was slowly coming closer to finding them. It wouldn’t be long until Matthew made it to their town.


	56. Chapter 56

-Matthew’s Search-

Matthew had been excited to see his pack after being gone for several years. He managed to transfer back to Korea in one of the top schools but didn’t tell them he wanted to surprise his pack. But he was in for a surprise.

Matthew arrived back in Korea to surprise his pack, but when he messaged some of his packmates, the messages never went through. He felt something was wrong but tried to push it to the back of his mind. His pack is strong. There is nothing that could happen to them, right?

With a frown, Matthew got a cab and went to his house only to find no one there, but the maids and they had some horrible stories to tell him about. Matthew couldn’t believe it. They were telling him that his own brother terrorized his pack, and every time his brother went on a rampage, his pack dropped by one member.

There were rumors that his brother would kill the missing wolf, and every time after one went missing, Matthew’s pack seemed terrified of his brother. It also didn’t help that out in the back yard, a new hole was dug in the back yard that was hastily covered.

Matthew couldn’t believe it, but when his maids pointed him to the disturbed earth, he spent several hours digging only to find out that the rumors were true.

Matthew found several shallow graves, and in them were several of his missing packmates. He wondered why their phones never rang. They were buried with them. His heart sank as he fell backward as he felt overwhelmed.

How could his own brother do this? To his friends at that? Matthew remembered that Taehyung Somin and Jiwoo pleaded with him not to put his brother in charge and swore he had an inferiority complex against Matthew, but he refused to see it, and now it was too late.

Matthew found around fifteen graves. Not all of the graves were of his packmates. Two were for the two that raised Matthew and his brothers when his parents would travel.

Matthew knew exactly why they were buried here. His brother didn’t want them to warn Matthew and have him rushing back to Korea.

He felt sick to his stomach. Everything was his fault. He knew now that he should have listened to Somin and the others, but he was too foolish, and because of that, he lost his pack, and he heard rumors that his brother went from town to town, causing trouble.

When he heard that, Matthew decided that he needed to put a stop to his brother's chaos, even if it meant ending him, just the thought of it hurt. But Matthew knew that his brother was quickly becoming a monster and wouldn’t give up without a fight.

It had been several weeks since he arrived back home. Matthew went from town to town following the rumors of his brother and his pack. He heard some horrible things, and at every town, there was one less wolf in his brother's pack. It hurt to know that by his stupid decision, so many of his pack lost their lives while being forced to do things that they detested.

It was no surprise that the ones his brother killed first were the ones who would stand up to him. But they were skilled fighters, how could his brother defeat them? The only way to know would be to find out himself.

Matthew was getting close to Siyeon and the others. He was three towns away as he searched for any news on where his brother could have gone next. But the clues seemed to dry up. Everyone seemed to fear Matthew and knew that he was related to the rogue pack and had to go around carefully as he tried to find out where to head next.

-Trust-

Siyeon walked down with a food tray with a yawn. It was morning, and she needed to bring the three some food before she and her pack started eating. Otherwise, they would hear them eating and joking while feeling hungry, and Siyeon didn’t want to do that to them.

It had been several days since they took the shackles off, and it seemed to help the three relax, but they still were not ready to open up yet.

When Siyeon descended the stairs, she noticed that the two girls' beds had been pushed together as they snuggled together while sleeping. The boy was still sleeping on the floor in the corner instead of his bed.

Siyeon wondered if he didn’t want to get comfortable for a reason, but she knew it was none of her business as she quietly swapped the trays with new ones and went to carefully walk out the door when she noticed the dark-haired girl staring at her silently.

She looked terrified as she pulled her sleeping mate closer to her. She seemed worried Siyeon would do something, but Siyeon shook her head.

“I have my own mate. Don’t worry. I'm just here to drop off your food. No need to worry. Feel free to go back to sleep. It's still early in the morning.” Siyeon said as Somin looked at her suspiciously.

  
“I just wanted to bring your food down before we started eating,” Siyeon said as the girl looked at her like she was crazy.

It was such an odd behavior for Somin. They tried to help capture them and tried to kill their bear friend, but here was their alpha bringing them food and treating them with kindness that they weren't used to for such a long time.

“Sunmi said she talked to you yesterday about what you like and dislike and made your breakfasts with that in mind. So hopefully, you enjoy your food.” Siyeon said with a smile as she walked back up the stairs and into the kitchen.

“How did it go?” Bora asked as she looked at Siyeon nervously. They all hoped that the three would start to trust them soon. Everyone was against the shackles and didn’t want to put them back on the three.

“better than expected, I guess… but not great. I just hope that they open up to us soon. I don’t know why but I feel like we are running out of time…” Siyeon said worriedly as she and Bora sat down at the breakfast table with the others, including Irene and Seulgi.

The two had been inseparable since they arrived, and as Dami expected, Seulgi was learning to speak at an incredibly fast rate.

Every day after a meal, Dami would help sol and Seulgi with their speaking, and soon, they had improved greatly. Sol liked helping Seulgi, and Seulgi absolutely loved to learn. It made their lessons fun as Dami helped them.

“you know, they really have made great progress for such a short time,” Siyeon said to Dami as she looked at all of the notes that they had made the day before. Seulgi’s words were better, and she even asked Dami how to say something. It was going to be a big surprise for Irene, and Dami couldn’t help but feel like a matchmaker.

“Why do you look mischievous right now?” Siyeon asked as Dami smirked and whispered into Siyeon’s ear as the alpha giggled.

“oh, Irene isn’t going to know what to do, is she?” Siyeon asked with a laugh as Dami nodded with a smirk.

“if they are not bonded after Seulgi says that I will be surprised. Seulgi practiced saying it for hours to get it perfect.” Dami said as Siyeon smiled. There was something about the bear. She was just so sweet that everyone had a soft spot for her.

Once the lessons were over for Seulgi and sol, everyone would head outside to train, including Seulgi and Irene.

The vampire was struggling with hand to hand in the beginning until Dami helped her visualize something that helped to motivate her, which was Irene having to protect Seulgi. After that image, Irene sped through the lessons and soon caught up with the others.

“I guess you just needed the right motivation!” Dami said jokingly as Irene blushed and laughed.

“I guess so. But let's hope that I will never have to be in that kind of situation. I am afraid that I would choke or freeze. I don’t want Seulgi getting hurt because of me…” Irene said with a worried expression. Her whole world quickly shifted when she met Seulgi, and the bear was now the center of Irene’s attention. It was really cute to Dami and the others.

Seulgi, on the other hand, did not struggle with hand to hand at all. In fact, she learned rather quickly and was soon a match for Dami. The two seemed to enjoy sparring with each other too.

“Seulgi is so amazing…” Irene said as she stood beside Siyeon and Bora. The bear had been sparring with Dami for over in hour under Wonho’s supervision, and they didn’t look even the slightest bit tired.

Where most bears were viewed as strong but slow or clumsy, Seulgi was not like that at all. Yes, she was incredibly strong, but her speed and gracefulness were just as good as the vampires. It made sparring with her a difficult thing.

Seulgi couldn’t control her strength well, so her sparring partner was always Dami. Her quick healing ability with blood and her demon side helped her greatly.

Right now, the two were practicing in a space that was like an alley. The walls were made of ice by Chungha, and they were really taking a beating as the two fought in the ice alleyway.

Seulgi just barely missed Dami as her fist smashed into the ice. The ice shattered as shards blasted from the wall on impact. The strike left a decently sized impact crater in it, and Dami was extremely glad that she didn’t land that hit.

Before Seulgi could recover, Dami snapped her leg out towards her stomach, but Seulgi quickly blocked it and launched a kick of her own that made contact hard onto Dami’s ribs. The wolf went smashing into the wall violently, where she slid down slowly as the air was forced from her lungs.

The burning in her side told Dami that Seulgi had broken several ribs, but there was nothing she could do but push through it.

Dami struggled to stand and get air back into her lungs. It was excruciatingly painful, but she needed to push through, and finally, she felt air filling her lungs again.

“you… alright?” Seulgi asked as she held out a hand to Dami.

The wolf was going to try to continue the fight, but when she tried to stand, her ribs protested too much. With a whimper, she slid back down the wall as she looked up at Seulgi.

“Please bring Gahyeon?” Dami asked weakly as Seulgi nodded and ran to try to find Dami’s mate as Wonho walked over.

“that was a powerful kick. Are you ok?” Wonho asked as Dami shook her head.

“I'm pretty sure something or several things are broken,” Dami whispered. Taking larger breaths was excruciating, so she settled for short and shallow breaths as Seulgi ran over with Gahyeon.

“what happened?” Gahyeon asked as she looked from Dami to Seulgi.

“I… hit too, um hard?” Seulgi asked as she looked at Dami, who nodded with a pained smile.

“yes. She accidentally hit too hard…” Dami said in a soft voice as Gahyeon knelt down beside Dami and started healing the burning in Dami’s side.

Dami let out a sigh of relief as the burning turned to a slight ache. It felt better to finally be able to take bigger breaths. But soon, the pain returned when one of her ribs finally snapped back into place.

Dami went pale as she felt her stomach trying to revolt. With a whimper, she rested on her side as Gahyeon continued to heal her.

A total of three ribs had to be snapped back into place, and it was not a very pleasant feeling. By the third rib, Dami had emptied her stomach of its contents and broke out in a cold sweat.

She had ended up with a broken rib or two in training before, but this was a severe case. The bones were out of place and had to be forced back into position with Gahyeons powers before she could heal them properly.

Once the healing was done, Gahyeon leaned over and kissed Dami’s forehead as she whispered calm words for her still queasy mate.

“it's all done. Are you feeling better?” Gahyeon asked as she rubbed gentle circles on Dami’s back. It was soothing to the older girl. All she could do was nod as Gahyeon smiled and continued to rub Dami’s back until the nausea went away.

Once Dami felt better, she slowly sat up to see Seulgi looking at her guiltily. You could tell that she felt horrible. It showed over her whole body.

“sorry…” Seulgi said as Dami smiled and stood up with Gahyeon's help.

“There is nothing to apologize for. You can't help that you are stronger than we are. And you are learning to control that strength really well. No need to apologize.” Dami said with a smile as Seulgi gave a weak one back. She still felt horrible, but Dami’s kind words helped.

“let's take a small break. Jinyoung and the others are on their way over. They have something for sol…” Siyeon said as sol perked up excitedly.

_‘for me? What?’_ sol asked, but Siyeon just shook her head and acted like she didn’t know. She couldn’t help but smile when she heard sol speak. His voice was stronger and more confident. He still sounded like a young plant, but his voice was stronger, and Hyunwoo had even started training him in ways to defend himself and others. Sol liked them because they felt like games.

_‘one more?’_ sol asked excitedly as Hyunwoo laughed and nodded.

They had gone to the store and got several clay disks used for target practice for sol to practice on, and they were working perfectly. Hyunwoo would launch several up, and then sol would shoot out several vines to grab them and crush them into a fine powder as the dust slowly floated down.

It was rather impressive how fast sol was and how accurate though he had no eyes. It made Hyunwoo curious how sol could see things, but when sol showed his memories, everyone got sick from all of the shimmering and shifting lights around them.

_‘WEAK!’_ sol had teased as he chuckled. He thought it was funny how humans saw things, and obviously, they felt the same way about him.

“Alright, sol… last one, you ready?” Hyunwoo asked as sol nodded as he extended some vines to the ground to stabilize himself.

“Ok, here we go!” Hyunwoo shouted as the clay discs were launched into the air. Suddenly sol launched out several thorny vines that smashed into the clay disks with such force that it almost exploded on contact. But he missed one which wasn’t like him.

Hyunwoo went to ask what was wrong when sol swiped a vine quickly like a whip launching three thorns that struck the disk perfectly as it shattered in the air.

Everyone stood there silently, looking at where the disk finally shattered and then looked at sol.

“Did that hurt?” Handong asked as sol retracted his vines, but he told her it didn’t hurt.

“what made you think of trying that?” Elkie asked as she carefully looked at the vine that launched the thorns and noticed something different about these thorns compared to the others.

“these thorns are meant to detach, aren’t they?” Elkie asked as sol nodded.

_‘thorns numb. Three thorns will make someone stop moving. Safe way to stop someone. so family won't get hurt.’_ Sol said as Elkie smiled and touched the spots that used to hold the three thorns.

“That was very smart sol. I thought you just missed one.” Hyunwoo said as sol gasped in shock.

‘that was easy! How could I miss that?’ sol asked as Hyunwoo laughed and walked towards the gate. It was about time for Jinyoung and the others to arrive.

“sol, ready?” Seulgi asked as she held out her hand. Sol grasped it gently as the two followed Hyunwoo to see what gift they had for sol.

It was several minutes later when Jinyoung Yugyeom and Youngjae each walked through the gate carrying huge boxes wrapped in a pretty wrapping paper.

“is it someone's birthday?” sunmi asked as she and Chungha walked over to greet the three. It was obvious to everyone but sol Irene and Seulgi what was in those three large boxes.

“sol! We brought you gifts!” Jinyoung said happily as he set down his box, followed by the others.

‘all for me?’ sol asked happily as the three smiled happily.

Sol bounced in excitement and looked up at Jinyoung to see if it was ok to open them. Jinyoung nodded, and soon sol was using his thorns to shred through the wrapping paper very effectively as he opened the box and looked inside.

Sol froze as Jinyoung held his breath nervously. Carefully sol pulled out a new pot. It was slightly larger and was extremely lightweight. Jinyoung and the others went to Yugyeom’s uncle's factory to make them, and Jinyoung chose carbon fiber as the base and lined it with something that would be non-toxic for sol.

“that is made out of carbon fiber. Its larger than your current one and extremely durable. It shouldn’t break as easily… do you like it?” Jinyoung asked as sol admired it. He was turning it in the light as he admired it before he spoke softly.

‘beautiful’ sol whispered as Jinyoung smiled happily.

The next present was from Youngjae. It was heavy compared to the other one but not much and made sol curious.

As he removed the wrapping paper and opened the box, he found a beautiful aluminum pot. What excited sol even more was the wheels on the bottom. The girls had told them about how sol liked the girls' suitcase because it had wheels, and Youngjae made sure to add them. They were also removable just in case a wheel broke, or he didn’t like them.

‘wheels!’ sol said excitedly as Youngjae nodded with a smile.

“do you like it sol?” he asked as sol cradled the new pot to himself happily.

‘yes!’ sol said in a soft and happy voice.

“Now it's my gift. This one is meant to never break on you, but it is quite heavy. Once you grow out of these two, hopefully, this one will be a good fit.” Yugyeom said as sol felt the heavy box and opened it to find a pot that was made out of solid metal. It was extremely heavy and textured inside so that it would be easier for sol to hold onto it with his roots if he wanted to.

“It was carved out of one large block of metal. This should last you a long time if it isn’t too heavy for you.” Yugyeom said as sol looked up at the three excitedly and hugged them with his thornless vines.

After they gave the gifts to sol, the three went inside to listen to the progress that they were having with the three in the basement.

Siyeon was slowly gaining their trust, and after lunch, they even opened up a bit. It was difficult for Siyeon to keep herself calm when she listened to all of the abuse that the three went through, but she listened patiently and made sure that they knew that wouldn’t happen to them here.

“They even asked if I was going to force them to join my pack,” Siyeon said as Jinyoung looked at her in surprise.

“really? What did you say?” Jinyoung asked as he looked at Siyeon curiously.

“I told them no.they have dealt with enough bad alphas that they would probably not trust me. And I also told them that the only reasons that they are still down there is just because I want to make sure that there is no one else out there. My packs protection is my number one priority.” Siyeon said as he nodded.

Jinyoung knew the feeling. His pack was so important to him. And it was doing much better now that they stopped challenging his position. He also liked helping Siyeon’s father. His pack liked having a purpose.

Jinyoung told Siyeon that he and his packmates were going to enroll in the police academy next year. Siyeon couldn’t be prouder, and he finally found a way to redeem himself.

“Well, that’s amazing! I'm glad to hear it!” Siyeon said as she and the others congratulated them happily. That is until sol zoomed by going _‘wheee!’_ as he flew across the room with his new pot with wheels.

“I think he likes it…” Gahyeon said before breaking out into giggles.

“really? I couldn’t tell.” Handong said with a laugh as he zoomed back into the kitchen where they heard sunmi break out in laughter.

This went on for several hours, and finally, Siyeon walked down to the basement to bring the three more food as Jinyoung talked to the three, and soon, they went back upstairs and said their goodbyes as Jinyoung and the others left for home.

-Seulgi’s Confession-

Everyone ended up going to bed after dinner, and Seulgi couldn’t wait until they were back in their room. She had been planning for this all day, and her nerves were starting to get to her.

“Is everything alright? You seem nervous.” Irene said as she walked out of the bathroom. She had just washed her face before bed and was pulling her hair back.

Seulgi couldn’t help but admire how beautiful Irene was. It was time to tell her. But Seulgi’s nerves were making her heart race. She had never felt this nervous or excited before. But she wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I… have something to say…” Seulgi said as Irene stopped adjusting her hair and gave Seulgi her full attention.

“what is it?” Irene asked as she waited patiently. Seulgi’s heart was racing, and she felt the words stick in her throat. It was difficult for her to say. But she wanted to say it and pushed through the nerves.

“I… I love you…” Seulgi said as she looked at Irene’s shocked expression before she dropped her eyes to the floor nervously.

Irene gasped in shock as her heart pounded in excitement. She felt the same but didn’t want to say it first and confuse Seulgi’s feelings, but here she was standing in front of Irene looking shy as she nervously waited for an answer.

The silence was deafening, and Seulgi thought she was rejected until she felt Irene’s delicate fingers gently touch the sides of her face and slowly made Seulgi look at her.

Irene’s eyes were glossy with tears as Seulgi looked at her in shock. Irene gently leaned in and kissed the taller girl softly.

“I love you too, Seulgi. Only you. forever.” Irene said between kisses. Seulgi went from shocked to happy as she held Irene to her tightly.

“will you… stay with me? I don’t want to lose you.” Seulgi said as she looked deeply into Irene’s eyes. The vampire wrapped her arms around Seulgi’s neck and kissed her deeply.

“I will never leave you. I love you, Seulgi.” Irene said as they slowly made it to the bed.

Just like Siyeon and the others expected. That night the two did find out that they were indeed mates. Irene knew that they were in for some teasing in the morning. But the only thing that mattered to her was the girl sleeping soundly beside her.

“I promise I will stay with you forever…” Irene said with a smile as she kissed Seulgi’s cheek and slowly fell asleep with happy dreams.


	57. Chapter 57

-Freedom-

Irene was the first to wake up as she looked over at Seulgi, who was holding her tenderly in her sleep. It was such a cute sight that Irene couldn’t help but lean down to softly kiss her mate. But as she leaned down, Seulgi opened her eyes and smiled happily as Irene blushed at the cuteness.

“morning,” Irene said sweetly as she kissed Seulgi before snuggling against the sleepy girl for a couple more minutes of rest before she had to face the others. From what they said, it would be evident to the others, and she wasn’t looking forward to the teasing.

Seulgi held her tightly as she kissed Irene’s forehead as the vampire melted at the action. Seulgi had learned it from Irene and loved how it felt. It felt even better to do it to Irene. She loved how shy her mate instantly became as she hid her face in Seulgi’s neck.

They stayed like that for fifteen more minutes and finally got up when Seulgi’s stomach growled. The bear pouted when Irene made her get up to get food but was much better when Irene took her hand as they walked down the stairs to see everyone looking at them with knowing expressions.

“yes, yes, I'm sure you know. Go ahead and get the teasing over with…” Irene said as Seulgi wrapped her arms around Irene protectively.

“teasing?” Siyeon asked with a smirk. Everyone was dying to say something but didn’t want to chase off the vampire, so they struggled to hold themselves back.

“it wouldn’t be very nice of us to tease you when you are so new here. Though it is really tempting…” Siyeon said with a smirk before she started helping Sunmi set the food on the table.

“oh, Dami? Can you bring three chairs to the table? I want to see how they will behave with us all while we eat.” Siyeon said as Dami and Gahyeon stood to fetch three more chairs and placed them around the table where the three should feel comfortable.

“We figured they would want to stay beside each other instead of separated, so Dami and I slid our places down a bit,” Gahyeon said as Siyeon smiled and walked into the basement.

Siyeon gave them a warning before clicking on the light and walking into the room. It was going well with the three. They finally opened up to Siyeon and Sunmi last night when everyone was asleep, and the two wanted to see how the three wolves would be while they ate breakfast.

The three looked nervous, though. They worried that now that they opened up and Siyeon knew that there were no others lurking in the woods that they would soon be expendable. Somin Jiwoo and Taehyung expected to be killed this morning. So when they heard Siyeon offering for them to come upstairs for breakfast, they were utterly shocked. This was not what they expected at all.

“wait, what? You are not going to kill us?” Somin asked as Siyeon looked at her in surprise.

“why would I kill you?” Siyeon asked as the three looked at each other nervously. They were worried that if they told her, the alpha would change her mind and decide to kill them after all.

“well… you know that we are no longer a threat. It's not like you can just let us go. that leaves killing us…” Taehyung said as Siyeon snorted.

“why can't we just release you? unless you want to follow in your dead alphas footsteps?” Siyeon asked as the three paled and shook their heads. There was no way they would ever act like that monster.

“well, right now, the food is getting cold. So let's go eat. I'm STARVING!” Siyeon said as the three shook their heads and walked up the stairs behind her.

The way Siyeon would act silly at times made the three miss Matthew. He was always so calm or silly around them. Even though he was from a wealthy family and the others were not, he never made them feel lesser than him. He was a great leader except for one wrong decision that almost completely destroyed his pack. But they didn’t blame him. In fact, they still missed him. They still had no idea that he was back and looking for them.

Once they walked out of the basement, they froze. Everyone was looking at them, and the one that terrified them the most was the bear that they fought that day. She was holding onto a vampire that was coated in the bear's scent as she glared at them with her arms around Irene protectively.

“don’t mind her. They just bonded last night, and she's in the protective phase.” Siyeon said as the three nodded in understanding but still hesitated as they looked at the three open seats.

“We thought that you would want to sit beside each other instead of being separated,” Gahyeon said with a smile as everyone signaled for the three to sit.

Taehyung took the right seat while Somin took the left one leaving Jiwoo the middle one. The two were very protective of her. She had been through the most out of the three.

Once they all were seated, Siyeon started passing the food around as everyone filled their plates but the three. They were nervous about doing or saying anything to offend anyone.

“if you don’t start putting food on your plates, we are going to give you all of the vegetables…” Hyunwoo threatened as the three jumped and finally started to fill their plates.

Siyeon smiled at the silent wolf. His threat was a joke, but with how expressionless his face was, the three were unsure and decided just to grab some food before they found out if it was just a joke or the truth.

Siyeon and the others broke the silence as they talked about little things as the three slowly relaxed. They waited until everyone had started eating before they picked up their utensils to Siyeon’s displeasure. She hated that behavior. Everyone was equal at a meal in her eyes.

But what was shocking was that elkies mother made an appearance. She was still nervous about being around Wonho and Hyunwoo, but knowing that the three would be upstairs for the first time, she felt like having another person that wasn’t part of the pack would make it easier.

The three chatted with her as she explained what had happened that led her to be with Siyeon and her pack. They were amazed by the numbers that Siyeon and her pack took out. There was truly no way that Matthew’s brother would have been able to control them even with the gas. As soon as it would wear off, the three were sure that Siyeon and her pack would have easily broken free. Either way, it wouldn’t have ended up well for the alpha.

While they talked, Irene was content as she leaned against Seulgi, who was happily eating. The bear would occasionally lean in to whisper soft ‘I love you’s into her ear, causing the vampire to blush as she smiled.

Siyeon and the others didn’t miss the exchange but said nothing. They found it cute how happy the two looked and didn’t want to disturb their happiness.

By the end of breakfast, Siyeon got a call on her cellphone. It was from jinyoung, and she started to feel worried. Lately, calls from him didn’t end well except for sols new pots. But seeing as sol had taken out three expensive vases, Sunmi was ruling that as a bad visit as she mourned the losses of her three favorite vases.

“Hello?” Siyeon asked as she stood there. Her expression darkened before turning to worry as she looked at Irene. The vampire froze as she felt her blood run cold. There could be only one reason that Siyeon would look at her like that. Her parents were looking for her.

Seulgi didn’t like how tense her mate got as she looked at Siyeon. And the expression that Siyeon gave back to Irene only made Seulgi worry more. Though she wasn’t good with her words yet, she wished that she could say something that would soothe her nervous mate.

Once the call was over, Siyeon stood there for several more minutes as she looked at the phone before sighing and sliding it back into her pocket.

“I'm sorry to say this Irene, I wanted to give you two a longer time to decide, but your parents know you are here somehow and are talking about ‘breaking you out of an evil den of wolves’…” Siyeon said as Irene looked at her in shock.

“my parents said what?” Irene asked as Siyeon nodded.

“It seems like they were ok pairing you with a brute that would abuse you, but not with a pack full of girls. Your only choice that I can think of is joining our pack. But I didn’t want it to be a situation where you felt forced. I'm sorry…” Siyeon said as Irene shook her head.

“I already decided to join. The question is, will Seulgi join too?” Irene asked as Seulgi thought about it.

Seulgi liked everyone and didn’t want to leave, and as long as Irene was with her, Seulgi would stay there forever.

“I will join. If you want me?” Seulgi asked softly as Siyeon smiled.

“of course we would want you. you and Irene are always welcome.” Siyeon said as the two looked at each other excitedly.

“well, I guess that means that we need to get this started soon if they are on their way, right?” Dami asked as Siyeon nodded, and everyone stood up and quickly walked outside.

Dami was explaining to Seulgi what would happen while Bora explained to Irene. They didn’t want to waste time and be too late, so this was a very rushed moment.

“Who wants to go first?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the two. Seulgi automatically stepped forward. She wanted to do it first so that Irene wouldn’t be as nervous.

Siyeon quickly bit Seulgi as the bear shifted and finished her part. But something strange happened. The two staggered as a weird feeling washed over them that soon passed to the others. Even Sunmi and Chungha couldn’t explain it. But one thing was for certain… there was soon going to be a change in their powers somehow.

It was now Irene’s turn, and she quickly rushed through it, and Seulgi was with her as she felt the extreme amount of power flow into her. The vampire almost collapsed only to be caught in Seulgi’s arms and carefully brought inside.

“Hopefully, she wakes up soon. We don’t want her to be unconscious when her family gets here…” Siyeon said as Dami nodded, and soon Minji Bora and Handong went upstairs to choose their most expensive outfits. They wanted to remind Irene’s family that they were from the top three vampire houses and not to be ignored.

“you look like a witch, not a vampire… I like it, though.” Siyeon teased as Bora rolled her eyes and walked down the stairs to stand beside Siyeon.

Next was Minji and then Handong. All three looked more like witches than vampires, but their mates loved it, and soon they were waiting as Seulgi stood beside her sleeping mate.

“seriously… how do they even know about this house?” Minji asked as she waited nervously as Yoohyeon hugged her.

“well, if it is the family I'm thinking of, then they were once on friendly terms with Minji’s grandfather and grandmother and had come over as guests from time to time. That’s probably how they know of this place.” Sunmi said as Minji groaned.

Minji remembered her mother telling her about all of her grandmother's boring parties, where her mother would have to act all proper and would always escape.

“did you know your mother was actually supposed to marry someone from that family? But instead, she married your father. It is probably why they are using this as an excuse to storm over here. The older ones probably still feel offended at that.” Sunmi said as Minji frowned and nodded in understanding.

“maybe I shouldn’t speak much then. I may just infuriate them more.” Minji said as Bora smiled.

“relax. I will do most of the talking then. And I am Siyeon’s mate. It will look better if we both look confident. And you know I will not let them talk bad about your family.” Bora said as she hugged Minji.

“mine…” Yoohyeon teased as she hugged Minji. The vampire smiled as Yoohyeon held her from behind as they waited for Irene’s family to come.

“Seulgi? Is Irene awake yet?” Siyeon asked as she turned from the window to glance at the two. Seulgi just shook her head as she held her mates hand nervously. She didn’t like seeing Irene looking so weak.

The surge of power was effecting her strongly. She was pale and having cold sweats as she slept restlessly.

Siyeon frowned as she looked out the window again to see movement walking down the path slowly. The gate was still closed, and it would remain that way. If Irene’s family wanted to talk, they could say it through the gate.

“It looks like our guests have arrived…” Siyeon said as she sighed and walked over to the door as everyone followed her outside.

They all found their positions with Siyeon and Bora in the front. The vampires at the front gate looked more like an angry mob than a respected vampire family as they lined up on the tiny path to the gate.

“where is my daughter!?!” a man shouted as he went to reach for the gate.

“STOP! I wouldn’t touch that gate if I were you… unless you want to suffer.” Sunmi said as her eyes blazed. It made the spells on the gate flash as the vampire jumped back, looking startled.

‘you know, he reminds me of a bird that got his feathers ruffled…’ Handong said through mind speak as everyone tried to hide their smiles.

The vampire that claimed to be Irene’s father did indeed look like a bird with his feathers ruffled as he tried to save face in front of the others.

“I want you to return my daughter to me right now, you BEASTS!” he said as Bora’s eyes flashed her two tones red and gold.

“excuse me? Beasts? That is my mate you are talking to and my friends. I don’t remember your family being better than mine, so that is a big statement coming from you.” Bora said as her eyes blazed.

Bora’s temper was rising as he stammered, trying to think of what to say next. It was clear that he recognized Bora and then glanced at Minji and Handong as they stood proudly while giving an ‘eat shit’ look.

If they were going to talk about class, Bora Handong and Minji were way above Irene’s family, and they knew it. But he planned for them to try this method.

“you are no longer a great family! Your bloodlines are now tainted with BEASTS!” he said as his face went red with rage.

“you don’t even know the true power of vampires, yet you say you are superior to Bora Minji and Handong?” Sunmi said as she stepped forward. Her fox tail was visible and swishing side to side angrily. Minji and her parents were Sunmi’s friends, after all.

“the true power of vampires comes from a BEAST all vampires have beast blood running through their veins. Only someone foolish like you would think yourself superior.” Sunmi said as everyone looked at her in shock.

“what do you mean we all have beast blood running through us?” one woman asked from behind Irene’s father as Sunmi smiled.

“your need to drink blood actually is a side effect from what made the first vampires. The side effect is from feline blood inside you. Bora? Care to demonstrate?” Sunmi asked as Bora smirked and looked down at her expensive clothes with a smirk.

She shifted quickly as they shredded away, and now a large black leopard stood in front of everyone as they gasped in shock. A low growl rumbled from Bora’s chest as she took a step closer so that the vampires could get a better look at her before walking back to Siyeon to nuzzle her lovingly.

“What is that?” someone gasped as everyone went silent and stared at Bora. She didn’t seem to mind the attention, in fact, her cat side took over, and she seemed to love the attention.

“Taehyung? Would you mind getting a robe from the laundry room for Bora so that she can shift back?” Sunmi asked as he looked at her with a startled expression but nodded and went running into the house, followed by Somin and Jiwoo.

_‘it's here.’_ Sunmi said mentally as the three rushed into the laundry and quickly looked for the small one that was for Bora.

Once they found it, the three went running out the front door as Taehyung quickly opened it and blocked Bora’s view as she shifted and quickly put on the robe as Taehyung retreated back to Somin’s side.

“that is what a true vampire is. We no longer need to drink blood. We can eat food, like normal people. And of course, we are much stronger than before. You would know this if you knew more about your family…” Bora bluffed. She didn’t want to tell them that the power was only unlocked due to Siyeon being chosen.

“see! All of them are beasts! What have you done to my daughter, you monster! She is supposed to get married soon!” he said as a scoffing sound was heard behind Siyeon. It seemed like Irene was finally awake and clearly didn’t like what she was hearing.

“supposed to get married? Is this the old times? Where the family decides without my input at all? I don’t think so. I will not marry ANYONE that you suggest. In fact, I am happily in a relationship with a GIRL. Not a man, and I will no longer let you decide how I will live my life. I am happy now, so LEAVE.” Irene said as she stood there, fuming as her eyes glowed the same red and gold as Bora’s.

Her father's eyes went wide in shock as he looked at his daughter's look of hatred. She didn’t like hearing him talk to Siyeon and the others like that.

“I am your FATHER! You better talk to me with some RESPECT!” he shouted as Irene scoffed. All of her bottled up emotions that had been locked away for years were finally flowing out at an alarming speed.

“respect? Respect is EARNED. It shouldn’t just be given without thought. then it becomes meaningless.” Irene said as her father's face went red. He had never heard her stand up for herself before, and he didn’t like not feeling like he was the one in power.

“you disrespected three of the largest vampire houses. And RICHEST might I add and think that you would walk away without a scratch?” Irene threatened as the three vampires smirked wickedly.

Irene’s father paled as he thought about the consequences that could happen to his business. That was the threat was the only one that really mattered to him because it affected his money and rank in the vampire community.

“But you could marry into another rich vampire family and live happily! Why would you choose this group of animals?” her father asked as almost everyone rolled their eyes at him.

“what family would be more powerful than the three strongest vampire houses combined into one family? Tell me. I'm curious who you would think is better than my Seulgi and my new family.” Irene said coldly as he looked at her in shock.

There was no more influential family, and he knew that. But he didn’t like losing his control over Irene, and that is what mattered to him the most. He didn’t want her standing up for herself and instead wanted the obedient daughter that he had trained since birth.

“So disrespectful…” he said as his face went purple, but his wife quickly grabbed his arm and tried to drag him back. She understood that if they got on the wrong side of Siyeon’s pack that their finances could deplete quickly.

When the others saw her trying to drag him away, they finally started to move as well. Unlike Irene’s father, the rest of her family wanted to keep their fortunes safe and wanted to drop the subject altogether.

But just as he was being pulled away, in a rage, her father reached into a pocket and pulled out a gun, which he aimed at Seulgi and quickly pulled the trigger before anyone could stop him.

Without even thinking, Irene instinctively launched in front of Seulgi protectively as she quickly shifted into a large feline that roared angrily as she stood in front of her mate, who also shifted defensively.

Her father was speechless as he stared at the large feline that was his daughter and the massive bear beside her.

After making such claims and calling the girls animals, his daughter was now one of them. She was as tall as Gahyeon, and her short brownish-red fur and slightly darker mask on her face with her large cold eyes made everyone go silent as they stared at Irene.

Her low growl as she stepped in front of Seulgi and bared her teeth made quite a statement as her family quickly retreated down the small trail while dragging her father away.

Once everyone was gone, Siyeon and the others ran over to Irene and Seulgi, looking for the missing bullet. They were sure that it passed through the gate and was traveling towards Seulgi, and then they all lost track of it as they watched Irene shift.

Carefully they checked the two girls' bodies for injuries but found none. It left Siyeon and the others perplexed. They all could see the bullet, and it's not like it could just disappear into thin air, but at least their two new members were safe. That was all that mattered to Siyeon and the others.

“well, now that’s over, its time to comment on Irene’s cat form… is anyone else thinking of puns?” Siyeon asked as Irene tilted her head while still in her cat form.

“you are a cougar… all the jokes… must resist…” Yoohyeon said as Irene snorted at Yoohyeon’s silliness and looked at Siyeon curiously.

“try to talk to Siyeon through your mind while you are in that form. Just think to Siyeon.” Somin said as Irene looked at the wolf and thought of what she wanted to say.

_‘am I really a cougar? What do I look like?’_ Irene asked as Siyeon smiled and took out her phone, where she took several pictures to show the vampire.

“Woah… I'm HUGE!” Irene said once Handong taught her to shift back. She was in a robe that Taehyung ran to get. He apologized because he didn’t know whos robe it was, but Siyeon assured him it was alright as Irene put on the robe and looked at photos of her new cat form.

Seulgi didn’t need one. She was used to running around naked and wasn’t ashamed at all. Though Irene complained, Seulgi just shrugged and held Irene close to her. The gunshot worried Seulgi and Irene knew that once they got upstairs, Seulgi would inspect her for injuries as well.

Once everyone was inside, and Seulgi and Irene retreated to their room, Siyeon walked over to the three and held out her cellphone.

Taehyung and the others just looked at the phone in confusion as he took it respectfully out of Siyeon’s hands.

“call your alpha if you remember his number, of course. I always use my contacts, so I never memorize numbers.” Siyeon said with a smile as Taehyung looked at Somin and Jiwoo in shock.

“Are you sure? What if he is mad?” Taehyung asked, but Siyeon only shrugged.

If the three were really bad, they would have used the moment earlier to make things difficult for Siyeon and her pack, but instead, they helped. She didn’t know why, but Siyeon trusted the three and their alpha that she had only heard about.

“o, ok…” Taehyung said softly as he dialed a number and waited for an answer. Just when he was about to give up, Matthew answered on the last ring.

“Hello?” Matthew asked as Taehyung, and the girls sighed in relief at the sound of his voice.

“Matthew? Its Taehyung…” he said as everyone heard worried shouting over the phone as Matthew barraged him with questions about his health and the others and where they were. Not one question was about his brother.

The three didn’t know how to explain where they were and looked to Siyeon for help. She smiled and held her hand out as Taehyung handed her the phone.

“Hello? Matthew? My name is Siyeon…” she said as she heard Matthew pause at the new strange voice on the phone.


	58. Chapter 58

-Sol’s Prey-

While Irene’s parents were on their way, Sol decided that he wanted to try his new skills and quietly snuck out the back after switching to his lightweight pot. He had been wanting to play lately, and this was the perfect opportunity. After all, judging by how Siyeon and the others were reacting, these people must be bad.

Without any difficulty, Sol grabbed a branch that hung over the wall and pulled himself over and got into position.

One night when the vampires couldn’t sleep, they decided to play around in their cat forms and had fun stalking and playing in the trees as Sol watched well now it was Sol’s time to play.

It wasn’t long before he heard movement coming from the trail and moved silently hidden in the brush alongside the path until he saw what he was looking for.

Several vampires were complaining of the brush snagging their clothes and mud on their shoes. They were perfect for him. As the group walked along, there were a couple of complaining stragglers, and Sol decided to focus on them first.

There was a slight rattling in the brush as the lone vampire at the back looked around. It must be a squirrel or something. He only saw plants, after all. And quickly looked down the path and started following the others.

As soon as the vampire looked at Sol, he froze to match into the brush and twigs around him. It worked. After all, who would think that a plant was living and moving like a person?

As the vampire walked along, something hit the back of his leg, and it instantly went numb as he dropped to one knee and looked around in shock.

There on the back of his left thigh was one long single thorn. But before the vampire could say anything, a vine grabbed his leg and quickly snatched him off of the path.

The group turned around but saw nothing and just figured that the grumpy vampire decided to head back and continued their walk down the path.

Sol’s next target was a victim of two thorns and dropped very quickly but also seemed able to talk as he quickly snatched them off of the trail before they could alert their group.

He had thought that it would take three thorns to immobilize someone, but he wanted to be sure, and this was the perfect time for him to practice.

The third one dropped almost instantly as they stared up in shock. The three thorns were effective, and soon he snatched them off of the path too and silently raced to the house using the trees. Sol didn’t want to stir up the leaves, and it was very fun to him.

Once Sol arrived at the house, he positioned himself in a tree where he could see everything from both sides and waited patiently.

He watched as Siyeon and the others made their way outside as Irene’s family arrived at the gate and watched silently.

He felt that the man in the front was extremely rude and had to hold himself back from darting the old man.

Sol felt proud as he watched Bora shift and laughed silently as he watched the vampires on the other side of the fence squirm nervously. That was his family, and he was proud of them.

He was even more proud as he watched Irene stand up for herself, but he could feel and see the older mand energy growing darker and more turbulent.

Sol knew he was about to do something stupid and readied himself. It didn’t take long for it to happen as the man pulled out a weapon and quickly pulled the trigger.

Sol knew what a gun was because Hyunwoo and Wonho demonstrated how to take out the clay disks with one. He knew it was dangerous and was heading right towards his new friend Seulgi.

Sol moved the fastest he could as he launched his strongest thorn he had, and in the blink of an eye, it struck the bullet and knocked it away before anyone could even realize what happened.

Irene shifted for the first time as she stood in front of her mate protectively as Seulgi stood behind her now in her bear form as well.

Sol was extremely proud of himself for protecting his friends and family but soon directed his attention back onto the raging old man. He angered Sol. No one was allowed to try to harm his family and Sol decided to make an example of him.

He was going to show that man that trying to harm his family meant even the forest would try to get them. This was going to be extremely fun.

Sol decided to make himself known this time. He wanted to scare these vampires and was going to do a very good job at it.

This time the plants around him wanted to play too. They would rattle and stir the brush to make it sound like something was just outside their vision as the group would spin around to see nothing there.

They were extremely spooked, and Sol was having a blast already as he watched from above. It was now time to play.

Sol swooped down and sped over the ground making the group jump only to look over and just see stillness. By the time they looked, Sol was back in the trees as he looked at them happily. This was extremely fun.

He could see the ones he was affecting the most due to their energy and quickly decided to target them first. They would be the ones that would spot him first if they had the chance.

Quietly Sol swooped from tree to tree and let loose thorns striking two of the most nervous ones at the back and caught them this time before they hit the ground and pulled them into the trees.

When the person that was in front of them turned around to say something, he jumped when he realized that two people had just disappeared.

“hey… HEY! We are missing two people!” he shouted as everyone stopped and looked around in confusion.

“they probably just headed home first. How many left us on the way here?” Irene’s father asked as the one who spoke before rolled his eyes.

“if they decided to try to beat us home, then you would have seen them pass us. Did anyone see them pass us?” he asked as the group shook their heads.

“one second they were here and behind me and the next they were gone! I think something is in this forest. Maybe there is a reason for the rumors…” the vampire said as Irene’s father scoffed.

“that’s just rumors! My daughter is still alive, and she ran into this forest!” he said as everyone shifted nervously.

“your daughter is alive now due to the people around her. She has no way to defend herself because you wanted to keep her sheltered and under your control!” the vampire said as Sol realized that he liked this vampire.

“Just because you are my brother doesn’t mean that you can talk to me like that!” Irene’s father said as his brother scoffed.

“This is the reason that you were turned down, you know that, right?” the brother said as Irene’s father turned a vivid shade of purple.

“and remember, I am your older brother. I gave up leading the family because you wanted it more, but if you keep making a fool out of your self that might change!” the vampire said as Sol decided what to do.

This vampire was one that didn’t seem to want to be there. Even in the confrontation, he seemed uninterested and actually seemed agitated by some of the things that his brother was saying.

Sol wanted to make an example of this family and decided that the one who would be unharmed would be this vampire. Someone had to tell everyone the truth of what happened after all.

The group finally started to move, and Sol continued his game as he picked off vampires left and right. The group went from a little over twenty people to only a few as they noticed their numbers drop quickly.

“see! Something is out here! I told you that this was foolish! You just got your own clan killed! And for what? Your pride?” the vampire said as Irene’s father started swearing and bolted. He refused to fall to this forest and had no problem leaving his wife behind as he charged forward, trying to escape.

“coward!” his brother shouted as he walked over to Irene’s mother and started to lead the others home.

The bond with Gahyeon also let some of the others bleed into Sol as well. And right now, he felt a bit like Minji when she wanted to pounce.

With extreme speed, Sol went from tree to tree as he chased the fleeing vampire. When the trees were too far apart, the plant would launch himself and easily grab the next branch and continued his chase.

He was finally catching up to the vampire as he shot out a thornless vine and tripped him. With his foot yanked out from under him, the vampire tumbled as he rolled painfully until he came to a stop and struggled to stand.

The vampire struggled as his oversized jacket got in the way, and finally, he threw it away angrily before jumping up and running again as Sol chuckled to himself.

The vampire wasn’t anywhere near as fast as he was before. It made the chase a little less fun, but Sol was still enjoying himself.

Finally, Sol decided to make the vampire struggle a bit. He was coming close to the end of the trail, after all.

Sol let out a thorn that struck the vampire on the ankle as his leg shot out from under him painfully as the man shouted in pain and shock. He tumbled for the second time, and this time it was impossible for him to run.

The numbing powers of Sol’s thorn was working as the vampire struggled to run with a numb leg. He was soon crawling on his hands and his one good leg as Sol watched from above happily.

_‘my family are animals?’_ Sol said softly as the vampire spun around and looked for where the ghostly voice came from.

_‘you look like the animal right now. Try to run. I catch you…’_ Sol whispered as the man panicked and tried to scurry away.

His brother had ended up chasing after his impulsive younger brother only to witness his brother crawling away as what looked like a plant dropped from the trees and soon snatched his brother into the trees without a sound.

“what the hell was that?” the vampire asked himself but decided he should quickly get back to the others.

But when he returned, he realized that whatever got his brother was faster than he was. The only one left was Irene’s mother, who was frozen in place and looked terrified.

The vampire quickly took her and escorted her to safety as it seemed like the trees and brush around them moved angrily around them.

Whatever this forest was, it was indeed dangerous, and they needed to leave quickly.

The two finally made it to the end of the trail only to find every member of their party suspended from vines in only their underwear. Their clothes were nowhere in sight. They were trophies for Sol, and he thought it would make the trip back home very memorable.

“what the hell…” the vampire said as he walked over to examine his family. To his surprise, they were alive. But they were just unable to move anything but their eyes.

One person was missing, though. His brother. The vampire quickly walked down the line looking for him, but as soon as he came to the end of the path, something dropped from the trees to dangle there motionless.

It was Irene’s father suspended from his ankles. His brother snorted as he watched the blood rush to his face and took the opportunity to take photos of his brother. This would be useful later. The next time his brother wanted to do something stupid, he could always show him this.

His brother, however, didn’t like the pictures being taken though he couldn’t voice it. He couldn't even move as he struggled to talk only to drool all over himself.

“beautiful!” his brother said as he laughed and took another photo.

Sol watched this happily, and when the vampire pulled out a knife to cut them down, Sol gave the command as the vines dropped their prizes and went back to their normal positions.

“well, that is way easier, but how am I getting everyone home…” he asked as he looked at the group that was now splatted on the ground motionless.

Sol quickly went back home. He didn’t know how long it would take before the others realized that he was missing and wanted to get there before he was busted.

It didn’t take him long to propel himself through the trees while going ‘wheee!’ until he arrived at the wall and quickly went over and entered the house through the back door only to see Gahyeon staring at him with a brow raised.

He forgot that she would be able to feel what he and his plant friends were up to, but to his surprise, she didn’t say anything and walked over to Siyeon and the others.

‘safe!’ Sol thought to himself as he switched pots and rolled over to sit beside Gahyeon happily.

-Matthew’s phone call-

Matthew was trying to find another clue about what happened to his pack when his phone rang. Every time he got his hopes up, it was never related to his pack, and this time he felt the same as he stared at an unknown number.

Matthew couldn’t decide if he wanted to answer as it was getting to the last ring but quickly answered before it was too late. After all, if it what if it was news of his pack?

Matthew answered with a curious ‘hello?’ when he heard a voice he would know anywhere. Taehyung.

Without meaning to, he started to barrage him with questions as he felt his hopes rise. His pack was safe. Or what was left of them.

But his barrage of questions made Taehyung freeze up. He didn’t know what to say and looked at Siyeon pleadingly as the alpha took the phone.

Matthew was shocked to hear a stranger on the line and looked at his phone questioningly. The girl introduced herself as Siyeon, and that name sounded familiar somehow. While he was looking for rumors of his pack, he had come across several other rumors.one was of Siyeon and her incredibly strong pack.

As soon as he remembered her name, panic rose in his chest. He feared that this Siyeon would do something to his pack though she seemed friendly on the phone.

She quickly explained that Taehyung and his pack was safe and with them until Matthew could send someone to come get them. She and his pack were surprised to find out that he was only a couple of towns over. He should arrive by nightfall, and everyone was now nervous about what would happen next.

Sol knew that something was going on, but Gahyeon wouldn’t let him out of her sight this time. She knew he was up to something before and didn’t want to make this situation worse somehow or get himself hurt.

Siyeon was now extremely nervous and hoped that she made the right decision. The last thing she wanted to do was put her pack in danger, but the three had gone through enough, and she didn’t want to just release them with nowhere to go. That wouldn’t be fair to them.

As she waited nervously, so did the three. It had been years since they had seen their alpha, and they hoped that in the years apart, he had not changed. What they needed was the kind and caring Matthew. Not someone like his brother.

Siyeon had made sure that the three were fed and showed them to showers while they got ready for Matthew's arrival. Though they used the bathroom in the basement, they didn’t use the shower because they were still nervous in their surroundings, and they now had a bad wet dog smell that they wanted gone before their alpha arrived.

Everyone felt better after their showers, and after they were out, Gahyeon checked them one more time for any injuries.

Now that their lives were not in danger, Gahyeon felt and realized just how many injuries that the three had sustained over the few years of being under his brother's control.

It was surprising that someone could live with such horrible injuries, but from what Taehyung said, he had worried on several occasions that the girls were going to die from their beatings.

Gahyeon could feel several old breaks that didn’t heal as well as they could have if they were treated properly. It made Gahyeon feel sad for the girls. They had been through so much.

Gahyeon had learned really quickly that Jiwoo was a softhearted girl, unlike the image she tried to project. She was all talk and trying to act tuff, but as soon as she felt nervous, she would hold onto Somin nervously.

Right now, the girl was trying to act like she wasn’t nervous while Gahyeon checked her for any old injuries that needed help healing, and she could feel the wolf's anxiety. This was not just nerves, she seemed scared of people now, and Gahyeon couldn’t blame her after what she had been through.

Gahyeon silently called Somin over as the girl threaded her fingers together with her mates. It worked to ease Jiwoo’s nerves as Gahyeon finished strengthening an old break right above her ankle.

Gahyeon signaled that she was done and smiled softly as she walked over to Dami, who was keeping an eye on sol while her mate was checking on the three.

Gahyeon smiled as she watched Dami helping teach sol. It was the best way to distract him, and it was also really cute to watch. Sol loved to learn while Dami loved teaching him.

It was a long wait that felt like forever, but finally, siyeon’s phone rang as Matthew called to let them know that he had arrived. Everyone tensed as they heard Siyeon explain how to get to their house, and now all that was left was to wait.

Siyeon and the others walked outside to wait as the sun was setting. It didn’t affect anyone due to their night vision, but they waited patiently.

Sometime during the wait, Irene and Seulgi had come back downstairs, and they too waited for the alpha.

Matthew was surprised to see such large numbers outside waiting for him. He felt a bit nervous until he spotted three people. Or, more importantly, one person.

Taehyung. He had almost slipped and asked about his mate on the phone but worried that would put him in danger if Siyeon wasn’t as kind as she sounded.

One of the hardest things Matthew had ever done was to leave his pack and his mate behind, but Taehyung had told him to finish college and that he would wait for him to come back. But shortly after he left, all contact from him and the rest of his pack stopped.

When Matthew would call his brother, he would say that they were mad at him for leaving and to just give it time. He now knew the truth, but it didn’t make him feel better. He should have come home at the first signs of something being wrong with his pack.

He felt like a fool and that everything was all his fault, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved at seeing Taehyung again.

Matthew walked to the front of the gate as Siyeon walked to meet him. She smiled and nervously opened the gate as she prayed that she wasn’t making the wrong decision.

As soon as the gate was open, Matthew ran inside and quickly went to check on his packmates. It startled Siyeon, but she knew that she would have done the same thing if it was her. Her pack comes first.

At least that was one thing that she had in common with the large alpha. He was even bigger than his brother was, and when he spoke, his voice was also deeper. Siyeon could see why his younger brother would have an inferiority complex against him.

Once Matthew checked the three, he started questioning them, but their expressions said it all. They were all that was left of his pack.

“what about my brother? Where is he?” Matthew asked with a cold voice as a deep growl rumbled from his chest. His anger was clearly visible, but Taehyung stepped forward as he put his hands on Matthew's shoulders. It was something he would always do when he had bad news, and quickly, the growling stopped as Matthew looked at him with confusion.

“your brother is gone. He finally challenged someone he couldn’t beat. He even resorted to cheating and failed. I'm sorry… I know you loved him. He was your brother, after all…” Taehyung said as Matthew's head drooped.

“yes, he was my brother, and I loved him, but I can never forgive him for what he did. I was prepared to do it myself if he wouldn’t listen to reason… but it still hurts to know he is gone…” Matthew said as Taehyung held him closely.

“I'm sorry. He ambushed us, and in the end, he ended up dying. I hope you understand. We had to protect our pack…” Siyeon said apologetically as Matthew nodded sadly.

“I do. I understand completely… I just need a moment…” Matthew said as he checked on his three packmates. The only ones left of his pack that was closer than family.

They talked among themselves for several minutes when Sunmi walked back outside. Siyeon didn’t know when the fox went inside, but she could smell the wonderful smells of Sunmi’s cooking and knew what she had planned, and one look at Sunmi confirmed it.

“Matthew? Sorry to interrupt your reunion, but Sunmi cooked some food. You look hungry, and your packmates didn’t eat much due to nerves. Would you like to eat?” Siyeon asked as the three looked at him.

The alpha nodded as the three led him inside, and soon Sunmi had them seated as she brought out some food. Matthew had been so busy hunting for his pack that it looked like he had not been eating properly.

“your packmates need to eat regularly. The healing that they needed was extreme. They will get tired easily for a while.” Sunmi said as Matthew nodded and made sure that his pack was eating before he started.

Siyeon had to admit she seemed to like this alpha from what she had seen briefly. He was truly putting his pack first, and that made her feel better about her decision.

Once the four were done eating, Siyeon walked in to talk about the more difficult stuff. She needed to ask Matthew what should happen to his brother's body. Jinyoung and the others took it to her father, who had it stored at the local morgue just in case his family came looking for him.

“I'm sorry to ruin your reunion, but I have a difficult question to ask you…” Siyeon said as Matthew tensed, expecting the worst.

“my father works for the police in this town, and he had your brother's body stored in the morgue but needs to know what you want to do with him?” Siyeon asked as she waited patiently. She could tell that Matthew was torn internally, but when he looked over at his packmates who looked terrified just at the mention of his dead brother, he knew what to choose.

“just have him get rid of it. As far as I'm concerned, he is no longer family but a monster. He died from his cruelty and foolishness so he won't get some grand funeral like he would want. Tell your father thank you for waiting, but he can do with it what he wants…” Matthew said as everyone looked at him in shock. That was not expected. But Siyeon nodded and called jinyoung to tell him Matthew's decision before returning to the four.

“it is getting a bit late. Do you want to stay here, and we can explain better in the morning over breakfast?” Siyeon asked as Matthew thought it over before nodding politely and thanking Siyeon for her hospitality.

Siyeon could tell he was from a wealthy family as she smiled and led him to an empty room where he could stay.

“now, do you three want to stay in the same room or use one of the rooms upstairs?” Siyeon asked as the three thought for a moment.

“I can stay with Matthew if the girls want a room to themselves,” Taehyung said as the girls thought about it and nodded.

“I know you will probably think badly of us, but they were staying in the basement until we knew that they wouldn’t hurt anyone.” Siyeon said as Matthew nodded. He didn’t like that but knew the reasoning behind it and nodded as his pack split up into their new rooms.

Once they were in their rooms, Siyeon went back downstairs to talk with her pack. They all noticed how Matthew hovered around Taehyung. It was clear what he was to the alpha, and Siyeon just nodded to confirm it.

“they are rooming together. It looks like we reunited long lost mates.” Siyeon said as her pack smiled. Siyeon had indeed made the right decision when sparing them. They were not monsters like Matthew's brother.


	59. Chapter 59

-The Sun and the Moon-

Like Siyeon had said, they waited until morning to explain everything. Matthew and the others woke up to breakfast and slowly came down. Matthew was not much of a morning person lately.

As everyone sat at the table and began to eat, Siyeon looked at Matthew. He looked a bit more relaxed now that he had found his pack, but you could tell that guilt was eating him alive. Due to his foolishness, he ignored his mate's pleas and left someone in charge that ended up destroying his pack.

Matthew quickly noticed the change in Jiwoo. The girl who used to seem brave and confident would cling to Somin’s arm when her anxiety was too much. It made him wonder what had happened to her, but maybe he really didn’t want to know.

Somin had also changed. She was full of laughter and smiles before, but now she was calm and quiet as she protected her mate silently. She didn’t talk unless she felt she absolutely needed to. It hurt to know his closest friends had changed this much because of his mistakes. But he swore to himself that he would make it up to them in any way that he could.

Siyeon observed the alpha with a frown. This wasn’t good. He was clearly letting everything go to his head. He needed to be with his pack again. To do something with them and feel close to them once more.

Silently Siyeon looked over to Sunmi and then Dami as she shared her thoughts. The two thought about a way to help when they were surprised to hear Seulgi’s thoughts.

_‘a game? Play fight? Race? Animals do it all the time.’_ Seulgi said hesitantly. She was still worried that she wouldn’t be understood, but the smiles on the girls told her that it was not the case. She smiled shyly as she looked over to Irene. The vampire was smiling at her proudly as she stroked her head, causing the bear to blush happily.

Siyeon thought about the idea and tried to think of how it could work. She worried it would make it worse, but maybe being able to run with his pack again would do everyone some good.

Minji had an idea as she watched Siyeon try to think of what to do. There was still one place nearby that she had yet to take everyone too. And maybe it would be a fun and relaxing run for everyone.

Minji quickly shared her idea as well as images of the area she had in mind as Siyeon nodded happily. It was extremely beautiful, and even she was excited to see it.

Matthew was lost in his thoughts when Siyeon called his name in an attempt to draw his attention. He quickly looked up to see Siyeon looking rather excited.

“I know you want answers, but your pack has been cooped up inside for so long. Minji said that there is a beautiful place that is a bit of a run. How does a run sound?” Siyeon asked as Taehyung, and the girls perked up at the idea. They had indeed been cooped up inside for a long time.

Matthew looked at their excited expressions and quickly nodded. If it made his pack happy, then he was all for it.

It was soon decided as they started planning out everything. Sunmi and Chungha went into the kitchen to pack a lunch for everyone as Elkie’s mother went to help. She also agreed to go along to Elkie’s surprise.

She had been absent a lot lately due to the alphas in the house, so Elkie was surprised when her mother agreed. Maybe she was finally starting to trust again?

Once the food was packed into large metal baskets that could be easily held in the foxes' jaws, they started getting ready to go. There was a third basket that was loaded with changes of clothes for everyone so that they wouldn’t have to spend the day naked, and soon, everyone was ready as they waited for Siyeon’s orders.

Siyeon smiled happily as she looked at Minji. The vampire was the one that knew the way. Sunmi had only been there once with Minji’s parents and couldn’t remember the way enough to lead them.

“How will the vampires keep up? I have heard that vampires are fast but slightly slower than wolves.” Matthew asked as the vampires smiled wickedly. He had not seen their cat forms yet.

“oh, you will see. Don’t worry. We can keep up. The question is… can you city boy?” Minji teased as Matthew smiled at the challenge. He liked the idea of a race, and it also got his pack excited as they smiled at the idea of being able to shift after a long time.

“time to shift then. Everyone ready?” Siyeon asked as everyone nodded. Siyeon gave the vampires the signal to shift first. She wanted to see Matthew’s reaction.

Minji Bora Handong and Irene quickly shifted into their cat forms as Matthew’s jaw dropped. He was amazed at the large felines in front of him and smiled. Oh, this race would be really fun.

Siyeon then shifted into her wolf form as her brilliant white fur shined in the sunlight. Everyone was still amazed at their alphas drastic change in her fur color but loved it. It was extremely beautiful. Her white fur with blazing green eyes really stood out.

What also caught Matthew’s attention was Dami and Yoohyeon. Their strange eyes and fur patterns told him something was different about them, but it didn’t change the way he thought about them. Instead, he was just intrigued.

Sunmi and Chungha shifted after to his amazement. It was rare to see a fox, let alone two. And he was even more surprised when he watched Seulgi shift into her large bear form in front of them. This was going to be an interesting trip.

Now it was his packs turn, and he gladly shifted. His wolf form was large, and he was the same size as Siyeon with a muscular frame and golden fur that went to a darker brown at the tips of his ears nose paws and tail. He looked very regal but acted more like a puppy in his wolf form as his tongue hung out the side of his jaws excitedly.

Somin’s fur was a chocolate brown with an undercoat of cream that would show at times. She was very lean and was a beautiful wolf. Jiwoo was a bit different. Her coat was white and black and white and extremely shiny. She was slightly smaller than Somin’s wolf form, but Siyeon remembered that the two were an incredible team when it came to fighting.

Taehyung was the last to shift. His shiny black fur shone in the sunlight as he walked over to stand beside Matthew. They were all excited to be back in their wolf forms again. The four wolves pawed at the earth excitedly as Siyeon looked to Minji. This trip was going to be led by the vampire, and she was now ready.

But sol didn’t want to be left out. He quickly switched into his lightweight pot and strapped himself to Seulgi excitedly. She was unaffected by his thorns after all and thought it was a fun idea as she told him to hold on tightly.

As soon as Minji gave the signal, they were off. It must have been an interesting sight to anyone who would see them except that this area had remained untouched for several years.

Minji ran excitedly as Siyeon and Yoohyeon ran alongside her. Everyone was keeping up, Even Seulgi with sol. In fact, they seemed to be having the most fun.

Seulgi was running in a zigzag pattern to amuse sol who giggled and laughed excitedly as he held on. But they were now in an older part of the forest, and the ancient plants reacted differently around sol. They leaned towards him slightly.

It didn’t go unnoticed by Gahyeon. She could hear the whispers from the plants. Something about sol excited them as they felt the need to try to touch him. It was all strange to Gahyeon, but she was also being treated the same from the plants. Something was odd about this forest, and she was curious about what it was.

The whispers got stronger as they came closer to whatever Minji wanted to show them, and it made Gahyeon’s skin tingle. The plants around them were incredibly strong as they shared their essence with things around them.

The wolf remained silent about what she was noticing. She didn’t know how to describe it anyway, but it was making her feel anxious. But not in a bad way. She felt like something exciting was soon going to happen as she felt her energy surge in front of her.

It was several more minutes when the overgrown path that they were running along widened up into a small clearing surrounded by large ancient trees. When Gahyeon stepped into the clearing, she could clearly feel an extremely strong natural energy emanating from something in the center of the clearing.

_‘What is this place?’_ Gahyeon asked as Minji smiled a toothy feline grin and explained it to everyone.

_‘this clearing was tended by humans hundreds of years ago when they still had the knowledge of nature and could heal the environment. In the center is an old shrine where they would worship the sun and moon. As you can see, it's abandoned now, but its almost like you can still feel the lingering power. Plus, it's absolutely beautiful here…’_ Minji said as she looked around the clearing after many years.

The grasses were extremely soft, and not a bug was in sight. Everything was extremely healthy and seemed to be protected by something, and little streams ran here and there, giving the plants the water they needed. It was extremely beautiful.

The plants whispered to Gahyeon and sol as they walked closer into the clearing. Clearly, something was different for them than everyone else. They felt like they should be here and slowly walked towards the vines and moss-covered structure in the center.

It turned out that there were actually two structures, but the plants had grown over the two protectively, making them look like one as they protected the shrines from the elements. The plants slowly retracted as they whispered excitedly while watching Gahyeon and sol approach.

“what is going on?” Dami asked as she dressed in her spare clothes. She noticed that Gahyeon and sol were acting oddly but as she looked at Siyeon, she also seemed effected by something as she wandered over to the structure followed by Elkie leaving Handong to look at Dami with a worried expression.

Matthew watched everything silently as he sat happily beside his pack. Siyeon’s plan had worked. The run was exactly what he needed to feel connected to them again.

When Gahyeon and sol reached the structures, the plants withdrew completely from it as sol reached for Gahyeon’s hand nervously. They felt like something was going to happen as they stepped onto the ancient white stone of a small temple of the sun.

A soft white light blazed before fading away as quickly as it came leaving a shimmering image of a woman standing in the center of the structure. A soft breeze swirled around her. Both Gahyeon and sol could feel a warmth radiating off of her that felt like soft sunlight.

Their powers surged near her, and Gahyeon knew that she was someone special.

“I finally get to meet you!” the woman said softly as she smiled and beckoned them closer. After a slight hesitation, Gahyeon and sol walked closer.

“Who are you?” Gahyeon asked as the girl smiled.

“I am… the sun. I am the representation of the sun on this planet. I'm sure you felt the energy of this place and wonder why I am here correct?” the woman asked as the two nodded, causing her to smile and kneel down to get a better look at sol.

“your connection with sol wasn’t an accident. Both of you were going to die. I decided to step in and made you two the chosen of the sun. It was the only thing I could do to save you two. But the plants around you cried to me to save you…” the woman said as Gahyeon listened silently.

“to become so beloved by my precious plants so quickly, I knew that you were special. The same could be said with sol. I'm sure you felt it too, Gahyeon. The feeling that sol was special?” she asked as the wolf nodded nervously.

“his sacrifice told me I was making the right decision as I saved the two of you. It's also amusing that you are the sister of my love’s favorite chosen.” Solar said humorously as she smiled and looked at the empty temple of the moon beside her longingly.

“Why do the plants whisper about us?” Gahyeon asked as solar smiled and reached out a hand. Gahyeon looked at it nervously before slowly taking it.

Images flashed in her mind. She saw the temple when it was in its glory. The power it once had was amazing and made it hard for Gahyeon to breathe. The woman gently let go of Gahyeon’s hand as the girl blinked several times in shock.

“the plants remember the old days. But these two temples were created for a specific reason…” solar said sadly as she looked at the empty moon shrine again.

“what is it?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the moon temple. It was like it was calling to her. She felt the need to go there but wanted to check on her sister first.

“that is the shrine of the one that made you chosen. I believe you have some questions for her?” solar said with a smile as Siyeon’s eyes went wide as she looked at the empty shrine once again.

Siyeon glanced over to Elkie. As two chosen, they had many questions and wondered if they would get answers like Gahyeon was.

There was only one way to find out as the two wolves stepped onto the shrine as a light flashed, leaving a person standing there smiling proudly at the two wolves.

“I'm glad that I am finally able to see my two favorite chosen! I thought these shrines would never be used again…” the deeper voiced girl said as she looked over at the woman with a sad yet happy expression. Their look of longing didn’t go unnoticed by the four in the temples. Their longing for each other was so strong that it could be even felt in the air.

“I am sure you have some questions. Ask away.” The girl said as Siyeon nervously stepped forward.

“why me? Why choose me? I almost lost everyone I cared about to Jackson, and even now, I put everyone at risk as people come to challenge my pack…” Siyeon asked as the girl smiled.

“I chose you because you are strong even if you don’t think you are. Your values are strong, and you would stand up and protect others. Chosen is meant to change things. Even right now, you feel hate for the way alphas treat those below them. That is because it is not how it is supposed to be. If anyone could make a difference, you could.” The girl said as she smiled and then looked to Elkie.

“but Siyeon couldn’t do it alone. I chose you because you needed the strength to break free of your situation before it killed you and the ones you cared about. And I understand the feeling of loving someone so far away…” the girl said as she looked at the sun one more time.

“Together, the two of you were able to bring out powers of your packmates that haven’t been seen in thousands of years. Do you know how many lives you saved by stopping Jackson? I can see the possibilities in the future.” She said as she hesitated before continuing.

“You saved many more lives than you could even imagine. That drug that Jackson made and planned to release is toxic. After long use, it would devastate the wolf population and spread to others. He planned to keep the safe version for his pack and sell the failed batches. Plus, the aggression that it would bring was stopped by you.” the girl said with a smile.

“I chose the two of you not to make your lives harder, but so that you could stand up for yourselves and be able to protect yourselves and others. So that you could stay with your loved ones and keep them safe. If I didn’t, you would have been a victim of Jackson and would have ended your life because it meant a life without Bora. The same fate would have happened to Elkie. But now you have the strength needed to help yourselves and others. I know it is a burden, but I couldn’t let you become victims.” The girl said as Siyeon nodded in understanding.

She had always wondered why she was chosen, and now she knew. It wasn’t for some random reason, and it made sense. It actually made her feel better about being chosen. Without that, she would not have her pack that was like family with her. It was a shock, but she finally had the answers she needed, and her heart felt at ease now that she knew.

“you will be up against tough challenges, but help will always find you. Those that you need and need you will end up finding their way to you.” the girl said as she motioned to Irene and Seulgi.

It was true. Without Seulgi, they would have fallen to Matthew’s brother and been victims of whatever sick things he had in mind while Irene needed them to break free of her family. And the two ended up being meant for each other. It was funny that Siyeon never noticed how help always came when they needed it.

“I wouldn’t make you chosen without helping you here or there.” The girl said with a mischievous smirk.

“no teasing. It's not nice.” The sun said with a smile as the girl chuckled.

All of the wolves in the clearing were drawn to the moon. They felt a strong pull to the moon after all, but the only wolf that didn’t feel that any more was Gahyeon.

“I am a bit sad you took one of my people from me, but you couldn’t have chosen a sweeter girl.” The girl teased as she looked at Gahyeon. The wolf flushed at the compliment.

“thank you for saving her.” The moon said as the sun smiled.

“Anything for you,” she said sweetly.

“wait, what was the purpose of these shrines? You mentioned it earlier.” Gahyeon asked as the two smiled sadly.

“We are meant to be apart even though we love each other. But some clever humans learned that we could appear at shrines built for us if one of our chosen is there. So they built our shrines side by side so that there would be a possibility that one day we could meet again…” the moon said with a sad smile.

“So these shrines are to your love. To reunite you someday?” Elkie asked as the two nodded.

“so if Elkie or I come with Gahyeon or sol, you two could see each other?” Siyeon asked as the two nodded.

“that is easy,” Siyeon said as the two looked at her in shock. They had gone thousands of years without seeing each other and didn’t think that this could happen again so easily.

“All we have to do is make sure to visit this place every once and a while. Then you can see each other more often.” The two sisters had the same idea. After all, without them, they both would have died already.

“But what does being the sun’s chosen mean?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at the sun. The plants around them were whispering to her again.

“I will give you a gift. It is a bit of my power. All I ask is if you could help the plants around you grow. That is all I require. The planet is suffering from humans, and with it, so is everything else. Heal when you can. Both plants and people. I'm not very demanding. I just wish for the two of you to help others.” The sun said as Gahyeon smiled and nodded.

She was doing that already. She couldn’t help but strengthen the plants around her that seemed to be struggling, and she loved healing. It wasn’t a hard task for her, so she nodded happily.

_‘what about me? I can't heal…’_ sol said in a soft voice as the sun smiled and leaned down to take two of his vines in her hands.

“sol, who said that you cant heal? You just haven’t learned how to yet. Your powers and Gahyeon’s are linked. If she can heal, so can you. You are just still young and haven’t grown into it yet. don’t worry.” The sun said as sol nodded happily.

“shall we give them our gifts?” the moon asked her love as the sun nodded and stood. There was a flash of light over Gahyeon and sol. They felt a soft warmth flow into them as their powers surged.

It made Gahyeon a bit dizzy for a couple of seconds, but it soon passed as she looked at the plants around her. Just like sol, she could now see the energy in each living thing, even in Siyeon and the others. As she looked down at her hands, Gahyeon was shocked to see she looked more like a plant than a wolf and now understood why she no longer felt the pull of the moon.

The plants around her gently touched her excitedly as they congratulated her. To them, it was the greatest honor.

“I don’t even know what most of these plants are… how old are they?” Gahyeon asked as she examined them with curiosity. The sun didn’t answer. She knew Gahyeon was now too distracted to hear her answer anyway.

When sol got his gift, something strange happened. His color changed. He still had beautiful red thorns, but when the light hit them just right, they would flash a vivid orange or yellow in sunlight. He truly was special.

Next was Siyeon’s turn. The surge of power she felt when the moon touched her almost made her black out, but Elkie was there to catch her. The feeling that washed over Siyeon was cool like soft moonlight and a gentle breeze. It was nice. She always did love the feeling of moonlight on her skin after all.

Elkie felt the same strong power and cooling breeze wash over her as Siyeon held on to her. It felt amazing even if she didn’t know what has changed yet.

“you have not received our gifts. But mine is a secret. You will find out what it is later…” the moon said with a smirk as the sun shook her head.

“I love a dork…” the sun said as everyone laughed.

After the sun said that, the tension in the clearing lifted as the others slowly approached. Minji had known that the clearing was special somehow but had no idea that it would be tied to Siyeon and Gahyeon at all.

Sunmi and Chungha hung back, trying to be respectful. Wolves were drawn to the moon, but foxes were not connected to it like they were. It made them hesitant to come closer, but the two waved them closer as everyone sat down around the two.

Sol was having fun playing with the sun's hair. Every time he would run a vine across her hair, it would shimmer a golden color that made him hum in happiness. It felt warm like the sun and made him happy. 

It fascinated the others as they watched, but Siyeon remembered that she promised to explain everything to Matthew. What better time than now? It was now time for Matthew to find out what happened to his brother.

Siyeon sighed, and soon, all attention was on her. It was time to explain everything, and she was sure that the shackles wouldn’t go over well.

But to Siyeon’s surprise, it went rather well. Matthew knew that the reason for it was to protect her pack, and he could completely understand that. He was feeling extremely protective of what few members he had left and would do anything to keep them safe.

“I'm sorry, but the scars are going to be there for a year or two at least. It wasn’t a strong dose, just enough to keep them from shifting until we knew it was safe.” Wonho said as Matthew nodded and leaned closer to his mate without noticing it. He didn’t like the idea of him hurting, but being alive and having those shackles on was a better choice than him being dead and buried.

Matthew knew that and tried to be understanding. It also helped that the moon had a calming effect on the wolves. It was like a cool, calm breeze that radiated off of her. Maybe this was the reason Minji had the idea to come here. It all seemed to be at a time that it was needed most.

They talked until the sun started to go down, and soon both the sun and moon looked at each other sadly. They knew that it was soon time for them to leave, and who knows when they would return next? Sure, Siyeon mentioned it, but would it actually happen? It wouldn’t be the first time someone offered but never came back, though the last time was at least a thousand years ago.

“you don’t have to worry. We will come back. You can see each other again.” Siyeon said as the two looked at the alpha. Everyone else nodded in agreement. Something about the two was comforting. And once they relaxed, they were extremely silly.

The two smiled happily as they looked at each other. It had been so long, but it was good to see the one that they cared about again.

Once Siyeon and the others promised to come back, they headed home. Matthew had a lot to think about. He wasn’t sure what to do next or what his pack would want to do. Siyeon and Minji assured him that they were welcome to stay until he decided what to do next, but they planned on starting training again in the morning.

If Matthew and the others wanted to stay for a bit, they would need to help too. Matthew thought about it before agreeing. The others had been in several fights, but he had been away studying at college. He needed to learn how to fight alongside his pack again.

But he was in for a big surprise in the morning. Everyone was.


	60. Chapter 60

-Power and Panic-

The next morning everyone woke up and went downstairs for breakfast. Matthew was feeling a bit better about everything as he watched everyone eat happily. Well, except for Handong. Sol had not given up blinding her with his spoon, so now she ate with sunglasses on.

Siyeon was watching everyone eat happily when her eyes landed on Matthew. He was watching everyone intently with a sad expression. Siyeon wondered why but soon figured it out.

Matthew’s pack used to be much larger. They must have eaten meals together, just like this. He missed them. He missed all of the jokes and people goofing off.

Though he was sad, he was also happy to watch Siyeon’s pack be so happy. He had decided that he wanted to bring his pack back to normal. They would never be like they were, but he wanted to help Taehyung Somin and Jiwoo feel a bit more relaxed like old times. He felt it was the least he could do. After all, this all happened because of his foolish decision and pride.

If Matthew thought more of his pack instead of helping his brother, this mistake would have never happened. It was something that would haunt him forever, but he decided to remember his mistake always and try to make it up to them in any way possible.

Siyeon could see a determination on his face and wondered what he was thinking of when she watched him grab a dish and bring it closer to Jiwoo. After a brief hesitation, Jiwoo grabbed another spoonful of the food before nodding at Matthew as he put it back in the center of the table.

Siyeon thought it was cute. He still remembered what Jiwoo liked to eat and knew she would be too hesitant to ask for more or get it herself. It was a little gesture, but it made Siyeon smile because she knew deciding to spare them was the right decision.

After breakfast, everyone walked outside, ready to practice. Sol was excited about more target practice, and Matthew was really curious about what the moons chosen could do.

What he should have been more curious about was what the sun's gift to Gahyeon would do. As she walked out of the house, she felt the warmth of the sun and smiled as she felt it warming up her chest. It was the power of the sun that was gathering inside her and spilling out around her freely as the plants around her whispered excitedly.

To them, Gahyeon was now like a goddess. When they would look at her, she blazed like the sun with energy that she shared willingly with them. But she didn’t know just how much her power was leaking, and it wouldn’t be until they started training that they would realize just how much stronger Gahyeon had become.

Siyeon and the others stretched as Matthew, and his pack stood around nervously. They had agreed to help them yesterday, but he didn’t know what to do or how to help.

“relax and stretch. it will help you take your mind off of your worries.” Elkie said as she looked at his nervous expression

The alpha took her advice as he loosened up his muscles, and soon, everyone was ready. Wonho and Hyunwoo would train them for half the day, and then Sunmi would work on their powers with Chungha for the second half of the day. When Wonho stepped up, everyone's attention went to him. 

“ok. So, we have been relaxing a bit so let's start at the beginning as a warmup and soon we will start with new things. This will also allow Matthew and the others to possibly learn something, and you can try to practice with new partners. Sound good?” Matthew asked as everyone nodded.

For the first half of the day, Wonho had them learning to draw on parts of their wolf forms as they fought. It was going well. Even Matthew and his pack learned something. It was now time to practice, and Matthew was paired with Siyeon.

The two couldn’t help but feel a bit of competition. They were alphas after all and curious how strong the other was. Wonho looked at the smiles on their faces and knew it was going to be an interesting fight.

Matthew had the muscle, but Siyeon was just as strong if not stronger because she was chosen. It was going to be interesting, and Wonho had no idea who would win.

As soon as the fight started, Siyeon started fighting offensively as she pulled on the strength of her wolf form. Matthew had to go on the defensive as he protected himself from the blows, but each strike was so strong that he could feel them in his bones.

Matthew learned really quickly that Siyeon was MUCH stronger than she looked as he tried to find an opening and finally found one as he caught her leg as she sent out another powerful kick.

What Siyeon wasn’t prepared for was Matthew’s ability to catch her attacks and bring her to the ground. But Siyeon didn’t panic like he expected as she used her strength to fling the larger wolf off of her allowing her to get back up.

Siyeon wouldn’t make that mistake again. Instead of using brute force, she needed to be more precise in her timing and execution. She didn’t like being brought to the ground by another wolf, even if it was only for a few seconds.

This time Matthew went on the offensive, but Siyeon was ready as she would block and send out an attack of her own in between. Matthew’s strength was close to Siyeon’s, but his speed wasn’t. Though he was quick, Siyeon was quicker as she started getting more serious.

The fight ended when Siyeon landed a powerful kick to Matthew’s side. The crunch was audible, and Dami winced in pain. She remembered how painful that was. She had experienced it recently.

Gahyeon quickly went over, and with a gentle touch, she quickly healed his ribs as her powers numbed the area. That part was new, but both Matthew and Gahyeon didn’t notice the change.

Once Matthew was healed and back beside his pack, Wonho decided on Yoohyeon and Dami next as the two girls walked into the center of the field. Already the shadows were radiating off of both girls startling Matthew and his pack.

“What is that?” Matthew asked as Siyeon walked over to them to explain.

“Yoohyeon and Dami are sisters and half-demon. Their demon blood is just starting to show, so we don’t know what all they can do yet…” Siyeon said as Matthew looked at her with a confused expression.

“why not just ask their parents. I'm sure that whichever one is a demon would be able to help.” Matthew said but knew something was wrong with the sad expression Siyeon had when she looked at the two fighting in the center of the field.

“they don’t know their parents. It was a long story, but the government took an interest in their father because he had demon blood in him. Because of that, he had to hide Dami and went missing. The one he trusted Dami to ended up murdered too. We have no idea if their parents are alive or dead.” Siyeon said as Matthew sat there quietly.

As soon as the two stopped talking, the fight ended by Dami launching Yoohyeon into the air, where Yoohyeon was caught by the plants around her. Her fall would have been worse without the plants' help, but it startled her to feel the tiny vines holding her just inches from the ground.

“Gahyeon?” Yoohyeon shouted nervously as Gahyeon looked up from her conversation with Jiwoo to notice Yoohyeon’s predicament.

“How did this happen?” Gahyeon asked as the plants whispered to her.

_‘didn’t want her to fall.’_

_‘would get hurt. Make Gahyeon sad…’_

_‘don’t want Gahyeon sad…’_ several pants said as Gahyeon looked at them with a questioning expression. This wasn’t expected. It had to take a lot of their strength to catch the wolf, but Gahyeon was indeed grateful for them saving Yoohyeon from a nasty fall.

“can they let me go?” Yoohyeon asked with a hint of panic in her voice. Gahyeon’s plants still made her nervous sometimes, and when they are holding you up in the air, it can make you nervous. Even if it was just barely off of the ground.

The plants released Yoohyeon when Gahyeon asked and soon retreated back to their regular positions. It was soon forgotten as practice started again, but when it was Gahyeon’s turn to practice, they quickly learned that Gahyeon’s powers were definitely different.

Gahyeon should have noticed that the plants themselves seemed to be smarter, but after being around sol for so long, she didn’t notice it at first. But the plants around both Gahyeon and sol seemed to be taking after them. They were starting to pick up things.

When it was Gahyeon’s turn, she smiled at her opponent. It was Elkie. The wolf was always so kind to Gahyeon, and it would be a fun fight with Elkie’s ability to force Gahyeon away. She wanted to see what she could do to combat it.

As soon as the fight started, you could tell the difference in the way Gahyeon and Elkie fought versus Siyeon and Matthew.

The two were more defensive and calculating in their moves and wanted to make sure that they were not wasting their energy. But that didn’t mean that they were just circling each other. They were exchanging calculated blows as Elkie and Gahyeon learned each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Something changed in Gahyeon when she went to do a wide swing. Instead of her hand swinging like normal, it shifted into a feline paw as it zipped over Elkie’s head. The wolf just barely dodged it.

Gahyeon thought she was pulling on her wolf form, but when her vampire side triggered, it startled her. But she wasn’t the only one startled. Watching the razer sharp claws pass just above Elkie’s nose made her panic and forced the younger girl backward.

Gahyeon went flying through the air, but her vampire side was triggering as she relied on her instincts as she tried to adjust her body so that she could land safely when the plants around her caught her and launched her back at Elkie as she quickly charged in.

Gahyeon and the plants both didn’t think about what they did. They just did it automatically, and Elkie was not prepared for the quick counter-attack as she quickly dropped to the ground and used her wolf strength in her legs and flung Gahyeon over her head as Elkie rolled and got back onto her feet.

Again, the plants caught Gahyeon as she was launched back at the wolf. But this time, Elkie expected it too. She slashed an arm at Gahyeon, who ducked and was soon blown backward with a strong force by Elkie.

Elkie had a plan and wanted to test it. As Gahyeon used her plants to rebound again, Elkie launched forward as well. Instead of using her power to force Gahyeon away, she used it to propel herself towards Gahyeon as they crashed into each other midair.

Elkie’s experiment worked. She was able to launch herself as well as forcing someone away and had to smile as the plants held her and Gahyeon in mid-air. The plants intervened. They worried that the two would get hurt and caught the two just centimeters from impact.

It was another thing that Elkie anticipated. Gahyeon’s plants seemed to be reacting automatically to protect her, but she was surprised that they caught her as well.

Gahyeon’s plants were protective of everyone but especially Gahyeon. It was no surprise to Gahyeon that they grabbed Elkie, but she didn’t know why the plants were reacting like this. It was almost like they reacted with her like they were one. They both didn’t have to think about it. Gahyeon just wanted to do something, and the plants knew and helped her.

This was only a hint of what the sun's gift could do, and they were in for a surprise when Sunmi starts teaching after lunch.

Next up were Handong and Somin. The vampire remembered how fast and graceful the wolf was when fighting Seulgi and couldn’t help but feel a bit excited. She didn’t know that she would miss fighting, but she did.

This time Hyunwoo started the match as Somin charged. She had not fully learned how to draw on her wolf form while still in human form but was still a strong opponent. It was a fun fight though the wolf had a hard time breaking through Handong’s guard to land a hit.

As Wonho watched them fight, he couldn’t help but wonder how much they would improve if they learned from one of the city wolves. Their ability to truly shift between the two forms makes them deadly even in tight spaces, and with how strong the girls were getting, Wonho knew that they would draw even stronger opponents.

It may soon be time for them to leave and try to find someone from the city to help teach them. But it made him nervous about leaving the girls undefended. It was a lot to think about. If they learned to be able to shift in-between forms, it would mean that they could learn to fight in a larger variety of situations.

Wonho looked up from his thoughts to see Somin attempting a risky move as she charged at Handong, but before he could warn the wolf, Handong launched her backward as the wolf gracefully flipped midair like a cat and landed. She wasn’t in her wolf form but still automatically landed perfectly.

Wonho was impressed. Her balance and technique were amazing for someone that wasn’t trained. Matthew had said that they only learned to fight from small turf wars when teens. It was something that told Wonho she had a talent for this, and it made him sad that Matthew’s brother used that skill against her making her fight when she didn’t want to.

Somin finally gave up when she couldn’t catch her breath and quickly shifted into her wolf form to gain her energy back quickly as Jiwoo walked over to check on her. The younger girl was worried about her mate, but Somin swore that she was alright. She actually had fun and didn’t think she would feel like that for a long time.

The next up was Minji and Jiwoo. The wolf was nervous, but Minji smiled at her to ease her nerves. It helped a bit as she shyly smiled back before putting on a scowl. She needed to get serious.

Minji couldn’t help but giggle at the quick change in Jiwoo’s expression before she got into position. She was ready to see what Jiwoo could do.

Jiwoo was slightly faster than Somin was, and Minji had trouble keeping track of the wolf. Minji’s hand to hand fighting was the weakest of all the vampires, but her instincts were the strongest, so she let herself draw on that.

Jiwoo had extremely good footwork that could even rival Sunmi or Chungha. It made it even more difficult for Minji, but the girl was quickly fighting with claws and her tail as she tracked the wolf and waited for the right time to attack.

Minji quickly realized that Jiwoo left a slight opening when she would move from one side to the other and rushed in. The wolf didn’t know what hit her when Minji pounced at her. They quickly went down as they rolled on the ground.

Minji went to hold back because she thought that Jiwoo wouldn’t know how to defend herself from the ground, but she was mistaken.

Jiwoo quickly tried to counter her, and soon it was a battle on the ground. The two were constantly rolling as one tried to overpower the other.

Yoohyeon walked over to Somin, who was watching the fight and tried to joke to make the situation lighter.

“you know if she wasn’t our mates, I would say this is kinda hot.” Yoohyeon joked as Somin smiled and nodded before looking serious again.

“I am guessing she has had to defend herself from that position before. Will she be alright? Should we stop this?” Yoohyeon asked as Somin looked at her mate with worry.

“I don’t think so. She doesn’t look like she has started to panic. She just looks like she wants to win. But if that changes, we need to stop this immediately.” Somin said as Matthew stood up and looked at her questioningly.

“Why would she panic?” Matthew asked as Somin winced. She didn’t want to answer that. It was difficult to talk about.

“I healed her injuries. Do you want me to try to explain it to him?” Gahyeon asked as Somin nodded with a grateful look as Gahyeon led Matthew away.

“What happened to her while I was gone? She would always act tough and like one of the boys as she would joke around, but now she seems full of fear… did my brother do this?” Matthew asked, sounding heartbroken as Gahyeon nodded, confirming his fears.

“The number of injuries I healed on her that were not caused by Seulgi were extreme. Facial fractures broken bones in the arms, ribs, and legs. She was also covered in bruises, old and new. One was even in the shape of a handprint.” Gahyeon said as she paused temporarily before continuing.

“I think he would beat on Jiwoo and Somin to make Taehyung mind. He knew that Taehyung would do anything to protect the girls… it was very severe but was even worse on Jiwoo. I think he would target her because it would make both Taehyung and Somin mind. You know I am part vampire, right?” Gahyeon asked as Matthew nodded. He had heard the others talking about it.

“vampires can feel emotions, and I can as well. She is full of fear. It will take a long time for her to feel comfortable again. Don’t give up on her if she seems standoffish. It's not her fault.” Gahyeon said as Matthew looked away and ran his fingers through his hair frustratedly.

His heart ached for his friend and packmate. She was the youngest and should have never had to experience it. Ever. No one should have.

The guilt inside of Matthew was growing as he watched Somin while fighting back tears. All of this was truly his fault, and he was determined to make it better. To help Jiwoo Somin and Taehyung heal from what his brother did.

The thought of Somin having to watch feeling helpless while someone hurt her mate made him so sad and furious at the same time. He felt truly helpless. He wasn’t there when they needed him.

Gahyeon patted his back as she tried to let positive emotions wash over him, but it barely did anything. Gahyeon looked over to Handong and silently requested help, and soon Handong and Bora helped ease his anger and anguish as he slowly calmed down.

“thank you. I don’t know what you did, but I know you helped me. Thank you again.” Matthew said as he sighed and looked down at his feet when he felt something weird.

Gahyeon’s plants tried to comfort the big wolf as well. They wound around him in a plant hug. It was cute, but one was a bit mischievous and liked tickling him between the toes and bottom of the foot, causing him to laugh.

Gahyeon smiled and thanked the plants as they slowly released him and went back into position while Matthew tried to remain still so that he wouldn’t hurt them.

“I still think it's weird how the plants react here. But it is cool.” Matthew said as he looked to his left. One plant had not gone back to its regular position. It was standing as straight as it could as it slowly bloomed a flower for him.

“what is it doing?” Matthew asked as he looked at Gahyeon. She could only smile as she looked at the plant before looking back at Matthew.

“it's her prettiest flower. She is giving it to you. Her flower and when it wilts, she asks for you to scatter the seeds in a place that looks nice with a lot of sun and water. Her flowers mean protection from evil. She says planting them will maybe give you and your pack the protection it needs.” Gahyeon said as Matthew looked up at her in shock and then to the plant.

“but won't it hurt? I don’t want to hurt it.” Matthew said as Gahyeon leaned down, and as she reached for the flower, it dropped into her hand. Matthew winced, but Gahyeon quickly healed the plant and handed him the purple flower.

Matthew held the flower delicately in his hands, afraid that he would hurt it and carefully leaned down to thank the plant. As he touched the stem, it carefully twined itself between his fingers before slowly going back to its original position.

After the plant went back into its position, Matthew turned around to see the fight was still going. But something was changing with Jiwoo, and Matthew quickly tensed as he gently put his hand on Somin’s shoulder.

To his dismay, Somin flinched away. She was so focused on Jiwoo’s fight. She didn’t mean to, but it was automatic as she felt his hand on her shoulder.

“sorry…” Matthew said as he withdrew his hand and looked at her apologetically before he continued with what he had initially meant to say.

“is she starting to panic? Should we stop this?” Matthew asked as Somin looked at him, apologetically and nodded. She grasped his forearm with a worried expression. Jiwoo was pushing herself too much. She didn’t want to seem weak but was soon going to put herself into a panic attack.

“We need to stop this. now.” Matthew said as he walked over to Siyeon. She, too, had picked up on Jiwoo’s panic and nodded as they both walked over and called to Minji, but it wasn’t like it seemed. Minji was on the defensive. Jiwoo was already panicking, and Minji was just trying to keep the girl off of her. She didn’t want to draw attention to Jiwoo’s situation, so she tried to wait it out, but the girl wasn’t calming down.

Matthew quickly swooped in and scooped Jiwoo into his arms and held her to him while trying to calm her. He knew it wasn’t the best method, but he needed to get her to Somin quickly. Her panic attack made her strike out at Matthew, but he took them without complaint as he carried her over to her mate.

Somin quickly put her arms around Jiwoo’s neck and held her to her as the younger girl started to still. She could smell Somin’s scent as the panic started to ease. Matthew felt helpless as he looked at Jiwoo as her breathing slowly went back to normal. She was struggling, and he felt like he could only stand there and watch.

Somehow the flower in his hand managed to survive the struggle and was resting in his hand. He carefully closed his fingers around it, careful not to damage it, and prayed that it would work. They needed all the protection they could get.

Somin looked up at Matthew when she gasped. Jiwoo had landed several blows on Matthew, and he was bleeding but didn’t even realize it. He was too focused on getting her to Somin.

Somin’s reaction told him he must look bad, and quickly he turned around and walked to Gahyeon. He didn’t want Jiwoo to see him and feel remorseful.

Gahyeon was looking with a worried expression at Jiwoo when she saw Matthew approaching. There were claw marks on his face and a nice cut on his brow that was bleeding heavily.

Gahyeon jumped up and quickly walked over to heal him. Her tingling powers flowed over his face as it numbed the stinging and quickly healed the scratches. By the time he turned around to look at Jiwoo, he was completely healed, and with Handong’s help, he had the blood washed from his face. He was completely soaked from head to toe, but the blood was gone.

Matthew slowly walked over towards Somin and Jiwoo but stopped several feet away. He wanted to see if it was alright to approach.

Somin looked up and saw his hesitation. She softly whispered something to Jiwoo, who only nodded as she kept her head in the crook of Somin’s neck.

The wolf looked at Matthew and nodded, telling him it was alright to approach, so he did very slowly. He didn’t want to make the situation worse.

Once he got closer, Matthew knelt down to see if Jiwoo was ok when she launched at him and wrapped her arms around the alphas neck as she cried apologies. Matthew froze in shock before he gently patted her back with his free hand and told her it was alright.

She remembered hurting him but not how bad. So, when Jiwoo looked up to see his face injury-free, she sighed in relief as she apologized again before hiding her face again. She didn’t like others seeing her cry. This wasn’t like her at all, and she didn’t like looking weak in front of everyone.

“what happened?” Taehyung asked as he walked up with Sunmi and Chungha. They had gone inside to help cook lunch now that there were more mouths to feed, and when Taehyung looked at Jiwoo clinging to Matthew with her arms around his neck, he knew something bad happened.

As he looked at Somin, the wolf nodded. It wasn’t the first time Jiwoo had a panic attack, and the two knew that she would feel extremely embarrassed about it after.

“food is ready. Let's go eat everyone.” Sunmi said as she looked over to the vampires and spoke to them silently.

_‘control her emotions. She will need the help. I'm sure she will feel embarrassed and nervous during lunch.’_ Sunmi said as they nodded and led everyone inside to eat.

Before Matthew went to eat, he carefully set the flower in his room. He didn’t want anything to happen to it. Once it was safe, he changed out of his wet clothes and walked downstairs to eat.


	61. Chapter 61

-The Wall-

During lunch, the vampires made sure to help control Jiwoo’s emotions and helped her to relax and enjoy her food while forgetting the incident for a little while. By the end of lunch, Taehyung even had her laughing, which made everyone smile. She had been through so much, so it was good to see her smiling again.

Matthew, however, was quiet throughout lunch as he watched his packmates. He noticed some new behaviors that they developed.

Taehyung would try everything he could to lighten the mood and make the girls happy while Somin was more quiet and calculated in her actions compared to before. And the most drastic changes were in Jiwoo.

He missed how she would constantly tease him and the others, but that behavior was gone. It was almost like she feared saying something and had to stay close to Somin for support. But seeing Jiwoo laugh like this made him have hope that they could go back to normal someday. It wouldn’t be easy, but he was determined to bring back the happy Jiwoo that would constantly tease everyone, even if he felt he would regret it later.

Siyeon watched over everyone when something caught her attention. Sol was blinding Handong like normal, but his colors shimmered as he stood in the sunlight, and it made Siyeon curious if Gahyeon looked the same in the sunlight. They haven’t looked at her well in the sunlight after all because they didn’t expect to see a change, but now Siyeon was curious if the sun’s gift had changed her sister more than she thought.

Gahyeon’s laugh pulled her out of her thoughts as she looked up to see Taehyung making everyone laugh again. He was really good at making people laugh. It must have been fun when Matthew’s pack was in its prime.

Once lunch was over, everyone helped clean up and then quickly rushed outside to finish their training for the day. The sun was at its highest point, and this time Siyeon looked over to Gahyeon and spotted a faint shimmer in her hair. If Siyeon would have blinked, she would have missed it. But it was definitely there.

_‘interesting…’_ Siyeon thought to herself as Bora looked at her with a suspicious look.

“what is it? You look like you saw something interesting.” Bora asked as she wrapped her arms around her mate to snuggle.

“I think that something has changed within Gahyeon. We need to watch her carefully during training. Something… unexpected might happen.” Siyeon said as Bora looked over at the younger girl and squinted. She expected to see something but saw nothing at the moment.

“alright. So, let's shift things up this time. Now, Matthew, this will be something that you and the others may not be able to help with, so relax for now until we can think of anything. Ok?” Sunmi asked as he nodded and sat on the ground beside his pack and watched curiously.

“Wonho and Hyunwoo can’t help us here, so they took Sol a bit farther down to work on his target practice,” Sunmi said as everyone nodded.

“ok, so let's decide who goes up against who… actually, let’s practice in teams of two against each other. Sound good?” Sunmi asked as the girls nodded and waited for her to announce the teams.

“ok… Minji and Bora will go against Gahyeon and Elkie… Siyeon and Yoohyeon will go against Handong and Dami… and Chungha will go against me in the last fight.” Sunmi said as everyone walked over into their teams and started talking about their plans.

“but before we start, let's warm up with some target practice. I got the idea from sol and his clay disks. I'm going to launch some ice and try to take it out before it hits the ground. Sound good?” Chungha asked as Sunmi nodded in approval.

“alright. First, we need to have the ones that can actually hit it. Siyeon, Bora, Elkie, Yoohyeon, Dami, and Handong all can probably take it out of the air while Minji I don’t think you can, but you can possibly affect it with your powers, and that’s what we will be going for with you. ok?” Chungha asked as she nodded.

Chungha walked into the center of the field and made a line in the soil. It was where they were supposed to stand when it was their turn.

Siyeon stepped up to the line in the soil and readied herself. Carefully she thought of all the emotions that pulled on her lightning, and soon she felt the slight tingling as the small bolts snaked over her body and smiled. She was ready.

“now don’t expect to get it the first try. This requires a lot of accuracy. Ok?” Chungha said as Siyeon nodded and readied herself as she tensed in anticipation.

“go!” Chungha shouted as she let out a large ice projectile that went flying through the air. Just like Chungha said, Siyeon missed the first try, but she came extremely close surprising everyone as she quickly prepared herself for the next time.

Matthew’s jaw dropped as he watched the blue lightning flickering over Siyeon’s body, but he was even more surprised when she launched it at the ice shard as it streaked through the air with a roar. It may have missed, but everyone was impressed at the sheer power of it.

“I'm glad we can’t help this time…” Matthew said as his packmates nodded in agreement. No one wanted to go up against Siyeon and her lightning, and now they had no idea what the others could do.

Siyeon’s next attempt succeeded as the ice shard exploded in midair with a flash of light. Siyeon smiled proudly as she looked over to Chungha, who smiled and nodded happily. Siyeon had done extremely well.

“Now, let's try your fire. I know you have a hard time launching it forward. Maybe this can help you practice.” Chungha said as Siyeon nodded and prepared herself. She had to draw on different emotions for this one.

This time it took three tries before Siyeon was even remotely close, but she was able to launch the sticky fire slightly faster each time, and on the fourth try, she succeeded. Siyeon was performing well under pressure.

Next up was Bora, and it didn’t take long until she could successfully hit the target each time with her beautiful purple flames. It didn’t do as much damage as Siyeon’s fire, but her fire was obviously stronger than when they had practiced with it last. It showed that the girls were still getting stronger.

The vampire jumped excitedly as she hung off of Siyeon’s neck in excitement. She was proud of herself, and so was Siyeon as she grabbed her and spun her around proudly. They were truly a cute couple as they smiled like excited children at each other.

Elkie was next and learned really quickly that her range wasn’t as large as the others. So, after a couple of failed attempts, she quickly shifted and bolted after the ice projectile, and when it was within range, she blasted it forcefully as it shattered into pieces.

It told the wolf that she needed to practice on improving her range, and she was determined to get stronger after she watched Siyeon. Elkie was another chosen, after all.

Yoohyeon was next and was able to strike it with her black fire and her mini tornados, creating pretty light shows. Dami was also successful with her fire, and the only ones left were Handong and Minji.

When it was Handong’s turn, she went with a different approach. She triggered a storm, and when Chungha launched an ice projectile, the vampire shot it out of the air with a natural bolt of lightning. She was unsure if she could draw water to her fast enough and decided to affect the weather and successfully took out her target.

When it was Minji’s turn, she didn’t know what to do. She remembered drawing on her powers before, but how could she affect the shard? Before she was able to slightly affect the speed or time around herself and others, but how could she use it in this situation?

_‘First, I just need to trigger my ability, then I can think of what to do next…’_ Minji thought to herself as she readied herself.

Chungha watched a faint pink shimmer around the vampire as she focused, and when she launched the projectile, both Minji and the ice shard vanished instantly.

Chungha and the others looked around with confused expressions. How could the ice shard just vanish without any signs? But the answer became clear when Minji randomly appeared in front of them in her cat form with the ice shard in her mouth. She spit the ice shard out of her mouth near Chungha and gave a cute cat smile with her whiskers pushed forward as Chungha laughed. It was clear that Minji was very proud of herself.

“Well, that worked better than expected though I don’t know what you did to get it,” Chungha said with a laugh as Minji shifted back.

“Time seemed to stop right after it launched. It was a bit high in the air, but all I had to do is shift into my cat from and snatch it out of the air,” Minji said with a smile. She worried she wouldn’t be able to do this challenge and was proud that she was able to prove herself wrong.

“Irene? Do you want to try and see if any powers have started to come out yet?” Chungha asked as the vampire looked at her in shock. She was watching the others in amazement and didn’t think she could ever do anything like that.

Irene nodded nervously and walked up to the line and looked at Chungha for instruction. She was nervous, and it showed all over her face.

“relax. Your powers come from your emotions. Strong ones. So, think of things that make you angry or happy and see if anything happens. You haven’t been in the pack very long, so don’t worry if nothing happens yet. Ok?” Chungha said as Irene smiled and nodded nervously.

But before she could try, Seulgi walked over to her and wrapped her into a tight hug before kissing the vampire passionately. She wanted to help bring out strong emotions, and the strongest emotions Seulgi felt were her emotions for Irene.

The vampire blushed before turning away and trying to focus. Her heart was pounding, and her breathing was faster. Seulgi always had that effect on her. She was feeling her face blush and wished the heat would disappear from her cheeks.

Irene worried that it would hurt her attempt, but she was quickly able to draw on her emotions for the bear standing near her when she felt something funny.

She couldn’t explain it, but something was happening. Irene closed her eyes and tried to focus on the feeling as it slowly got stronger.

It was a cooling feeling that caused her body to tingle excitedly. She didn’t know what she was doing, but Irene could feel that something was happening when Chungha finally spoke.

“possibly another ice element? Interesting.” The fox said as Irene’s eyes snapped open. Her entire body was covered in frost crystals, but it didn’t feel like ice was the best description of her power. Cold, maybe?

“Um… Bora? Can you help me try something?” Irene asked as the vampire nodded and walked over. Irene was sure that this wasn’t just ice. It felt different. Like pure cold and she was curious to see what it could do against Bora’s flames.

When Irene gave the signal, Bora launched her flames out at Irene as she focused, pushing the cold outward. Bora’s fire hit the cold and couldn’t penetrate it with its warmth. Irene was not just an ice user. She could produce such cold air that it was causing the plants and soil to frost up around her while she remained unharmed and only felt a refreshing chill.

“can you shield others from Bora’s fire?” Chungha asked as Irene shrugged. Her powers were new to her. She was unsure what she could or couldn’t do with it.

“Matthew? Can you see how cold it feels around Irene? We are somewhat immune to each other's powers, so I can't be a good judge.” Chungha said as Matthew nodded and stood. But when he went to walk closer, he couldn’t get far.

He was barely up to the frosted soil when he had to stop. It was too cold in his human form. With a quick shift, he was able to walk just into the circle of frost, but his paws were freezing, and soon he fled the circle to try to warm up.

“fuck, that’s cold!” Matthew shouted as he hopped while holding one foot and then the other. His feet felt frozen solid even though they weren’t.

Bora let the warmth of her fire out towards Matthew. He couldn’t get close to it, but it helped to quickly warm him up again.

“I guess our powers are stronger than we think. I didn’t think my fire was so hot that Matthew couldn’t even get close to it…” Bora said as Chungha nodded.

“We are used to each other and our abilities that we forget that we have immunity to each other’s abilities. I guess it’s a good thing he is here. It lets us know how far away we have to be from others so that we don’t hurt them.” Chungha said as Sunmi nodded proudly. She loved watching her mate run the training session so well.

“Seulgi? Do you want to try?” Chungha asked as the bear nodded excitedly. She wanted to try and show how strongly she loved Irene and hoped that that was the key to her powers like Irene’s was.

When it was her turn, Seulgi thought of her love for Irene as her heart swelled with happiness. But what she wasn’t expecting was her vision to shift. It was like everything changed, and when she looked at Irene, the vampire gasped.

Seulgi’s eyes were a silvery blue that shimmered a faint light as she looked around. It was hard for her to explain what she was seeing with the few words she knew, so she quickly showed what she was seeing to the others as they gasped.

It was like everything looked different. She was able to see the powers inside everyone as they shimmered inside everyone and could even see something inside the plants and Matthew’s pack too. It was like she was seeing secrets deep within them, and when she focused on Matthew, something bizarre happened.

A memory flashed before her eyes surprising the bear and everyone else that was watching what she showed them. It was a memory of Matthew’s.

_He was sitting at a table with a large group of friends gathered around him as they joked and teased each other. Seulgi was able to spot Taehyung by Matthew’s side, and beside him was Somin smiling and laughing as she held onto Jiwoo, who was laughing even harder than Somin that she almost fell out of her chair. Somin managed to catch her mate just in time, but it only caused them to laugh more._

And suddenly, the memory had ended. Matthew was suddenly looking at her with a confused look. Everyone was looking at him, and he didn’t know what he did.

But what was even more surprising wasn’t Seulgi being able to see his memories, but that she could hear his thoughts while her vision was like this. She could hear how nervous he was and quickly looked away.

Seulgi wanted to know what Irene thought of her, and when their eyes met, a memory flashed across her vision. It was their first night together in the forest. Seulgi held her close because the vampire was cold, but when that wasn’t enough, she shifted into her bear form and carefully snuggled the vampire closer to her and was able to keep her warm all night. But this wasn’t about the night. It was when Irene woke up in the morning.

Seulgi winced. She expected to see Irene panic as she noticed that Seulgi was holding her in bear form, but instead, Irene woke up feeling Seulgi’s soft, dense fur and knew instantly what had happened.

Carefully Irene rolled over to see the sleeping bear and smiled. She wasn’t afraid of the girl anymore. She knew that Seulgi was the sweet girl that had been trying to take care of her from the beginning and smiled. And in fact, the sleeping bear looked cute. She was like Irene’s giant protective teddy bear when she was like this.

Instead of getting up, Irene snuggled against the bear and ran her fingers through Seulgi’s dense fur until she fell asleep for a couple more minutes. Without knowing that she did it, Seulgi carefully pulled the sleeping vampire closer protectively as she slept.

And just like that, the image was gone. Seulgi had worried that her bear form would frighten Irene, but Irene accepted it as a part of Seulgi and loved her no matter what.

Seulgi’s eyes began to tear when a thought was heard from her mate as their eyes locked.

_‘I love you. Always. You are my world.’_ The vampire said, knowing that Seulgi could hear her and didn’t care if the others were listening.

She knew that Seulgi was worried that because her bear form was so different from everyone else’s forms. She knew that Seulgi worried that she would frighten the others, and her biggest worry was that Irene was afraid of her bear side. Seulgi’s heart felt lighter as she ran over and scooped Irene up and spun her around happily.

Once Seulgi walked out of the center of the field, Sunmi decided to start her practice so that the couple could have some alone time. The first teams up were Minji and Bora versus Gahyeon and Elkie.

The teams walked into the center and waited for Sunmi to give her signal. When she finally did, Bora quickly drew upon her fire, but when she launched it at Gahyeon and Elkie, a wall of plants shot up from the ground automatically to protect Gahyeon.

It was automatic, and the power that the sun was giving Gahyeon bled out powering the plants for a wide radius around her.

When Bora’s fire smashed into the wall of plants, it did nothing. The plants drawing on Gahyeon’s powers also had her immunities. Bora’s fire did absolutely nothing.

Quickly Minji went to use her powers, but Elkie blasted a pressure wave at the vampire to disrupt her focus.

Minji jumped backward just in time as she faced the wolf. Elkie knew that Minji needed to focus to trigger her ability and planned on keeping her too busy to be able to trigger it.

As Elkie kept Minji busy, Bora shifted into her cat form and tried to slash her way through the plants. It was useless, and the wall of plants quickly grew thorns teaching the vampire a painful lesson as she retreated backward a bit as she licked her bleeding paw.

She was trying to think of a way around the wall of plants but couldn’t think of anything.

_‘Gahyeon, this isn’t fair!’_ Bora mentally shouted at Gahyeon.

_‘im not doing this! They are doing it on their own and won't listen to me! They don’t want me to get hurt! I don’t know that to do!’_ Gahyeon shouted back as Bora looked over to Sunmi for help. The fox was stumped as well.

All Gahyeon could hear were the plants' whispers. They wanted to protect Gahyeon even with their own life. No matter how many times Gahyeon told them that this was safe and only practice, the plants wouldn’t listen and remained strong.

Sunmi couldn’t understand why the plants were reacting so strongly, but every time Bora went to hit it with something, it would adapt and resist whatever she could do to it. It was clearly frustrating the girl.

Minji and Elkie’s battle was going well, at least. Elkie was on the offensive while Minji was trying to trigger her ability while on the defensive. It wasn’t going well, but she felt like she was getting closer and closer to triggering it.

When Minji changed direction quickly, it made Elkie miss her attack and gave Minji the precious seconds she needed to trigger her ability.

Bora turned around to notice that everything around her seemed frozen except for Minji charging towards her.

_‘let's climb the wall! I don’t know if time is just slowed or stopped, so let's hope that we can get up that wall of plants before it can react!’_ Minji shouted as she leapt into the air and used her claws to scale the wall.

All of the plants’ interwoven branches made it slightly easier for her to climb, but Minji was noticing small little bubbles starting to form on the plants as she climbed. As she hesitated, they slowly turned into thorns, and quickly she started climbing as she warned Bora of the thorns growing below her.

The top of the wall posed a problem as it was coated with thorns and other sharp protrusions that were long enough to get through their thick fur to the skin beneath.

Minji’s only thought was to jump it and pray she could grab onto something on the way down. When she made the jump, she just barely managed to turn mid-air and used her claws against the other side of the wall as she slid down the wall to where Gahyeon was safely frozen in place.

Bora’s landing wasn’t nearly as graceful. Minji heard a panicked clawing as Bora scrambled to grab onto the wall as she made it down and just managed to catch herself before she hit the ground.

Minji was trying to hold her ability longer, but scaling the wall took a lot of her focus, and soon they felt like a bubble popped around them, and soon Gahyeon was blinking while looking at her.

Before they could do anything, though, they were yanked off of their feet and held in the air by Gahyeon’s vines as the girl smiled.

“You may be fast with Minji’s ability, but I could feel the plants, and they could feel you climbing. It was only a couple of seconds, but it was enough for me to have my vines ready.” Gahyeon said with a smile as both Bora and Minji frowned now in their human forms. They didn’t like losing so quickly after spending that much effort just to climb the wall of plants.

The wall slowly retracted, and everyone looked excitedly to see Gahyeon standing there unharmed as the two vampires dangled from the air in the grasp of her vines.

Siyeon burst out in laughter at her mate's expression. It was so cute, and Minji’s expression matched as well. She found it adorable though her laughter only seemed to anger her mate.

Bora and Minji were released from their plant prisons, and when Gahyeon turned around to walk back to the others, Siyeon saw a golden shimmer in her hair as she walked towards them. It was only for a second, but it was just like sol.

_‘very interesting…’_ Siyeon thought as she looked at her sister. They need to go back to that clearing and learn more about Gahyeon’s gift. If she can't control the plants around her, it could get dangerous.

They needed to figure more of these gifts, and Siyeon was getting curious about whatever gift the moon had given her.

Siyeon’s attention, however, was brought back to Sunmi as she called up the next teams. It was now Siyeon and Yoohyeon versus Handong and Dami.

_‘This will be interesting…’_ Siyeon thought as she walked forward.


	62. Chapter 62

-The Shadow Prison and the Frost Queen-

Siyeon was mentally preparing herself for the fight ahead as she walked up with her partner for this fight. Yoohyeon, who was usually excited, seemed serious. She was going up against her younger sister that excelled at everything, so Siyeon wondered if it was nervousness, but she would have been wrong.

Yoohyeon was excited. She was very competitive though she tried to hide it and was curious to see how her powers could hold up against Dami’s.

Handong was Siyeon’s target, though. The vampire could use lightning as well, but unlike Siyeon, it wouldn’t show until it struck. It would make fighting the vampire a bit tricky, but Siyeon hoped that she could pull it off successfully.

Sunmi could feel that this was going to be another interesting fight and waited until she got all the girl's attention before she signaled the fight to begin.

As soon as the fight started, the clouds darkened as Handong built up a strong storm. It went from rain to hail as thunder boomed in the distance. It made Siyeon nervous, but she tried to hide it as she faced the vampire. Siyeon wanted to try fighting without her wolf form and hoped that she could keep that plan throughout the end.

When the fight started, the alpha built up lightning on her body as she charged forward but jumped back just in time as a lightning bolt crashed down right where she was about to step.

When Siyeon looked at Handong, the vampire just cocked an eyebrow and shrugged as she taunted Siyeon.

Siyeon scoffed at the cocky vampire as she felt her competitive side flare. She now wanted to win. It was no longer about practicing their abilities. She wanted to beat the vampire standing before her.

Siyeon smirked as she prepared for a new attack. Handong was expecting another charge, but instead, Siyeon quickly builds up the blue lightning that snaked all over her body and let a bolt loose at Handong.

It roared towards her at a rapid speed only to be intercepted with a lightning bolt from above. Handong smirked as she looked back at Siyeon, but the alpha was no longer there.

Handong spun around just in time to see the girl attempting a surprise attack from behind. She leapt at the vampire only to be blown back by a strong gust of wind that carried hail with it. The ice stung her skin but didn’t truly hurt the alpha. It was just extremely annoying.

Siyeon used her arms to cover her face. The ice stung her skin as it blasted towards her, but soon, the wind receded, and Siyeon was able to look up at the vampire again.

Handong stood there with another cocky expression that just fueled Siyeon forward again. Instead of another bolt of lightning, Siyeon felt deep inside of her. If she could use Yoohyeon’s fire, maybe she could access Handong’s weather powers as well.

Siyeon felt something turbulent deep inside her. It reminded her of strong winds and stormy waters. It must be Handong’s ability, and when she drew on it, she knew she found what she was looking for.

This time when Siyeon charged forward, she had her own gust of wind to counteract Handong’s. Though these powers were new to Siyeon, her strength as a chosen showed as her powers surged forward and crashed into Handong’s.

It was a battle of wills as they fought against each other. Every time Handong would try something new, Siyeon would soon counter it with the same thing. It was quickly teaching her how to use Handong’s powers and vice versa.

Handong now had a better understanding of her own powers. The felt more confident and felt confident that she could now control the water she tended to struggle with more easily.

They had been tied for several minutes when Yoohyeon’s shrieks broke their focus.

“Dami? DAMI!” Yoohyeon shouted as she ran towards the girl lying naked on the ground.

Siyeon’s fight with Handong was over as soon as they heard Yoohyeon’s shouting and rushed over to help.

-Dami and Yoohyeon-

Dami and Yoohyeon, unlike Siyeon, shifted right away. Shadows emanated from their bodies. It looked like smoke as it flickered over the two and made their fur stand on end.

Yoohyeon’s black and gold eyes and long mane made her look rather crazy, but Dami, of course, didn’t look normal either. Her two halves separated completely, yet she could call on either side freely.

When Yoohyeon charged, she called wind around her, trying to use it as a barrier, but Dami also had a trick up her sleeves. Dami had three elements after all and hadn’t been able to show them much, and she decided to change that.

As Yoohyeon charged, Dami felt within herself and quickly searched for what she was looking for. Most of the surrounding area had thick bedrock below them, but at one spot, the bedrock was broken and loose with sand all around it. It was perfect for her plan.

When Yoohyeon ran over the area that Dami was scouting, the sand shifted underneath her paws as she scrambled to climb out of the quicksand, but it was hopeless. Yoohyeon just couldn’t get a grip onto anything as her paws slid through the loose sand.

Panic started to rise when Yoohyeon thought of something. A strong blast of wind surrounded Yoohyeon as it pulled the sand from around her and threw it into the air. It made it hard to see, but both girls were now experts on fighting without their sight.

When the sand pulled away from Yoohyeon, she found herself several feet down, standing on a firm piece of rock. But that didn’t mean she was safe, and the wolf knew that. She knew Dami’s powers and wanted to quickly get out of this hole as quickly as possible.

That was when Yoohyeon remembered the prank she once pulled on Siyeon. She had lifted the wolf in one of her cyclones and quickly tried it. It worked as the wolf started to lift off of the ground clumsily, but Dami wasn’t just standing there, twiddling her thumbs.

The younger wolf launched into the hole after Yoohyeon but was quickly blasted backward with a gust of air.

_‘if I limit the space, she won't be able to build too much strength of her wind…’_ Dami thought as she quickly shifted the stone around her to make the hole narrower.

It worked well against Yoohyeon’s wind but didn’t stop the wolf completely. On a last-ditch attempt, Yoohyeon quickly forced air in the narrow path and blasted herself out of the hole and back onto the surface.

Yoohyeon’s victory didn’t last long, though. Dami was right behind her as she chased the older girl. But Dami was afraid to do too much against Yoohyeon. One accidental shift of rock and Yoohyeon could be crushed to death or buried alive. The thought of it terrified the younger girl, so she held back.

But just like Dami, Yoohyeon was also holding back. Her wind was one thing. She knew she couldn’t hurt her sister with it, but her fire could be different. It burned almost everything it touched, and Yoohyeon didn’t want to risk using it against her sister.

Of course, with Dami having demon blood inside her, she could possibly be immune to it as well. But the wolf didn’t want to risk it on her little sister. Today she would test her wind and shadows.

Yoohyeon had been working on a special illusion with her shadows and was curious if it would work on her sister. There was only one way to find out, though, as the wolf quickly turned around to face Dami.

The shadows were rolling off of her in dark clouds, and as soon as she made eye contact with Dami, everything went black as the wolf dropped.

_Dami stood in an empty stone room. It was complexly empty of everything, and with every step the wolf took, the sound of her nails on the smooth stone floor echoed softly. Dami couldn’t remember how she got here or even who she was, but she just knew that she needed to get out of this empty room._

_Dami gently sniffed the air but smelled nothing. Absolutely nothing. Her senses were dulled here, and she knew that it was a sign of something but just couldn’t remember what as she looked around the room and spotted a mirror on the wall behind her._

_Dami didn’t remember it being there before as she carefully walked over to the wall and looked at the mirror. It was very ornate with silver and gold vines that intertwined around it. The mirror was beautiful, but as Dami looked into it, something else looked back at her._

_It was a creature so dark that she could barely make out the edges of it. But what stood out was the one red eye and one golden eye. Dami knew that she should recognize those eyes, but she couldn’t think straight. Every time she tried, she would have an incredibly painful headache._

_The creature in the mirror let out a low growl startling the wolf as she took several steps back, but the noise only grew louder as it echoed within the empty room._

_The sound shifted as Dami spun around, and standing before her was the creature from the mirror. It stared at her with the same glowing eyes as darkness radiated off of it._

_This time Dami went to growl and warn off the creature, but when she did, no sound came out of her. Instead, it came from the creature before her._

_Dami looked at the creature with curiosity. Instead of a growl, Dami tried to whimper. This, too, came from the creature before her. But when it whimpered, some of the darkness around it faded. It was just slightly, but it made the creature's edges clearer._

_Dami thought she figured out the creature and quickly let out another whimper before trailing into a sorrowful howl as it reflected on the creature before her._

_The creature couldn’t do anything while it mimicked Dami. Every time she would howl, the creature weakened, and its image became clearer until a wolf that looked exactly like Dami stood before her. All of the darkness and shadows now gone, the wolf looked smaller and less of a challenge as Dami faced it._

_Dami lunged in, but the creature mimicked her again, and she barely pulled back in time to stare at it curiously. Dami tested the creature before her again and again, but it was no use. To escape the room, she knew that she needed to defeat it. But she couldn’t defeat it without getting injured as well._

_The girl finally made up her mind when she charged at the creature. She went for its neck and closed her eyes as she sunk her fangs into the soft flesh. She felt its fangs pierce her neck as well, but as soon as it happened, the creature was gone._

Dami opened her eyes and realized she was looking up into the worried eyes of her sister. The sky was still dark as raindrops fell due to Siyeon’s fight with Handong, but it had long been over. Yoohyeon’s illusion trapped Dami in a prison within her mind. When the shadows hit her, the wolf dropped to the ground after being knocked out of her wolf form.

Yoohyeon panicked, thinking she seriously hurt her sister and couldn’t undo it. She had to wait until Dami figured out how to break free. It felt like forever, but when Dami finally opened her eyes, Yoohyeon exhaled happily as she cradled her sister to her chest.

“oh my god, I thought I killed you!” Yoohyeon said as her tears fell. Dami was still a bit confused about what had just happened, but her thoughts were slowly coming back to her with her memories.

“What WAS that?” Dami asked as she looked up at her sister, who just started apologizing again. It took several minutes for her to calm Yoohyeon down before the girl could explain what she did.

I thought of a way to stall for time. Mentally trap the person in their own mind until we could regroup or recover. I wanted to test it on you… I'm so sorry…” Yoohyeon said as Dami shook her head. She still felt weird. Her limbs felt heavy, and it was hard to move. Yoohyeon’s illusion was much stronger than it was that night that they invaded Jackson’s warehouse.

Gahyeon quickly came up with a couple of bitter looking herbs in her hands. Dami grimaced, knowing what Gahyeon was going to do but got a threatening glare from her mate. It basically said, ‘don’t you dare.’

Dami knew not to argue and opened her mouth as the bitter herbs were forced into her mouth. She felt like she was going to heave at the bitterness, but she also felt her mind clearing and the weight on her body lifting. Whatever those herbs were, they reversed whatever illusion Yoohyeon put on her.

“the plants told me about this and gave some of their leaves for you. they may not taste great, but they seem very effective.” Gahyeon said as Dami nodded. Whatever they were, maybe the girls needed to carry some around with them. If it helped against Yoohyeon’s illusions, maybe it could help against whatever unknown enemies they would face down the line.

When Dami mentioned the idea, Sunmi and Gahyeon quickly agreed it would be a good idea after talking with the plants and quickly started planning how to make it happen.

_‘I can help! Help them grow!’_ Sol said as he came over with Wonho and Hyunwoo. They had used up all of the clay disks and came back to find Dami unconscious in Yoohyeon’s arms.

“are you sure you want to take care of plants that we will need to harvest later?” Sunmi asked as Sol shook his ‘head.’

_‘they want to help. Will grow very strongly to help everyone. Want to help and so do i.’_ Sol said as Sunmi nodded.

“We can make some space for a garden near the house then,” Sunmi said as Sol jiggled excitedly. He liked the idea of being able to help, and everyone thought it was cute.

“how did Sol’s practice go?” Chungha asked as Hyunwoo smiled. He seemed rather proud of the small plant before him.

“he is insanely accurate and fast. He started practicing how to snatch them out of the air so that he could conserve them. He said he knew how because he would play catch with Elkie’s mother.” Hyunwoo said as Minji nodded.

“he would go out every mourning to play catch with her. It hasn’t happened lately because she still feels uncomfortable with strangers and especially alphas, but it’s getting better.” Minji said as Hyunwoo nodded. They were wondering why the wolf seemed to avoid them, if possible.

“do you need help up?” Wonho asked Dami, but the wolf shook her head. Whatever those herbs were, they were very effective. She was able to move her limbs again and, with a little struggle, was able to stand.

“I'm sorry again…” Yoohyeon said as Dami laughed.

“Stop apologizing! I'm alright! And that will be very useful later! It was a good idea!” Dami said as the older girl nodded. She still didn’t feel better but didn’t want to argue.

Gahyeon helped her mate over to the side, and soon, the last fight was ready to begin. It was going to be Irene and Sunmi versus Chungha and Seulgi.

-Seulgi versus Irene-

Once Gahyeon checked over Dami once more and declared her ok, Sunmi stepped forward as she stood beside Irene. She could already feel a chill radiating from the vampire. It seemed that her powers came naturally to the girl, but this fight was going to be difficult.

Chungha was an ice element and immune to cold, while Seulgi seemed immune to many things, including Sol’s numbing ability. It was going to be an interesting fight.

When Sunmi started the fight, it went very fast. Chungha quickly built up ice crystals on her fur, making her look like a hedgehog as Seulgi shifted. Her eyes shimmered that strange color as her surroundings shifted. She could see Irene’s ability building and could also see Sunmi secretly building up her lightning. It was easily visible to the bear, and she quickly warned her partner with the mental image of what she saw.

Chungha was impressed and readied herself. As soon as Sunmi went to move, both Seulgi and Chungha dove to the side, avoiding the first bolt as Chungha sent out a barrage of ice crystals.

Sunmi and Irene dodged them quickly as the vampire shifted into her cat form. Frost was already forming on her fur and whiskers. Unlike Chungha, she didn’t know how to make projectiles, but she was able to draw the moisture from the air and freeze it. Anything that was in a radius around her was frozen solid. If the plants were not protected by Gahyeon’s ability, they too would be frozen solid.

Every step she took would freeze the ground around her paws. She was pure cold and wanted to learn what she could do.

As Seulgi looked over at her mate, she saw something else deep within her. Her cold ability was clearly visible around her, but this was different. It reminded Seulgi of what she would see in the sisters, but this didn’t look like their demon powers, and she was still inexperienced with her powers as well. Whatever it was, Irene had another ability she hasn’t been able to tap into yet.

The feline looked over at Chungha and prepared for an attack. She wanted to see if she could do anything against Chungha, and there was only one way to find out.

As Irene charged, Chungha quickly built up more ice shards for protection, but when Irene drew closer, Chungha knew something was different. The air was so cold that it was painful to breathe. It burned her lungs and slowed her down as she struggled to breathe.

If she was this cold and wasn’t even close, there was no way Chungha would let Irene touch her. For all, she knew she might be frozen completely solid. Even her ice element would be nothing compared to the cold radiating from Irene.

Chungha quickly went on the defensive and made sure that her ice worked as an armor against the cougar. She didn’t want to see what would happen if she managed to get a lucky swipe of her paws in.

Irene was a natural in her cat form and had great footwork as she swirled around the fox while trying to find an opening, but Chungha wouldn’t let her get close. It as a rogue lightning bolt that missed Seulgi that startled Chungha out of her focus when Irene was able to land a small slash on the fox’s arm. It was cold, but it burned like fire as Chungha gasped at the pain and was instantly knocked out of her fox form.

The pain took her breath away, and it was growing up her arm. Was this how her enemies felt when she would freeze them solid? Chungha wasn’t sure, but right now, she would gnaw her own arm off just to stop the pain.

Without knowing it, she let out a scream of pain as she clutched her arm. It startled everyone as Irene froze in place. Hearing her mate scream like that made her blood run cold as she watched her clutch her arm in intense pain.

Gahyeon quickly ran over and tried to help. The burning cold was traveling up Chungha’s arm. Even Gahyeon’s healing ability wasn’t able to touch it. They had never seen anything like this before.

Gahyeon felt helpless as she watched Chungha’s flesh freeze as her wound grew. Irene stood there in shock. The whole reason she decided to fight Chungha was because the chances of hurting her were far less than against Seulgi or Sunmi. This was nothing like what she had expected.

Sunmi could finally move as she ran over and sat beside her mate. She watched the frost creeping up Chungha’s arm helplessly. She couldn’t do anything and fount it so extremely frustrating.

Siyeon and the others swarmed around them to see if they could help somehow but instead ended up watching the girl clutching her arm while screaming in pain as she leaned against Sunmi’s leg. She had never experienced anything as painful in her entire life.

“I'm so sorry…” Irene whispered softly as she looked on in panic. She didn’t know what she could do or if she even COULD do anything to help. But while she stood there in shock, Seulgi approached her. The ice crystals gathered on her thick fur. She shook softly to rid herself of the tickly crystals and headbutted Irene’s hand snapping the vampire out of her panic over Chungha and into a new one.

“Seulgi! Are you ok? Does it hurt?” Irene asked as Seulgi shook her large bear head and lifted Irene’s hand up with her nose. Seulgi truly was immune to almost anything, including Irene’s intense cold.

Once Irene realized that Seulgi was immune at least in her bear form, she hugged Seulgi worriedly as she looked over at Chungha, who was still in intense pain.

_‘It looks like you may need to use my gift sooner than expected…’_ Gahyeon heard the voice of the sun say softly in her head. Gahyeon looked around but saw nothing.

“what do I do?” Gahyeon asked as everyone looked at her in confusion. They didn’t hear her, but Sol did.

_‘think of the sun and its warmth. Then think of your healing. Then mix the two together. My gift will stop the frost, and your power together with mine can heal her.’_ The sun said as Gahyeon quickly closed her eyes and visualized what the woman said.

As she did so, everyone looked at her in shock. Gahyeon’s hair started to shine a golden color that reminded them of the sun as she gently touched Chungha’s wound. The fox instantly stilled as the pain subsided, and soon she could feel the soft tingling of Gahyeon’s powers as the wound was quickly healed.

Chungha had broken out in a cold sweat from the pain, and when it finally stopped, she laid her head back against Sunmi’s lap as she tried to catch her breath. She felt exhausted though she didn’t really do anything but lie on the ground writhing in pain.

Chungha’s breathing finally slowed and evened out when her eyes fluttered closed. Sunmi looked up at Gahyeon in a panic, but the younger girl told her there was nothing to worry about. The fox was just exhausted and needed rest.

“How did you heal her? Who were you talking to?” Siyeon asked as she watched Sunmi scoop up Chungha into her arms and carry her inside.

“the sun. she said it was part of her gift and walked me through how to use it.” Gahyeon said as her sister nodded. She suspected that when her hair glowed a golden color.

“I think we need to make another visit to them. Did you know that when you did that, your hair changed colors? It glowed a golden blonde and flickered like sunlight.” Siyeon said as Gahyeon looked at her with a startled expression.

“Seriously?” Gahyeon asked as everyone around her nodded. It had startled everyone but Seulgi especially. She felt like she would go blind from the bright light that emanated from within Gahyeon as she healed Chungha.

“I agree. And I need to thank her… I don’t know what I would do if I lost Chungha…” Sunmi said as she walked back outside.

“I'm so sorry…” Irene said softly as attention shifted to her. She felt completely horrible. It was all her fault, and she couldn’t think of anything to say but ‘I’m sorry.’

“it's not your fault. How could you have known your powers could do that? You only learned how to draw on them today. I should have helped you test them before sticking you into a fight. That was my fault. I'm sorry.” Sunmi said as Irene shook her head.

They went back and forth, apologizing to each other when Siyeon finally interrupted them. If they wanted to get to the shrines before sunset, they needed to move quickly.


	63. Chapter 63

-A Second Visit-

Siyeon and the others rushed to get ready. The only one who wasn’t planning on going was Sunmi. She didn’t want to leave Chungha’s side, and the fox was still sleeping in their bedroom. She seemed completely exhausted from the pain.

When Siyeon was ready to leave, she looked at Matthew and his pack. She didn’t know if he and his pack wanted to join or not, but they seemed settled in for the night.

Matthew had watched their training matches in amazement and could tell that there was a reason for them to be chosen, but something Siyeon and the others said caught his attention, and he wanted to learn more. The best way to do that is to wait for them to leave, and this was the perfect timing.

After Matthew wished them luck, Siyeon and the others made a mad rush to get to the clearing before the sun set. It didn’t matter that it got dark, but it was just easier to spot the landmarks in the light.

When they entered the clearing, Gahyeon could hear the ancient plants whispers even louder this time. Even the atmosphere in the clearing felt different as she stepped into the large circular field.

Gahyeon couldn’t explain it but she felt funny. It was like her body was humming, and when she looked over to Siyeon to tell her about it, the alpha stood there with her eyes wide as she looked at her little sister. They had shifted back into their human forms as soon as they arrived at the clearing, and Siyeon couldn’t help but look at her sister in shock.

Gahyeon’s hair was glowing a golden color as she looked at her sister with a confused expression. She could tell that something was wrong with the way Siyeon stared at her, but the alpha just at a loss for words. How could she explain it to her sister? ‘hey, do you know your hair is glowing?’

“what is happening to your hair?” Minji asked softly as she gently lifted a couple of strands to show Gahyeon. The hybrid looked at Minji’s hand in shock as she held several glowing strands of the younger girl's hair.

“I don’t know… I feel like my body is humming… I don’t know how to explain it…” Gahyeon said as she looked at Siyeon with a worried expression.

“well, let's get some answers then. Shall we?” Siyeon asked as Gahyeon nodded. They quickly walked over to the two shrines in the center.

When they approached, the vines that had covered the shrines up when they left last time slowly receded again to reveal them to the girls. The two shrines looked lonely when they were uncovered, and Siyeon could almost feel the sun and moons longing for each other in the air.

Gahyeon quickly stepped onto the stones, and soon the sun was standing in front of her, smiling. She had a feeling that the girls would make a visit after today, and she was right.

“Good to see everyone again.” The sun said with a smile on her face. It was nice to see them so soon after being trapped so long in one spot.

“what’s happening to me?” Gahyeon asked as she held up her hair. The sun looked at it and smiled apologetically.

“I'm sorry. I probably should have warned you about that. It’s a side effect of my power. That will happen when you draw on it.” The sun said as Gahyeon nodded silently.

“But how was I able to help Chungha?” Gahyeon asked as the sun smiled again.

“my gift creates a connection of sorts. It allowed me to help guide you with my gift and strengthen yours.” She said as Gahyeon nodded.

“so, you helped her do it. But can she draw on that stronger level of healing whenever she wants now? Or does she need to be connected with you?” Siyeon asked as the sun looked up at her. You could tell that she hoped Siyeon would step on the moon shrine so that she could see her love but said nothing except answering Siyeon’s question.

“it depends on how strong her powers are and how well she can tap into them.” The sun said as Siyeon frowned. It wasn’t really the answer she expected. She was hoping for a simple answer, but maybe she was expecting too much. After all, the moon refused to tell Siyeon what her gift was and said that it was a secret.

That reminded Siyeon that she wanted to ask the moon about her gift, and slowly, Siyeon turned and stepped onto the shrine.

“FINALLY! I thought you would never visit!” the moon said with a crooked smirk as she flopped onto a stone bench nearby.

Siyeon didn’t know what to say as the moon smiled at her mischievously. She was obviously a handful, yet the sun looked at her with such affection.

“how do you put up with her?” Siyeon asked as the sun smiled. It was hard to explain what she saw in the mischievous moon.

“Everyone is different, but just hearing her voice can make me smile. I miss her even when we have just spoken and even find her obnoxious side adorable.” The sun said as the two smiled at each other lovingly.

“It sounds like you are in love,” Gahyeon said jokingly as the sun smiled.

“for longer than all of your ages combined.” The sun said with a smile. It was clear how she felt about the lounging girl before her.

“so, what all does this link mean? Could it be dangerous to Gahyeon?” Siyeon asked. She was worried about her sister.

“no. It won't be dangerous. In fact, it will mean more protection for you and your pack. Gahyeon’s ability will be amplified, and she will be able to tap into my powers when she needs to.” The sun said as Siyeon nodded.

“but what about your gift? Is it the same?” Siyeon asked the moon as she smirked.

“like I said before. It’s a secret. Just know that it will be there when you need it.” The moon said with a smirk. She really liked teasing the alpha, and Siyeon didn’t want to admit it, but it was getting to her. Her curiosity was killing her.

“not even a hint?” Siyeon asked as the moon smiled. She liked being able to tease someone after so long.

“hmm… let me think about it… nope!” she said as Siyeon groaned. She wanted to know what her gift was and what it would do to her. Would it change something about her like Gahyeon’s hair? Or would it be something else? The mystery was killing the wolf.

“that power or feeling I had when I healed Chungha… what exactly was it? I felt so warm, but it wasn’t overpowering. It was like it was comforting or protective.” Gahyeon said as the sun nodded.

“you are correct. It was a protective power of mine. Those chosen by me get my protection. That was part of it. It was the feeling of tapping into my powers.” The sun said as Gahyeon nodded. She understood it a bit more, but it still confused her. She had no idea what she could do and how much it would change her later.

“what about Sol? Will it affect him as well?” Dami asked worriedly as she walked up. She was worried that something would happen to him. She was starting to think of him as something more than just a plant. He was family, but more importantly, he was HER family even if he could be annoying at times.

Dami loved teaching him to speak with Seulgi. He was so smart, and from what Gahyeon and the sun said, he was basically a baby. Though he seemed so smart already, he was only going to get smarter as he gets older.

“no. It won't harm Sol. And I know you have been worrying about Sol’s ability to live outside of the ground and move freely as he gets older. His own energy and my gift will allow him to live like that for as long as he wants.” The sun said as Dami smiled as she let out a sigh of relief as she reached for Gahyeon’s hand.

Their fingers automatically linked together, and Dami could swear that her mate seemed to be actually buzzing with energy. It was hard for her to understand, but she knew that a body couldn’t hold so much power for long periods of time.

“you are right, Dami.” The sun said as the girl looked up, startled. She hadn’t said anything out loud, but she knew exactly what she was thinking.

“Gahyeon. Your power is naturally strong because you are linked with Sol, but it got even stronger when I gave you my gift. With that, you have more power than you can use. You naturally give your energy freely to the plants around you, but sometimes you will need to release more of your stored power, or it can become too much. Remember that.” The sun said as Gahyeon looked at her in shock.

Gahyeon never thought she would have this issue. That she would have too much power that she would need to bleed some of it off from time to time, but she would never have problems with helping the plants around her grow.

“ok. Thank you. And I don’t even know what to call you…” Gahyeon said as the sun smiled.

“you can call me Solar.” She said as Gahyeon smiled. The name was fitting.

“and I'm Moonbyul. Though no one asked MY name…” Moonbyul said as she sulked jokingly.

“and even after I told you last time that you are my favorite chosen…” Moonbyul teased as she watched the alpha look at her with a look that told the girls Siyeon wasn’t sure if she should roll her eyes or apologize.

“but all joking aside, you all will soon come up against a strong opponent. You will need to be ready. I won't spoil anything, but just make sure that you train your powers and know that Seulgi’s ability will be very helpful.” Moonbyul said as Siyeon looked at her with worry.

“May I ask something?” Irene asked weakly. She didn’t want to interrupt, but if anyone might have an idea what her powers could do, it was them.

“do you know what I am? I mean, what exactly my powers are? It seemed strange. I wasn’t like a normal ice user…” Irene said nervously as she looked away.

“no, your question that you asked first was the one you need the answer to…” Moonbyul said.

“Byul…” Solar said as the girl smiled and shrugged.

“your mother wasn’t exactly faithful, and I'm sure we can all see why. Your mother loved someone else before she was forced to marry your father. Your real father is the key to your powers. You may need to talk to her to figure it out…” Moonbyul said as Solar groaned.

“you know we will hear his whining for the next thousand years, right?” Solar asked as Moonbyul laughed happily.

“yes, I know. But we both know that this pack is special to both of us and they need to know. Just like Irene needs to know that Seulgi is immune to her powers.” Moonbyul said as Seulgi tilted her head in confusion. She didn’t know everything that they were saying yet, but she knew that they were talking about her.

“immune? Like completely?” Irene asked as she looked startled yet relieved as Moonbyul nodded.

“completely. It’s a trait of her kind, yet the ability in her is the strongest we have ever seen.” Moonbyul said as Irene looked at Seulgi with a relieved excitement. All day after the accident with Chungha, Irene had been hesitant to touch Seulgi or the others. She was afraid that she would hurt them. But now she knew that she would never be able to harm her mate. She felt so relieved that she was beyond words.

That was one thing that Seulgi understood as she smiled and took Irene’s hands in hers as she looked deeply into her eyes.

“mine. Always.” Seulgi said as she pulled the blushing vampire. It was so sweet that both Solar and Moonbyul made excited noises. You could tell that they had been kept from people for many years.

“so, what are you going to do with Matthew?” Moonbyul asked as she looked at Siyeon with interest. The alpha wasn’t expecting the sudden question and was unsure what to answer.

“um, what do you mean?” Siyeon asked as Moonbyul smiled at her.

“I mean, are you just going to let him leave with his pack?” Moonbyul asked as Siyeon looked at her nervously.

“well, yes. It wasn’t Matthew that tried to hurt us. It was his brother. And his pack was forced to obey. They still seem affected by it.” Siyeon said as Moonbyul nodded with a smile.

“your kindness will pay off soon. I was just curious to see if you would have second thoughts about your choice.” Moonbyul said as Solar groaned.

“don’t mind her. She has been cooped up for so long that she is acting out more than normal…” Solar said as she groaned again.

Siyeon only nodded. She now felt a bit uneasy about her choice but knew that she made the right decision. Matthew and the others shouldn’t be punished for what his brother did.

But what they didn’t know was that right now, Matthew was up to something.

-Sol-

Sol was back at home and playing around in his rolling pot like normal when he felt the need to search the other member's rooms for pretty things to gift Gahyeon when he spotted Matthew behaving strangely.

The wolf watched everyone leave and waited until Sunmi retreated to her room before pulling out that thing that Siyeon called a phone and started talking in hushed whispers. Something about it made Sol suspicious.

Sol didn’t know much about wolf behavior because he was young, but he knew that something was off right now. Matthew seemed to be hiding something, and Sol wanted to find out what it was.

Sol quietly snuck closer as he listened to the phone call. He could hear that Matthew was talking to another man, but it was still hard to make out.

“Yeah. It was several years ago in a small town. Yeah. He went missing. Can you track them?” Matthew asked as Sol felt his suspicions rise.

When he got closer, Matthew quickly ended the call and shoved the phone into his pocket as he turned around and rushed into his room. He seemed excited about something, and Sol wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or bad.

_‘can you hear me?’_ Sol asked Gahyeon as he strained to feel his connection with Gahyeon. The wolf was startled to hear Sol as she looked up to Siyeon.

“Sol?” Gahyeon said aloud, making Siyeon look at her in confusion.

_‘Matthew is up to something… when coming back? Worried…’_ Sol said as he felt Gahyeon’s presence. He was starting to feel nervous, but just feeling the connection with Gahyeon made him feel better. It made him feel complete. It felt like a part of him was missing when Gahyeon wasn’t around.

After Sol talked to Gahyeon, the wolf quickly relayed his message. Siyeon decided to come back. Gahyeon and Elkie would stay so that Solar and Moonbyul could have some time together and would head back in a couple of hours if Siyeon didn’t call them back immediately.

They were now on their way home.

-Matthew-

Matthew waited until everyone left, and Sunmi went into her room to check on Chungha before he pulled out his cell. He didn’t want to be told not to do this, so he waited for some time alone. The demon sisters' story rang some bells. It sounded familiar to him.

Matthew could swear that he had heard a story like that before during his childhood and wanted to find out more about the situation.

Matthew quickly dialed his father. He had high ties to the government, which is how Matthew’s brother managed to get ahold of that gas. This time Matthew hoped that instead of hurting Siyeon’s pack, he could help them with a bit of information.

Yoohyeon and Dami seemed like very good people. Hearing about their parents' past made him want to help in any way he could, especially when he could swear that he had heard it before. If his family’s contacts could help, then he had no problem paying for the information needed.

The issue was that he didn’t want to get the girls' hopes up if he couldn’t find out anything. Thus, the secrecy. He didn’t want to hide things from the girls but hoped that this would be a situation where they wouldn’t ever find out if he failed or would be grateful for the information that he had if he was successful.

Siyeon and the others were racing back towards the house, praying that everything was fine. Siyeon was correct, right? Even Moonbyul said so. So why were they rushing back to the house in such a panic? Siyeon didn’t want to risk anything while Sunmi was tied up with taking care of Chungha.

When they had left, Chungha still had not woken up. It made Sunmi very nervous even though she could feel that nothing was wrong with her mate anymore, the fact that she was sleeping so long worried her greatly. What if something was wrong?

Siyeon could feel Sunmi’s worry from their pack connection and knew that either way, they would be home soon.


	64. Chapter 64

-Chungha’s Recovery-

Siyeon and the others arrived home to find the house quiet. Everyone was in their rooms, and Matthew was sound asleep from what Siyeon could hear. His breathing was slow and steady. Whatever happened while she was gone with the others, it didn’t seem to affect his sleep at all.

Siyeon debated knocking but decided against waking the alpha up. She had no proof of anything and didn’t feel right accusing him of something that she didn’t have any evidence of.

Siyeon sighed as she rested her hand on the doorframe when she remembered something. Moonbyul had said that Seulgi’s ability would come in handy, and it might in this situation too. In the morning, Siyeon could ask Matthew what he did while they were gone as Seulgi used her ability. Hopefully, she would be able to see his memory of last night.

It was their best idea, and quickly she decided to head towards the others and tell them her idea. Seulgi seemed excited to help, and soon, Siyeon went to Sunmi’s door and knocked softly. She could hear that someone was still awake.

Sunmi slowly opened the door to see Siyeon’s worried expression. She could tell that the alpha was worried about Chungha, and so was Irene, but the vampire was too worried that they would be upset at her to visit herself.

When Sunmi let her in, they slowly walked over to the bed where the fox was resting peacefully. It was clear that the fox had been sweating in her sleep. Sunmi had obviously been taking care of her throughout the night as she watched her mate worriedly.

“she hasn’t woken up yet. I don’t know why and it's worrying me. Her energy seems depleted too. It took so much out of her to heal. Siyeon, I don’t know what kind of power can do that. I have never seen it before. At first, I thought that her power might be useless, but clearly, I was wrong…” Sunmi whispered softly as she wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. She was extremely worried about Chungha.

“I'm sure that she will be fine. We went to the shrines. Solar seemed sure Chungha would be alright, and she probably knows more than we do.” Siyeon said as Sunmi nodded. She hoped so.

Just then, Chungha groaned in her sleep. Sunmi stiffened. It had been happening more frequently, and she didn’t know if it was a sign that something was wrong or if it was a sign that the girl was slowly waking up.

“has she been doing that often?” Siyeon asked as Sunmi shook her head.

“only started a couple of hours ago. I don’t know what it means…” Sunmi said as Siyeon rested her hand on Sunmi’s shoulder.

“I'm sure everything is alright. It might be her way of just waking up from this.” Siyeon said as Sunmi nodded. It didn’t stop her from worrying, though.

Soon another groan was heard as the girl slowly stirred in bed. She seemed restless in her sleep. Siyeon and Sunmi quickly ran over to the bed as they leaned over the girl. She was sweating again, and soon, her mouth parted as a soft whimper was heard.

Sunmi rushed onto the bed and held her to herself as she checked Chungha’s temperature. It felt slightly high but nothing too severe. But to Sunmi’s relief, Chungha’s eyes fluttered open.

Chungha was in Sunmi’s arms and looked around the room with a confused expression. Sunmi waved her hand in front of the girl's face, but there was no reaction. Sunmi looked at Siyeon in a panic. But when she tried it again, Chungha’s eyes slowly tracked her hand. She just seemed slightly out of it while waking up.

Without knowing it, Sunmi had been holding her breath, and when she watched her mate slowly follow her hand, she finally let out her breath as she held the smaller girl to her.

“thank you for waking up…” Sunmi said as her voice broke. She had tried to hold it together, but it was all falling apart now.

Siyeon stood up and walked out of the door to give the two some privacy as Sunmi sobbed while holding her mate, who looked very confused at the situation. She didn’t remember anything after her match with Irene and looked up at her mate with worry.

“what's wrong?” Chungha asked hoarsely. Her throat was extremely dry, and it startled her as she heard her own voice.

“I, I thought I lost you…” Sunmi said as she kissed her mate softly. Chungha’s eyes widened at the comment. She didn’t remember anything happening that would make her mate this worried.

“what happened?” Chungha asked as Sunmi hesitated. If Chungha didn’t remember, should she tell her or no? as she thought about it, she knew that the younger girl wouldn’t forgive her if she kept something from her and sighed.

“an accident happened when you went up against Irene…” Sunmi said as Chungha tried to remember, but nothing came back to her yet.

“When you were practicing with her, she landed a small slash on your arm… suddenly you were on the ground screaming in pain. Ice was traveling up your arm, and I thought we would have to remove your arm to save you…” Sunmi said as Chungha’s eyes widened.

Slowly memories were coming back to her. She remembered a flash of cold and then an intense burning as it slowly traveled up her arm. It was so strong that it instantly kicked her out of her fox form.

Chungha suddenly looked at her arm. There was a faint outline of where the ice was slowly crawling up her arm. It looked like a faint blue tattoo on her arm. She couldn’t help but look at it with a confused expression.

“will this go away?” Chungha asked as Sunmi looked at the odd mark that now covered her arm.

“I don’t know. I do know that it’s slightly cooler than the rest of your skin, though. I don’t know if it will affect anything or not. But right now, try not to use any of your powers. The injury seemed to drain your energy greatly.” Sunmi said as she looked down at Chungha worriedly.

“I slightly remember it. More specifically, the intense pain. I have never felt anything like that in my life. If that is with our immunity, I can't imagine how it would be without it…” Chungha said as Sunmi thought about that.

It meant that Irene’s powers would be fatal to anyone like Matthew or someone else. All Irene would have to do is land one cut, but the thing is that Irene isn’t confident in her fighting and is probably now terrified to use her ability now.

“I think I need to go tell Irene that you woke up. She seemed extremely worried but didn’t know what to do or say to help.” Sunmi said as Chungha nodded.

“I will go with you,” Chungha said as she went to sit up only to be pushed back down by her mate.

“No, you don’t! I was worried for hours because you weren't waking up. You will take it easy and relax in bed.” Sunmi said as Chungha smiled up at her.

“This is a nice change…” Chungha said as she winked at the girl above her flustering the older fox as she sprung up and went to go see Irene.

“I, um, I will be back…” Sunmi said as Chungha giggled while watching her flee. She loved how flustered the older woman could get.

“she’s so cute!” Chungha said as she leaned back into the many pillows that Sunmi had used to prop her up and ran her fingers over the cold mark on her arm. It was slightly cooler, but she could still feel her fingers touching her skin, so she didn’t lose her sense of touch on her arm. What did this mark mean?

-Irene and Seulgi-

Irene was snuggled up to Seulgi as she sniffled. She was worried she had hurt the cheerful fox and went to Seulgi for comfort. The bear was glad to give it as she held Irene to her and rubbed her back soothingly. She didn’t like seeing Irene upset and tried to comfort her as much as possible.

While Irene snuggled against Seulgi’s neck, they heard a soft knock on the door. Irene looked up but couldn’t say anything. She didn’t want the others to know she was crying.

Seulgi remembered all of the times someone had knocked on the door and quickly answered what Irene usually said.

“yes?” Seulgi said as both Irene and Sunmi felt a bit shocked.

“it’s Sunmi. I just wanted to say that Chungha woke up and is fine.” The fox said through the door as Irene let out a relieved sigh as she hugged Seulgi tightly. It was good to know that she was alright.

“thank you,” Seulgi said as Sunmi smiled. She was really coming along well in learning how to speak, and both girls were proud of her.

Once Sunmi walked away, Irene’s tears finally broke loose as she held onto Seulgi while she cried her eyes out.

“she’s alright…” Seulgi said nervously as Irene nodded into her neck.

“I know. I’m just so relieved…” Irene said as Seulgi hugged her tightly. It seemed to comfort the vampire as she sighed and relaxed against Seulgi as her tears started so slow.

“Everything is alright. Not your fault. You didn’t know.” Seulgi said as she held her mate to her. Irene couldn’t help but smile at her beautiful voice and could only nod as she slowly started to relax as she started feeling sleepy. Irene fell asleep in Seulgi’s arms, and they finally slept throughout the night.

-Gahyeon and Elkie-

The two were left behind so that Solar and Moonbyul could have some time together. Elkie was curled up in her wolf form resting on the stone floor by Moonbyul. The moon was slowly stroking the sleeping wolf's fur as she looked at Solar.

Solar was sitting on the stone bench with Gahyeon’s head in her lap. The girl had fallen asleep a while ago, and the sun goddess carefully rested the girl's head on her lap. Solar was slowly stroking the sleeping girl's hair as she smiled sweetly. She was very glad she decided to step in and save Gahyeon.

She was such a sweet girl that loved to take care of the people and plants around her. Even before she stepped in, Gahyeon was the perfect choice for being her chosen. Sol’s decision only proved it further when he decided to give the last of his essence to Gahyeon.

“you really care for her, don’t you?” Moonbyul asked as she smiled happily.

“of course. She's such a good person. I’m glad I saved her. Thank you for telling me about her.” Solar said as Moonbyul smiled.

“I couldn’t just sit there when one of my favorite chosen’s little sister was killed right in front of her,” Moonbyul said as Solar smiled.

“softie.” She said as Moonbyul let out a laugh.

“possibly. But I will deny it to the end.” Moonbyul said with a grin as she continued to pet Elkie.

“you are controlling her dreams, aren’t you? you are warding away her nightmares.” Solar said. It was more of a statement than an actual question.

“of course. You know her nightmares are terrible when Handong isn’t here. It’s the least I can do. They are staying here for us, after all.” Moonbyul said as Solar nodded.

“my softie!” Solar said as Moonbyul smiled.

“don’t even try to deny it. You call Siyeon your favorite, but I know that you are very protective of both Elkie and Siyeon. I remember how furious you were when you saw Elkie’s future when she was born. You couldn’t help but protect her as she grew up just like Siyeon.” Solar said as Moonbyul smirked.

Solar truly knew her better than anyone. It was true. When Moonbyul saw Elkie’s fate, she was filled with such anger and rage. Elkie was always kind though she could tease others once she was comfortable. She always cared greatly for those around her.

Every outcome that Moonbyul viewed was worse than the last. The only thing that could protect her was Moonbyul’s gift. She knew that it would be difficult for the girl, so she thought about it hard. She would never give someone her gift without thinking about it carefully.

Being chosen could affect not only the chosen’s life but everyone around them too. But as Moonbyul played her future, she noticed that her path crossed with Siyeon’s. It was something that hadn't happened for several years.

When Moonbyul watched Siyeon, she got a different vibe from her. The girl could change things. Moonbyul could feel Siyeon’s will for change when she watched her grow up. Just like with Elkie, Moonbyul thought hard before deciding to make Siyeon a chosen.

It was the best choice for Siyeon and everyone around her. Everyone would also lean on each other when they needed support. Siyeon’s pack was destined to become strong with two chosen in it, but Moonbyul knew that they could handle what was thrown at them, and she couldn’t deny that she was extremely proud of all of them.

“don’t act like you aren’t doing the same thing for Gahyeon. You are warding away the nightmares of her death.” Moonbyul said as Solar smiled. She was busted.

“possibly. But we are talking about Elkie.” Solar said with a laugh.

“I can't wait until Elkie finally finds her voice. She still has the scars of her past. Once she breaks free of them, Handong won't know what hit her.” Moonbyul said as she laughed wickedly.

“poor Handong. She’s used to docile Elkie. Will she be able to handle confident Elkie?” Solar asked as Moonbyul laughed.

“oh, it will be a fun experience for both of them…” Moonbyul said as Solar laughed.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t help the sisters with demon blood? You know that their powers could get out of hand if they are not trained to use them properly…” Solar said as she looked down at Gahyeon’s peaceful face. She didn’t want anything to happen to the sleeping girl’s mate.

“they will be fine. I have seen that things will fall into place when they need it.” Moonbyul said with an evil grin.

“oh, I see how it is… making me wait and see, are we?” Solar asked as the other girl laughed and smiled.

“believe me. It will be a very interesting situation.” Moonbyul said as Solar pouted cutely.

They sat there for the night, just talking as the two girls slept peacefully by their protectors.

-Siyeon-

Siyeon woke up with Bora clinging to her in her sleep. She couldn’t help but smile as she looked at Bora. She looked so peaceful and quiet in her sleep. She loved Bora’s sleepy voice when she woke up. She found it so sexy, and when Bora finally stirred, the voice Siyeon loved came out.

“morning,” Bora said with a smile as Siyeon leaned down and kissed her lips softly.

“morning. Did you sleep well?” Siyeon asked as Bora smiled and hugged her.

“of course. Because you are here.” Bora said with a wink as Siyeon laughed. This was how their mornings were like every day. Siyeon and Bora would flirt back and forth until they would finally get out of bed and wander downstairs when they got hungry.

When they finally made it downstairs, everyone's eyes were on them. It was time for their plan. Siyeon acted like normal as she gathered her plate, and everyone started eating while they chatted happily.

“so, Matthew, was it boring while we were gone? Or did you like the peace and quiet?” Siyeon asked as he laughed.

“the quiet was nice, but it felt wrong. I haven’t been here long, but it was just too quiet.” Matthew said as Seulgi watched him carefully. Her ability was triggered as she watched him carefully. So far, all she was able to see was him spending time with his mate. But when Siyeon asked what he did when they left, she finally saw what she wanted.

Seulgi watched the memory, and luckily because she was seeing Matthew’s memory, she could hear both Matthew and the one speaking on the phone.

Seulgi knew that this was a matter that she probably shouldn’t show everyone. She may not know everything that was said, but she got the gist of it. This was something that she would only share with Siyeon.

Siyeon suddenly saw what Seulgi was seeing and hearing and sighed in relief. She was right in trusting him. He was only doing something to help them and only kept it a secret because he didn’t want to disappoint Yoohyeon and Dami if he ended up finding nothing.

Siyeon was now feeling a bit bad that she doubted him. It was clear that he had good intentions, and she didn’t know what to say. She also didn’t think she could just apologize. She did have Seulgi use her powers on him after all.

It was the first time that the others had seen Chungha awake, and everyone was relieved to see her awake. Without her noticing every time she took a bite of food, someone else would add something to her plate.

Chungha would look back to her plate and pause. Her food wasn’t going down, no matter how much she ate, and it was beginning to puzzle her. All of her favorites were there, and it didn’t matter what she took a bite of, as soon as she looked away, another piece was placed in its place.

Finally, the fox decided to watch her plate. She stared intently at it while eating until Sunmi noticed and asked what's wrong.

“either I have a magic plate, or someone keeps putting food on my plate. I’m going to see who it is this time.” Chungha said as everyone laughed.

“you seem to be feeling better,” Siyeon said with a smile as the fox smiled and nodded.

“Seriously, you don’t have to take care of me so much. I’m not going to die! Gahyeon is this how you felt?” Chungha asked as Gahyeon smiled and nodded. But she was guilty of putting food on the fox’s plate as well.

“We are just worried about you. Sunmi told us your energy is really low. You need to eat and gain some strength.” Siyeon said as Chungha smiled.

“yes, but if I eat this much, I will have a stomachache!” Chungha said with a laugh.

“ok, we will stop putting things on your plate,” Dami said with a grin as Chungha nodded gratefully.

After breakfast was over, everyone went to get ready for training when there was a sudden commotion. Sol was streaking sown the hallway waving something black above him as Dami chased after him frantically.

“sol! Get back here!” Dami shouted as she bolted after him.

_‘catch me if you can!’_ sol shouted as Dami came upon the open hallway and quickly dove over sol to snatch the black fabric just in time as she flew over him to land on the floor in front of everyone.

Dami froze as she looked up at everyone while holding some black see-through panties. Siyeon raised a brow as the others stared at her in shock.

“oh! I have that same pair in red!” Bora shouted as she pointed at the panties as Dami’s face turned a vivid shade of red.

“me too! Mines in pink!” Minji said as Yoohyeon nodded.

“well. You HAD some in pink.” Yoohyeon said as Minji frowned.

“I TOLD you not to rush!” Minji said as Yoohyeon shrugged and looked back at her sister.

“sis, I didn’t know you were into this…” Yoohyeon teased as her sister turned dangerously red from embarrassment.

“Gahyeon got it for me as a gift…” Dami mumbled before fleeing to the room.

Handong held out her hand as sol slapped it with a vine. She was quite impressed with his prank and the fact that she wasn’t the victim of it too.

“wait until Gahyeon hears what happened. we would probably be able to hear her laugh from here.” Siyeon said, and like on cue, hysterical laughter could be heard from Gahyeon’s room.

“well, let’s get training. Moonbyul said that we would need to be prepared for whoever comes against us next.” Siyeon said as everyone walked outside.

“sol come on. We have more disks for you!” Wonho said as sol ran forward excitedly. Everyone was going to be training. The first pair to fight would be Bora versus Irene, and with how Chungha ended up yesterday, everyone was nervous.

Their anxiety raised even higher when Siyeon heard Matthew's phone ring. He was only expecting one call, and she was curious to see what news he received, but that would have to wait till later. Right now, they had some training to do.


	65. Chapter 65

-Bora vs. Irene-

Siyeon headed out the door to the backyard as she listened carefully to Matthew. She didn’t want to gain the other's interest just in case it was bad news, but what she heard made her pause a step. Gahyeon looked up at her questioningly, but Siyeon shook her head as she walked out the door and prepared to watch the upcoming fight.

She would be lying if Siyeon said she wasn’t worried about Bora. The vampire was her mate, after all. And after the last fight that Irene had, it had the alpha silently panicking. What if she accidentally drew on her powers while sparring? Everything ran through her head and made the alpha worry about all of the horrible possibilities.

Instead of Wonho or Hyunwoo observing the fight, Sunmi was going to because they would be useless if something went wrong. They had no healing powers and wouldn’t know what to do to help, so instead, they took Sol out to practice his aim.

Sunmi snapped Siyeon out of her thoughts when she called the two to the center of the field. As Siyeon watched the smaller girl walk to the field, she couldn’t help but gulp. It was going to be a nerve-wracking fight.

“now Irene, remember that this is just hand to hand. No abilities until we can learn more about what all you can do and how to control it, ok?” Sunmi said as the vampire nodded, looking sullen. She hated that she hurt Chungha yet was afraid to apologize to her.

The vampire worried that Chungha would be upset, and the fox was hesitant to approach her because she seemed to feel so guilty, so the two had not truly talked after the event.

Irene’s nerves were getting to her as she nervously bit her lip. Bora frowned at the sight and walked over to talk to her.

“Irene. It's alright. You won't hurt me, and if you do, we have Gahyeon, and I can even drink blood to help too. Don’t worry. I will be fine. Ok?” Bora said as Irene nodded nervously. But she didn’t have more time to worry as Sunmi shouted for the match to start.

Bora wanted to take Irene’s mind off of the incident and quickly went on the offense while being careful not to overwhelm the newer fighter. They were a good match, surprisingly. Bora was careful not to push too hard, and her smile and teasing helped Irene loosen up and have fun.

After a couple of minutes, the two vampires were fighting honestly, and Sunmi had to admit that the two were doing better than expected. Irene was a new fighter, but she was learning quickly and didn’t get discouraged by failing once and quickly thought of a way to overcome whatever Bora threw at her.

Though Irene was sheltered for most of her life, she clearly had potential as a strong fighter. Her talents were wasted in that family, and everyone realized it.

Bora charged Irene and swung her fist at her, which was quickly blocked. Even before the first attack was blocked, Bora launched a kick right after. It was aimed at Irene’s ribs, but when it was supposed to make contact Irene wasn’t there. The vampire was extremely flexible and easily got out of the way just in time, leaving Bora to quickly try to think of another approach.

Irene was doing well and wasn’t having her powers leak as the others feared. When she concentrated on something, she had great control. Hopefully, that meant that they could teach her to control her powers so that they would be safe from it.

While Bora thought of a plan, she noticed something changing in Irene. The vampire was letting her instincts take over, leading for her ears and tail to appear. It was time for Irene to learn how to fight with her tail.

Bora lunged in and slashed at the other girl as Irene dodged easily but wasn’t expecting Bora’s tail to smash into her legs and sweep her off her feet.

Irene landed with a thud. She was shocked and was completely shocked at the situation, but she wouldn’t fall for that again. With a groan, she rolled over and climbed to her feet and readied for the next attack.

Quickly Irene charged Bora and went on the offensive. Her moves were confident though slightly sloppy, but it was to be expected for a beginner. But what Bora wasn’t expecting was all of her moves she had done so far to be chained together finished by a strong tail sweep from the other girl.

Bora’s feet went out from under her as she gasped in surprise. She wasn’t expecting it to be used against her so soon or effectively and thudded onto the ground in with a gasp.

Bora laid there on the ground for a while before laughing. Irene was nervous at the silence but was relieved when she heard the laughter from the other girl and smiled shyly. It felt good to be able to catch Bora off guard. She didn’t expect it to ever happen again, so she was enjoying it while she could.

“not bad!” Sunmi said, causing Irene to grin wider. She never thought that she would do well at all because she was sheltered and raised to be marrying material so she couldn’t help but feel slightly proud. She had completely forgotten the incident that happened the day before for a little while.

“not bad at all!” Bora said as she laughed and got to her feet. She looked genuinely impressed, and it made Irene hopeful. Maybe she wouldn’t be a useless packmate after all.

The next fight was supposed to be Sunmi versus Chungha, but they were still worried about something happening to the young fox, so it was postponed until later. Next up was Seulgi versus Taehyung. It was basically a rematch, and now that the wolf has had proper nutrition and rest, he hoped that he could do decently against the bear, but he didn’t expect to win.

When Seulgi walked into the center of the field, she hugged Irene proudly as she walked off of the field. Seulgi was extremely proud of her mate and couldn’t help but show it before facing the wolf in front of her. Taehyung was as ready as he could be, and soon, Sunmi announced the start of the fight.

Taehyung decided to go offensive because he knew that with Seulgi’s strength, he would have a hard time on the defensive and charged her. He wasn’t extremely skilled at hand to hand but managed to do well in the situation.

He was letting loose a barrage of punches and kicks to keep Seulgi on the defensive, and it was working. She would constantly block each blow, but before she could counterattack, another blow came. It was slightly frustrating, but the bear remained calm as she watched his movements and quickly picked up on something.

Taehyung didn’t know it, but there was a pattern to his moves. He would switch between three different sets of attacks, and the order was always the same. If Seulgi could memorize them, then she could plan ahead and try to land a blow of her own.

As she watched, she realized that on the second or third move in each set, it would be different, so depending on the move, it would tell Seulgi the next several attacks. With a smile, she prepared herself for his next attack and watched carefully.

Just like she had hoped, he stuck to his pattern, and she recognized it and quickly prepared herself. The next move would be a punch followed by a kick towards her ribs. Seulgi carefully positioned herself so that when she blocked the punch, she was in the perfect position for what she planned next.

When his leg snapped out in a strong kick, he was surprised to feel her catch his leg easily, and with pure strength, she swung him by that leg and, with a quick spin, launched him across the field. Taehyung wasn’t used to landing in the position he was in and quickly shifted so that he landed safely as he skidded to a stop a long distance away.

The remnants of his clothes laid on the ground in a path that led to him. He could shift back but wasn’t sure what to do. He doubted that fighting naked was a good idea, but luckily Matthew walked up and held out a pair of shorts.

Taehyung smiled gratefully as he quickly shifted and slid into the shorts, but Matthew didn’t look happy. His mate was sure to keep his shirt on during the day and would only take it off in the dark, and Matthew could clearly see why in the bright sunlight.

Scars covered his chest and arms. It was a sign of all the abuse he and the others put up with. The starvation that the three went through as well as the liquid on the shackles ended up impeding the scars fading, and at the moment, they still shone faintly in the sunlight.

It wasn’t even all of the damage that happened to them, it was only the recent ones, yet there were so many. It made Matthew frown as he looked at them. All of this would have been different if he didn’t choose his brother as the pack's leader while he was gone, but he knew that there was nothing he could do now besides be there for them and quietly stood there waiting for the fight to resume.

“How did you know to do that?” Taehyung asked Seulgi as she looked to Siyeon and Dami for an explanation. She wasn’t sure that she could explain it properly yet.

“you have a pattern. She noticed it quickly and was learning it until she figured out when the best time was to launch a counterattack.” Siyeon said as Dami and Seulgi nodded in agreement.

“I do?” Taehyung asked as Seulgi nodded and ran through one of his sets of moves. He watched and realized that it looked familiar and sighed. She was right, and he never even noticed it. Did that mean that he had the same kind of patterns when he fought in wolf form? He couldn’t help but wonder.

Now that he knew he had a pattern, he tried to think of how to fix it. He was planning what to do next but was too caught up in his own thoughts and making it worse.

When the fight started again, he was overthinking everything, and now his moves were sloppy. It allowed Seulgi to go on the offensive.

Quickly Seulgi took advantage of the situation and started striking at the wolf. Each time he blocked, he was pushed back a step and a half just by the pure strength behind each blow. It was making his arms ache with each strike, but he held out as he tried to see an opening.

He was shocked by just how much strength such a slim girl could have. Any second, he was sure his arms would break, but he held firm and waited when he finally saw what he was looking for.

When Seulgi switched from a punch to a kick, she would be slightly off-balance before quickly regaining her balance to launch a bone-crushing kick. When she went to launch it, he quickly deflected it with one arm as he felt a crunch and lunged in to take her to the ground. But with only one working arm, it wasn’t a good idea, but it was all he had.

Seulgi went backward, and when she landed, he quickly tried to get her to give up, but with pure strength alone, she launched him off of her like he was a fly.

Taehyung’s left arm hung uselessly, but he didn’t seem to notice it. He was so used to injuries that it didn’t even seem to bother him as he planned on what to do next. But before he could make his next move, Sunmi called the fight.

Taehyung looked confused as he looked from Sunmi to the others. They all looked extremely worried, and he couldn’t figure out why but when he looked at Matthew, the pure worry on his face made the wolf realize right away as he glanced as his arm hanging limply at his side.

He didn’t even think of it costing him the fight, but the others thought differently. He was just so used to injuries that he didn’t even think of a broken arm as severe.

“you said that their injuries were severe. Did that include several broken bones?” Matthew asked Gahyeon softly as she nodded.

“yes, and they all didn’t heal properly. They clearly never got the treatment for it that they needed. His bones must ache. Even with my healing, I can’t fix badly broken bones that heal improperly. I can strengthen them, but it doesn’t stop the ache from badly set bones. Watch him carefully in damp weather. He might be silently hurting.” Gahyeon said as she looked up at the tall alpha.

Matthew looked at the girls that were sitting by themselves. His packmates were silently sitting with each other as Somin held Jiwoo comfortingly. The fight was bringing back memories that seemed to be affecting the younger girl.

“ok. I will watch them all for signs of it. Thank you for helping them. I know you didn’t have to, and I'm grateful for it.” Matthew said as Gahyeon smiled and walked forward to heal the broken arm.

As she approached Taehyung, though, she noticed that the wolf didn’t seem to be happy. He felt like he could have done so much better and was disappointed in himself.

“you did very well. No need to look so upset.” Gahyeon said as she reached for his arm and went to heal the injury, but it wasn’t as easy as she had hoped. The break was in several places. Someone needed to hold the bones in place for her to heal them, and quickly, she looked to the others for help.

She wasn’t sure who to ask when she looked at Seulgi and had an idea. With Seulgi’s ability, she could see memories and hear Gahyeon’s thoughts. If she combined the two, it might work out well.

Quickly she walked over and explained the plan to Seulgi, who activated her ability to understand the meaning and nodded. She wanted to help if she could and stepped forward.

Gahyeon used her powers to probe the injury and painted a picture of it in her mind. It made it easy for Seulgi to hold it in place, but as she looked at Taehyung’s arm, she slowly could see the injury for herself. It was almost like she was looking at an x-ray though she didn’t know what that was and quickly shifted the bones into place as Taehyung let out a soft whimper.

He was actually handling this very well, and quickly, Gahyeon healed the bone and made sure to force extra power into the bone to ward off the aches and pains for a while.

With the cool tingling washing over his arm, he let out a sigh of relief as the pain subsided and soon was smiling gratefully at the two as he carefully flexed his hand.

Taehyung was actually surprised that his grip seemed to be better after the healing and wondered if it was just a temporary effect of Gahyeon’s healing, but it wasn’t.

Even with Gahyeon strengthening the bones before, the impact broke the bone in the same place it did previously. This time though, Gahyeon was able to correct the slight twist that the bone had from poor first aid, and with that change, it stopped some muscles and tendons from rubbing against the broken bone.

Taehyung’s grip felt so much better, and his grip was stronger because he was no longer feeling the pain that he didn’t realize that he had.

Once the bone was healed, Gahyeon led him off the field. It wasn’t a long training period, but with the boys training with Sol and everyone still worried about Chungha, they decided to take lunch early.

-News-

Once inside, Siyeon noticed that Matthew was worried about something. He clearly wanted to say something but wasn’t sure if he should. He clearly had news and wanted to share it but wasn’t sure if the time was right.

“Matthew? What's wrong?” Siyeon asked as everyone looked up from their food at him. He was put on the spot and didn’t know what to say, but Siyeon gave him a reassuring smile giving him the confidence he needed to continue.

“well, I have done something… I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to get your hopes up, so I kept it a secret. I'm sorry for keeping it a secret, but I just got some information after breakfast…” Matthew said. You could tell he was unsure of what to do.

“what is it?” Yoohyeon asked curiously. They remembered their race back from the sun and moon temples, so she was curious to find out what it was about.

“well, its actually about you and your sister,” Matthew said, catching the two off guard.

“us?” Dami asked as she pointed at herself and her sister. Matthew only nodded before continuing.

“I was told a bit about your family, and it sounded familiar. You see, my family has a lot of money and has ties to the government. My father is friends with several high-ranking officials who like to talk and brag. So, when I heard about your parents, I realized that something sounded extremely familiar. so I ended up calling my father.” Matthew said as everyone listened carefully. They were curious about what he might have found.

Yoohyeon seemed nervous as she listened. Minji automatically wrapped her arms around her mate's waist to comfort the girl as she listened intently.

“it's only a rumor, so I don’t want you to get your hopes up, but I thought it was worth sharing. My father said that he also thought that story sounded familiar, so he went and talked to his friends. It was so long ago that a lot of things are forgotten. but from what he heard, someone reported someone who fitted your father's description to the government on suspicion of being a demon.” Matthew said as Yoohyeon frowned. She knew that the one who reported her parents was her fake mother and nodded stiffly.

“well, when they went to obtain him, they found out that there was a rumor about him having a daughter. This meant the possibility for more experiments, and they eagerly went to capture him and his wife and child. But only he was there as he led them on a wild goose chase.” Matthew said as he paused to let everything sink in.

“The reason I wasn’t there was because Jinyoung’s father hid me and ended losing his life for it.” Dami said as Matthew nodded sadly.

“well, they decided that there was a possibility that his wife died while giving birth. He would usually never run as he did. He was always worried about his wife, and the lack of worry made them think that something happened. They still searched the area but found nothing. Even the wolves that they employ for tracking purposes couldn’t find anything.” Matthew said as Siyeon and the others looked at him with shocked expressions.

“they employ wolves?” Siyeon asked as Matthew nodded, but it didn’t look like everything.

“the word employ is what they use, but it's incorrect. It's more like they force them. It's very rare that a wolf would willingly work for the government because we are viewed as expendable pawns. As long as humans are safe, they have no problems sacrificing wolves.” Matthew said as Siyeon and the others looked at each other nervously.

“you see they like using “creatures like us” to fight their wars and work as spies. They like strong and powerful people. So, the rumors of a demon caught their attention quickly because there are rumors that a demon's powers are limitless.” Matthew said as everyone felt nervous. They have two half-demons and two chosen. The possibility of the government coming for them would be extremely high if they don’t carefully take care of the rumors so that they didn’t spread far.

“well, he got away, and they hear rumors of him from time to time, but they have given up on tracking them down. I was thinking that as a way to say thank you for saving my pack, we could check into the rumors about your family.” Matthew said as he looked at Yoohyeon and Dami while watching their reactions carefully.

“now there is no guarantee that we will find anything, so I don’t want you to get your hopes too high, but at least we might find out more about what happened to them. Oh! My father also sent me a photo…” Matthew said as he pulled out his phone and pulled up a photo of a man holding a woman that looked almost exactly like Yoohyeon. They looked so happy, and Dami could clearly see that she resembled their father while Yoohyeon was almost an exact copy of her mother.

“Is this really our parents?” Yoohyeon asked softly as Matthew nodded. The two didn’t know what to say. It was the first true photo that they saw of their parents and were speechless.

“you don’t have to. We didn’t save your pack to get anything in return…” Dami said, but you could tell that she badly wanted to find out about her parents. For the longest time, she thought she was abandoned like trash. It was nice to know that wasn’t true and she wanted to learn more about her parents.

“I know. I want to. I'm so grateful for all the help you have given my pack, and it’s the least I could do. You also look exactly like your parents.” Matthew said as the two girls smiled happily at the photo. It was nice to know that they looked like them. Maybe they would be able to easily recognize them if they ever ran into each other.

“so, you plan on leaving soon?” Siyeon asked as Matthew nodded. He wanted to track down the rumors while they were still fresh, and Taehyung was known as an extremely talented tracker. Together with his pack, he hoped that he could easily track down some of the clues and be able to figure out what happened to the girl's parents.

“are you going to leave right away? Or are you going to take a couple of days to relax first?” Gahyeon asked as Matthew smiled at the kind girl. She was obviously still worried about Taehyung’s newly repaired arm.

“We plan on leaving after I teach you some of the things I learned as a tracker. It might be useful to you later on.” Taehyung said as everyone looked at him in confusion.

“you see, you all have great power, but if it comes down to having to track someone without them, are you confident in your abilities?” Taehyung asked as everyone looked slightly worried. They knew that there was more to learn.

That was the only thing that Taehyung could give back to the ones that helped free him and reunite him with his alpha. If they wanted to leave soon, though, it meant that the training for the second half of the day was going to have to be changed up a bit.

“well, I guess we will be changing the training for the second half?” Handong asked as Sunmi nodded.

“seems like it. Which is good because we need to figure out what to do with Irene’s powers before we fight again anyway.” Sunmi said as everyone nodded.

“What did we miss?” Wonho asked as he walked in with Hyunwoo and sol. Sol seemed to be in a good mood as he happily walked over to Chungha and carefully wrapped his thornless vines around her. The others didn’t want to worry him, but he knew that Chungha was injured the day before and was worried.

Chungha smiled as she patted his vines happily. Sol had truly become like family to everyone. Even Handong, who he teased constantly.

“I'm alright, sol. Don’t worry.” Chungha said as Sol tightened his hug slightly.

_‘don’t get hurt again. Please?’_ Sol asked softly as everyone went aww around the table. Chungha could only laugh in surprise as she promised him.

Once he heard Chungha promise, he quickly released her and reached for his spoon. Handong was already expecting the action and pulled her sunglasses out of her pocket and put them on before Sol could start his normal routine of blinding Handong.

Elkie only laughed at how her mate knew what Sol was going to do right before it happened and hugged the vampire lovingly.

“we will be switching up the second half of training. Taehyung will teach us how to track without using our abilities before they leave.” Sunmi said as Wonho looked at the alpha in shock.

“you are leaving?” Wonho asked as Matthew nodded.

“We found some clues about Yoohyeon and Dami’s parents. We are going to try to track them down quietly to see if we can find anything.” Matthew said as Wonho nodded. It was a good idea, and he liked how they were trying to help Siyeon’s pack.

“well, I guess we will help you too. You will easily be able to track your packmates because you have a bond with them. Tracking Jiwoo or Somin as well as Hyunwoo and I could help your skills. All of us are of different weights and sizes. So, our prints and trail signs would be different.” Wonho said as he flopped down into his seat and quickly ate the food that was saved for him.

“well, I guess we need to eat quickly and get started then!” Wonho said around a piece of chicken as the others laughed. They were ready to learn something new.


	66. Chapter 66

-Tracking and Surprises-

Taehyung would lead this training session, and he was kind of nervous. His goal was to get the others confident in their tracking abilities without the use of their powers. It would be difficult, but he hoped that it would out ok. He had never been a teacher before.

When Wonho and Hyunwoo finished eating, they quickly helped everyone clean up and soon went outside. Taehyung first wanted to help the others recognize footprints as well as the weight and other aspects from the footprints before they started tracking right away. If they didn’t know the basics, then throwing them into tracking without it would be pointless.

“um… ok, I'm not sure I will be good at this, but who can recognize the footprints of animals?” Taehyung asked nervously as he looked from person to person.

“I know just extreme basics. I found a book on it once.” Dami said as Taehyung nodded and looked to the others.

Seulgi and Irene were obviously having a conversation between themselves when Irene raised her hand. She pointed as Seulgi, who nodded nervously.

“Seulgi grew up in the wild, so she knows how to track and find things. She also said that others seem to have a hard time tracking her.” Irene said as Dami nodded. They were unable to track Seulgi before.

“well, we can test that later. I don’t know if that is something to do with you being a bear or if it is something special to you. For now, though, let's see if we can show them a bit of how it's done. Shall we?” Taehyung asked as Seulgi stepped up, and with Wonho’s help, they made several footprints in the soft soil.

“Now, this is an example of my prints while just standing. Notice how the pressure is and how the toes are. Now, look at these prints. What do you notice?” Taehyung asked as Siyeon, and the others came for a closer look.

“well, they are not as clear like the weight isn’t even. Maybe during movement?” Siyeon asked as Taehyung nodded then asked her why. But she wasn’t sure how to explain it.

“When someone is standing still, their prints are different than when running because their weight shifts. The pawprints also look slightly wider right?” Taehyung asked as everyone nodded.

“But why do the front prints look bigger and wider than the back?” Gahyeon asked as Taehyung explained.

“There are many reasons, but the main thing is that you can tell the difference between the front and back paws. Now with these prints here, I was running. See the difference?” Taehyung asked as he paused as everyone took another look.

“its because the weight is being distributed in the movement. Some animals also run in the prints of others, Including some more experienced packs. They run in the same prints of the ones before them to hide many things. Plus, they know that that place is safe to step because the one in front of them traveled safely.” Taehyung said as Siyeon nodded and looked to Dami.

Siyeon could already see the wheels turning in Dami’s head as she planned things and smiled. Siyeon was glad that Dami is on their side.

“now over here is Wonho’s. Notice how more defined the prints are? Why do you think that is?” Taehyung asked as Dami answered.

“its because he has more weight. It makes the prints more defined than someone or something that is lighter, right?” Dami asked as Taehyung nodded with a smile.

“now look at these. What do you notice about these tracks?” Taehyung asked as Dami looked at Wonho’s second set of tracks carefully.

“he was running, and the print is a bit more distorted than yours. Why?” Dami asked as Taehyung smiled.

“when Wonho ran here, he made sure that he used all the power he could in his hind legs to propel himself. It leaves a slightly messier print, and you can tell that he was moving very fast. Wonho is actually built more like a dog than a wolf.” Taehyung said as Wonho looked up in shock, but Taehyung quickly clarified.

“wolves usually have a narrower chest than dogs where yours is wider than Matthew’s or mine. It makes the width of your print slightly wider than the distance between my paws or Matthew’s. Can you help me show an example?” Taehyung asked as Matthew quickly nodded and stripped.

He left three sets of prints. Standing, walking, and running at full speed. It was a good example, and as they watched the alpha run, they quickly understood why the prints looked like they do.

“see this here?” Taehyung asked as he pointed to the width between the left and right foot. It was slightly wider than Taehyung’s prints because Matthew was a larger wolf, but they were nowhere near as wide as Wonho’s. His prints truly did look like a different animal.

“I'm sure that Hyunwoo’s prints would look different as well. But what I'm trying to say is you can clearly tell the difference between my prints and Matthew’s correct?” Taehyung asked as everyone nodded.

“do you think you could tell the difference between ours and Wonho’s?” he asked as everyone nodded confidently.

“good. Now the next is Seulgi’s prints. What do you see?” Taehyung asked as Irene stepped forward for a closer look.

“There are two different prints. Her front feet and back feet leave different prints… and there is one more toe visible in the print…” Irene said as Taehyung and Seulgi nodded.

“This should mean that Seulgi should be easier to track. Her tracks are clear, and you can see the weight distribution here…” Taehyung said as he pointed to where you could see Seulgi’s weight shifted while walking. It left a distinctive pattern, and when they looked at the prints of her running, it was messier than the others.

“these might look messy, but they are actually extremely clear for a bear. Seulgi seems to have amazing balance for a bear. But right now, we are in the best possible scenario as possible. Handong moistened the ground and allowed beautiful prints. But if you look over here where the ground is dry, is it as easy to see?” Taehyung asked as the others looked closely.

It wasn’t as easy in the harder dry soil. The only prints that were easily visible were mainly Wonho’s and well as Seulgi’s.

“when it is like this, you need to look for other things and can't just rely on prints. For that, we will move into the woods. But for now, let’s shift and have each of you leave some of your prints and look closely at them. I will want you to be able to identify your members by their prints later…” Taehyung said seriously. He was all smiles, but he meant that.

They needed to be able to tell each other apart from their prints just in case something happens, and they get separated and can’t make mental contact. It had happened to him before, so he knew its usefulness.

Everyone, including the felines and foxes, made their own sets of prints and observed each other's prints carefully. Siyeon’s prints were large, as were Dami’s, but the hybrid had a wider print than Siyeon’s.

Gahyeon’s print was also large, but Yoohyeon’s were longer. And when it came to the foxes, they were clearly smaller than the wolves.

Chungha’s prints seemed dainty compared to Sunmi’s, and the older girl found them adorable. But the biggest difference were the vampire's prints.

Minji’s prints clearly showed that she had extremely fuzzy paws. It left a distinct track compared to the others, but at least she would hold up better in colder weather.

Irene’s prints had a slight slant to them, and it was very distinct compared to Minji’s, but it was similar to Bora’s.

The only way they could tell the difference between Irene’s Bora’s and Handong’s was that the tiger's prints were much larger than the others.

Once everyone was fairly confident in being able to tell the difference of their members, it was time to move into the woods, but first, Taehyung sent Matthew, Wonho, and Seulgi into the forest to leave a trail for them to follow. Once they all signaled that they were ready, Taehyung led the group into the woods.

“What is the first thing that you notice?” Taehyung asked when he walked over to Wonho’s trail. There was a lot of dense brush here, and when Wonho charged through, he broke several small twigs, and occasionally a hint of fur was left behind, but prints were hard to come by with the leaf litter and debris.

“Oh… here and here shows that someone ran through here, right?” Yoohyeon asked as she pointed at the twigs that were broken and laying on the ground. He nodded happily and was even happier when Dami pointed out something else.

“There is also a distinctive way that some of the twigs broke. Like it’s showing us where they are heading… is that fur?” Dami asked as she pointed at a small tuft of fur that had snagged on a twig that didn’t break all the way. It allowed it to snatch a couple of strands of Wonho’s fur, and now everyone could see the signs he left behind.

“Right now, we are trying to learn how to track what we see, but when your prey leaves fur behind like this, what can you do?” Taehyung asked as Dami smiled.

“you can get their scent…” Dami said with a smirk as Taehyung nodded.

“It is like he is painting a line right to himself. With every step, he is painting a thicker line right to himself. With someone who has a strong sense of smell, it makes it even easier. But just remember, some know how to leave fake trails, or they learned to double back to lose a person. I will go into this later, but for now, let's get going. Who wants to lead?” Taehyung asked as everyone looked at each other nervously.

“can I?” Yoohyeon asked as he nodded and waved for her to take the lead.

“what do you see? What do you smell?” Taehyung asked as Yoohyeon took a moment to observe her surroundings and breathe deeply before moving forward. Her eyes glowed the gold and black that told everyone she was trying to pull on everything she had. She didn’t want to fail.

“The air smells weird, but I can smell a hint of him leading down the path… the trail leads this way. He also seems to have chosen a known game trail, but right here, he breaks from it. Is he trying to lose us?” Yoohyeon asked as Taehyung nodded.

“he probably hoped you wouldn’t notice that he left the game trail and would follow the wrong trail for a while before realizing…” he said as Yoohyeon nodded and walked down the new path carefully.

“it's difficult to find prints in this brush and leaves,” Yoohyeon said as she carefully continued forward for several minutes before she paused. It took a while, but she finally found a place where the leaves were sparse, and there in the middle was a print from her prey.

“print!” Yoohyeon said as she looked down the path and quickly noticed something odd. There were two paths ahead. One was messy. There were more broken twigs and branches to the left, but to the right, there were fewer signs, but she could tell that someone definitely went down this path. But when she looked a bit closer, her eyes narrowed as she pointed to a human footprint in the mud.

“he's cheating, isn’t he? He switched to his human form to double back as you mentioned, didn’t he?” Yoohyeon asked as she pointed at the print. Taehyung couldn’t help but laugh. Wonho thought he was tricky, but Yoohyeon caught on right away. The question was, what was the right path?

Yoohyeon studied it carefully and also breathed in the air as she tried to decide which way he went. Was his scent stronger here because he meant it to be or because he went down the path twice? She wasn’t sure at first, but when she looked closer, she saw what she needed to.

“this way?” Yoohyeon asked as she pointed to the left. She wasn’t sure, and when Taehyung asked her why she felt even more nervous, but when he smiled and nodded, everyone felt relieved. It was looking like Yoohyeon might be a good tracker.

They went along the path, and as Yoohyeon went on, she felt more and more confident. Every trick that he pulled, she was able to figure out, and soon, she found the wolf lounging in some brush relaxing. He wasn’t expecting to be found so soon.

“damn… great job, though! Yoohyeon, did you lead the entire way?” Wonho asked as Yoohyeon nodded excitedly. She was proud of herself, and so was everyone else. Minji smiled proudly as she watched her mate lead them to her prey. It felt good to see her mate look so confident.

This time Siyeon led them back. It wasn’t difficult because so many had come down the trail now, but she liked the practice.

Next was Matthew’s trail. Taehyung knew that this would prove to be a bit more difficult. Matthew and his pack would play games that revolved on tracking as children. It was like an extreme version of hide and seek so the alpha knew how to shake someone from his trail.

This time Dami took the lead. Taehyung was amazed that the two demon sisters had such skills in tracking. But when Dami found a tuft of Matthew’s hair, she quickly pinched her nose and took a wide arc around it, leaving the wolf confused.

“Why are you doing that? Don’t you want to try to get his scent?” Taehyung asked, but Dami shook her head.

“no. I think of it as scents, but Siyeon thinks that once I get someone's scent, then I can track their essence. I can tell where Gahyeon and the others are even when the wind is blowing the wrong way. She thinks I just think of it as something I smell. So, I don’t want to cheat. I want to do this properly…” Dami said as she looked around and spotted the next thing that she was looking for.

“but if you can track someone by their essence, then why are you so adamant about learning this skill?” he asked as Dami smiled while still watching the area.

“because if my powers are disabled or my senses dampened, then I will need to learn this. I don’t want to be lazy and say I don’t need to learn this because my abilities because sooner or later, I will have to use this skill without my powers…” Dami said as he nodded. He liked how she planned everything and didn’t want to put herself at a disadvantage later.

Matthew pulled several tricks, but just like with Yoohyeon, the girl examined the clues around her and soon would figure out the correct way to go, and soon they found the alpha. He had run farther into the forest than Wonho did, but Dami still did an amazing job and even found her target without taking a wrong path.

“not bad!” Matthew said as he high fived Dami, and soon they were at Seulgi’s path. Irene wanted to try, but she wasn’t anywhere near as good at this as the girls, and she knew that Seulgi could disappear into the woods without a trace and wondered if the two sisters could actually find her mate.

Already it was difficult. There was no scent to follow for the wolves. There were several broken branches and twigs here and there, but the bear obviously was used to the forest and would lead them off trails and avoid leaving prints.

Several times the girls lost her trail and had to double back to try to find her. They were not using their abilities that she seemed to be able to hide from, but it still was difficult. But where Yoohyeon would usually joke and whine by now, she was instead focused.

It seemed that Yoohyeon was enjoying this. Everything from her eyes to her posture showed Siyeon that she loved this, and so was her younger sister. It was like an exciting game to them, and soon, they had to shift to move on.

Seulgi was leading them to areas where they needed their wolf forms to traverse them, and it made the sisters even more excited.

Yoohyeon flexed her paws as she felt the soil beneath them and breathed deeply as her eyes dilated in excitement. She liked the feeling of being on the hunt for something. It was fun for her and new. Dami also felt the same way, and soon, the two bolted down the path.

Unlike in their human forms, they traveled fast. Sometimes they would have to double back, but it was easier to spot what they were looking for, and with their combined skills, they were quickly racing down the correct path right in the direction of Seulgi’s hiding spot.

-Seulgi-

It didn’t take long before Seulgi could hear them off in the distance. But she wasn’t in the mood to be caught that easily. Though she was a bear, she was also extremely fast, and soon she stood and bolted in the opposite direction.

She wanted to see if the others could follow her, and when they came upon the bed that the bear had created while she waited, they quickly realized that the bear had decided to run.

This wasn’t part of Taehyung’s plan, but the sisters launched down the path after her. At least it was good practice, so he didn’t complain as he followed the two while leaving clear signs for the others who were slightly behind.

Yoohyeon had the bears scent, but it was coming and going. While she had it, it was extremely faint, but there definitely seemed to be powers involved. It was like her scent would just disappear completely at times.

They also noticed that Seulgi would shift from her bear form to her human form to get through tighter spots that her bear side just couldn’t fit through.

It led to an exciting chase because they couldn’t corner her if she would just go over it. They ran for what felt like hours before they finally realized that the bear had led them right back to the house as she laid sprawled on the grass panting.

The two wolves were also breathing heavily but had to admit that it was exciting. Siyeon and the others, however, didn’t seem to be having nearly as much fun, and after thirty minutes, they emerged from the forest with Taehyung looking slightly grumpy.

“seriously? A chase?” Siyeon asked as she flopped down panting. She hated sweating, and right now, it was pouring down her bare body as she felt the cool breeze that Yoohyeon summoned and sighed happily.

“that doesn’t make up for it…” Siyeon said with a smile as her friend laughed and flopped on the ground beside her.

“oh my god… my paws ache…” Bora whined as she flopped beside her mate but not too close because they both were still overheated.

“let's not do that any time soon, babe… my feet are killing me…” Minji said as she flopped beside Yoohyeon and waited for the others to join them.

“oh, Chungha? Did you know that the weird scar that you have from Irene made your fur different?” Gahyeon asked as the two foxes walked up to enjoy the breeze.

“it is?” Chungha asked as she quickly shifted.

Her black fur was normal except on the arm that was injured by Irene. It was a pale color that shifted depending on the light. Gahyeon couldn’t tell exactly what color the fur was over the scar, but it was obviously different now.

“huh… I don’t know why that is… will the scar affect her later?” Sunmi wondered worriedly as Chungha shifted back and wrapped her arms around the older woman's neck.

“we will just have to wait and see. Don’t worry right now, ok?” Chungha said as Sunmi nodded and hugged her mate closer.

“well, that’s cute and all, but I was having a heart attack while everyone was on the hunt…” Handong said as she looked behind her. Elkie was slowly walking up with something in her arms. It was large, black, and feathered. When Seulgi saw it, she jumped to her feet right away and ran over.

Elkie had extremely good eyesight from her father, and while the others were chasing after Seulgi, Elkie noticed a large bird flying erratically before crashing into the woods in the distance.

Without thinking, Elkie broke off of the path and went after it. Something seemed wrong with the bird, and it didn’t look like a normal bird either.

Though Elkie’s wolf form was smaller than the others, she was also showing signs of being a good tracker and, after several minutes, found the large bird. It was lying in a large hollowed-out tree, but one wing looked broken and stuck out of the tree at an odd angle.

When Elkie approached, the bird made a mix of hissing and clicking noises as it warned her from coming closer. It took several minutes, but soon she gained its trust, but it took several bites before he would allow her to lift him.

When Handong turned around only to see her mate running off the path, she panicked, but when she found her, the girl had a big black bird dangling from her hand, and it looked quite painful. But Elkie was never aggressive with it, and once she had it in her arms, she soon turned around to see Handong watching her.

Elkie gave a guilty look, but soon, they slowly made their way back to the house. This bird was clearly special and needed to be healed soon. He looked like he was panting, and it was starting to worry the two.

When Seulgi saw the bird, she instantly recognized him and ran over. He seemed to recognize her, too, as he cried out at her and flapped his one good wing. Elkie didn’t know what he said, but Seulgi clearly did.

“can you bring Gahyeon?” Elkie asked as Seulgi quickly nodded and ran to get the girl. She was checking on Sol, and soon, the three ran over to see the bird that was still in Elkie’s arms.

“what is it? I have never seen a bird like this…” Yoohyeon asked as everyone shrugged. The creature was a mystery.

“What is this?” Gahyeon asked when she approached the bird, but when she tried to heal it, her healing didn’t seem to affect it. Even after drawing on her link to Solar, it was useless. She was starting to feel it was hopeless when everyone heard Solar’s voice that seemed to be emanating from Gahyeon and Sol.

_‘you can’t heal him. Only someone or something truly of plants and nature can heal him. This is Sol’s chance to heal. Do you want to learn?’_ Solar asked as Sol bounced excitedly.

Everyone watched and listened as they observed Sol attempt to heal the large bird, and soon his thorns shook as his body shimmered reds and yellow. A faint red and gold glow radiated off of him and washed over the bird. At first, nothing seemed to be happening, but soon, they heard a soft snap and a screech as the bird cried out in pain as the broken wing set itself, and soon he could move it without pain.

The bird looked at his wing that was now pain-free and then at Sol. He knew that whatever healed his wing was because of the plant before him and bowed his head gratefully. Sol nodded back at the bird, and soon they heard Solar speak again.

_‘what you have there is only a baby, but his kind is very close to us. In some legends, they would swallow us up, but actually, they were the messengers that carried our messages when we were younger and couldn’t speak as we can now.’_ Solar said as everyone looked at the bird with reflective silver eyes. He was observing them with curiosity.

_‘he is only a baby and can’t speak mind to mind with anyone except probably Seulgi. The poor thing is lost. I have no idea how to get him back to his people either…’_ Solar said when Seulgi stepped up.

“was lost as a tiny baby. Found him and raised him until he went to find family…” Seulgi said with a worried expression as she rubbed the bird behind the head.

Elkie just looked at the bear in amazement. The bird's feathers looked like normal but almost reminded her of scales instead. They were extremely sharp, and Elkie was coated in tiny cuts and scratches from carrying the bird on the way here.

Seulgi was truly amazing. She was immune and resistant to many things, and whatever this thing was, she seemed to be unharmed from his bladelike feathers as well.

_‘I hate to burden you, but can you watch after him while we find out how to get him to his kind?’_ Solar asked as everyone looked over to Siyeon. The alpha had seen it all and couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but she wouldn’t leave an injured or defenseless animal and nodded as they all heard Solar sigh in relief.

_‘do you think you can bring him to us tonight? Maybe then we can find out why he is there with you and not with his family…’_ Solar asked as Siyeon agreed.

But how would they carry him? He clearly wasn’t up to flying yet, and soon, they decided on the picnic baskets from their first trip and prepared for their visit.

_‘well, this is an unexpected situation… I wonder what is going to happen next…’_ Siyeon wondered to herself as they all ate quickly while Seulgi fed the bird small pieces of meat. At least he seemed to be eating, so that was hopefully a good sign.


	67. Chapter 67

-Seulgi’s friends-

Once they were done with eating, Siyeon and her pack quickly got ready to leave. They had to get the bird to Solar and Moonbyul. Whatever was wrong with him, it had Seulgi worried. She had never seen it so confused before.

Seulgi gently set him in the picnic basket and looked into his silver eyes. He blinked slowly at her. he didn’t seem to be able to focus on things clearly. Something was wrong, and it wasn’t just a broken wing.

“Are we all ready?” Siyeon asked everyone as they nodded. The nightly trips were becoming a regular thing, but the only downside was the lack of sleep that they received.

“let's go. he doesn’t look too good…” Bora said as she and Elkie looked at the bird in the basket. He was panting again, and Seulgi could feel anxiety coming from him.

“need to go. now!” Seulgi said as she grabbed the basket and ran outside. In one smooth movement, she dropped the basket and shifted to catch the handle in her mouth without even jarring the sick bird. It impressed everyone, but they could feel the urgency and panic coming from Seulgi and ran out to quickly shift, and soon they were off.

It seemed like forever, but they finally arrived at the shrines and didn’t wait. Siyeon ran onto the moon shrine while Gahyeon ran onto the sun shrine, and as soon as their paws touched the stone, both girls appeared.

“Please bring him here quickly…” Solar said as she held out her arms to receive the basket. Seulgi ran over and handed the basket over to Solar, and without a pause, Solar held him up and looked deeply into his eyes. There was a faint golden glow that emanated from Solar, and when it did, a faint silver one radiated around the bird.

“hmm… he seems sick from something that he has eaten… I don’t know why this didn’t get filtered out of his system when he was healed… Moonbyul, can you take a look? He's closer to your realm than mine…” Solar said as Moonbyul walked to the edge of her shrine as Solar gently handed the large bird to her.

Siyeon didn’t miss the lingering touches and realized that though they stayed for the two to have time together, they didn’t really touch until now. Why?

Siyeon didn’t get to ask anything, though, because Moonbyul instantly studied the large bird and frowned. Solar had sensed something and wanted Moonbyul’s opinion on it before she said anything, but judging from Moonbyul’s look, Solar’s assumption was right.

“he ingested meat that was poisoned with that drug made by Jackson… I don’t get how he could ingest it because he may scavenge meat when he doesn’t want to kill something, but he wouldn’t eat wolves. This means that a regular animal died of this drug, and he happened to ingest the drug through the meat.” Moonbyul said as Solar nodded.

“I don’t think it will be fatal to him. He is probably more resilient than all of you are. He will just seem odd until it works out of his system. But my worry is how regular animals are ingesting this toxin and how many animals have died from this?” Solar asked herself as Siyeon frowned.

“helpless animals are ingesting this? But our kind can only survive it due to the fact we can heal rapidly. It allows our bodies to repair the damage that the drug would do, but how could they do this to animals?” Siyeon asked in a whisper. Her rage was flaring. She didn’t like that helpless animals were getting hurt and killed due to Jackson’s creation.

“We need to do something about this…” Handong said. She was an extreme animal lover, and this hit her hard. Just the thought of something happening to her cat made her growl a low feral sounding growl.

“can we track down where he ate this tainted meat?” Dami asked, but Moonbyul shook her head. His thoughts were too scrambled at the moment. It would have to wait until the drug worked out of his system, but Siyeon and the others didn’t want to wait that long. Who knows how long that would take anyway?

“We need to do something… tonight…” Bora said as she looked at Siyeon. Her mate had the same thought.

“Are there any hints from what you could see?” Dami asked as Moonbyul looked into his eyes once more and winced. Moonbyul rubbed her head and frowned.

“it's giving me a headache… but I think that it was around the outskirts of town. It looked like I could see a building through the trees…” Moonbyul said as Siyeon looked to everyone.

“I need two to stay with Moonbyul and Solar. Gahyeon, do you want to stay, or do we have to call sol?” Siyeon asked, but before Gahyeon could answer, they heard a faint voice.

_‘already coming. With Seulgi’s friend.’_ Sol said as Seulgi looked around in confusion, but in a couple of minutes, sol showed up with a basked that held small fox. It seemed that the bird wasn’t the only one that was sick.

Seulgi jumped up and ran over with worry. That is two of her friends that were hurt from some substance that she didn’t understand.

_‘he seems better. I was able to heal him easier.’_ Sol said as the fox looked up at Seulgi and wagged his tail weakly. Normally he would flop over on his back and chatter for tummy rubs, but he was just too weak.

“you had a harder time with this one because he has a natural resistance to other’s powers. Seulgi might have a different experience, though.” Moonbyul said as Seulgi looked over at her in confusion.

“your sight isn’t just being able to see a couple of things. It’s a connection to things that others can’t see. When he is better, try looking through his eyes. You may be surprised…” Moonbyul said with a smile.

“I hate it when you talk like that. Seulgi, you are connected to many things around you. Even the plants love and respect you. So do the animals. Try to look into their minds and then see what you can see. Try it with your fox friend…” Solar said as she waved for her to try.

Seulgi walked over nervously but triggered her powers and looked into his eyes deeply. The fox wasn’t as confused as the bird, and soon Seulgi could see the memories of where he ate before feeling sick. Just like they had said, it seemed to be in the woods near town.

But as she went through his memories, she felt a sudden connection. The fox felt it too and allowed it when suddenly Seulgi was looking at herself.

Seulgi was seeing her face in front of herself, and when he licked her face, she was able to see it happen. It was confusing for a second, but she suddenly understood. He was allowing her to see what he could see, smell, and hear.

It was a bit like the connection that Seulgi had with her pack members, but the fox had to agree to the connection. Seulgi was fascinated with it and quickly released her powers and looked at Solar excitedly.

“Now imagine if you can use a bird's sight. You could scout ahead and search for things that others couldn’t. not many think to look to the sky for enemies.” Solar said as Moonbyul nodded.

“How far?” Seulgi asked, but Moonbyul shrugged.

“it all depends on how much you strengthen your powers.” Moonbyul said as Seulgi nodded.

“How is that possible? Isn’t her ability just to see memories?” Siyeon asked as Solar shook her head.

“no. Seulgi’s power is based on how she is so kind and genuine. She creates a connection with people and animals easily, and that came out in her powers. The bigger the connection that you have with her, the stronger her powers will get. She will be able to see more, but right now, its involuntarily. If you open up to her, it will be a stronger connection, and who knows what she will be able to do.” Solar said as Siyeon nodded. She was thinking of the possibilities.

“Seulgi. When Gahyeon asked you to help heal Taehyung’s arm, something changed with your sight, didn’t it?” Moonbyul asked as she nodded.

“I suddenly… saw the bones. I don’t know why.” Seulgi said as Gahyeon looked over at her in surprise.

“you could see it?” Gahyeon asked as Seulgi nodded.

“its because your trust in her being able to help you created a bit of a connection between the two of you. Seulgi’s ability is limitless because she can learn different things from more people as time goes on.” Moonbyul said proudly.

“so Seulgi really is special. I felt it from the beginning. Even when I fell on her in the beginning, she was startled but instantly took care of me. I have never met a kinder person in my life, and I live with the kindest people I know.” Irene said as she smiled shyly at Seulgi. Their love was cute.

Seulgi smiled the sweetest smile at Irene, and everyone had to hold back the awws. There was a serious matter to attend to. If they didn’t help the animals, more would get sick or die.

“oh! Seulgi? Do you have any other friends that are birds?” Siyeon asked as Seulgi thought for a second. There was someone she could call on, but she didn’t think it was a good idea to call her while the black bird was still sick. She was very attached to him whenever she could find him. Seulgi thought it was cute, but he was still too young for his kind to understand she had a crush on him.

“yes. But can’t call her until home.” Seulgi said. Siyeon knew there must be a reason, and Seulgi wanted to tell it, but she didn’t have the confidence to say it properly yet.

“ok, then let's get going… Sunmi, what are you doing?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the older girl.

Sunmi was glaring at the fox in the box while it chattered at her. It was obvious that they didn’t like each other, but Siyeon had no idea why. They were both foxes.

“Why does he seem to hate you?” Siyeon asked, but she realized that Sunmi wasn’t mad but sulking.

“he says I stink. I smell more like a human than a fox…” Sunmi said as Siyeon snorted. Foxes were known to be kind of smelly and would even pee on their food to mark it, so to hear him call Sunmi smelly was kind of funny.

“well, that’s interesting. But I have an idea.” Handong said as Siyeon looked at her.

“The animals won't all be on the ground. I'm a bit heavy for it in my cat form, but Minji Bora and Irene can easily go into the trees. It will also give them an advantage. They can see farther from higher.” Handong said as Siyeon nodded.

It was a good idea because it would also keep them out of sight of the humans of the area. Seeing a pack of wolves here or there in this town was nothing but a snow leopard cougar, and a black leopard was another story.

She didn’t know how to explain the large tiger, though. Handong was incredibly large and powerful in her tiger form, and honestly, Siyeon wanted to see who was stronger. Seulgi or Handong.

“what about the bird and fox?” Gahyeon asked as Solar smiled.

“we will look after them until you get back. Sound good?” Solar asked as Gahyeon nodded happily.

“ok, then let's get going. Maybe Taehyung’s tracking skills will come in handy after all. We are going to have to track down some animals…” Siyeon said as she walked over to Bora. She didn’t like that Bora wouldn’t be running beside her and missed her mate already.

Siyeon pouted as she kissed Bora’s lips softly. But the vampire was in a playful mood as she nipped Siyeon’s lip before Siyeon squeaked in surprise. She was a victim of one of Bora’s butt grabs and laughed as the vampire ran off into the woods with a playful laugh.

“remember our goal. Fool around with Bora later.” Handong teased as she winked and jogged into the woods as she quickly shifted.

All Siyeon saw was the vampires running ahead. It was going to feel a bit lonely, but at least it will help them cover more ground.

“ok, let's go. Yoohyeon? Dami? You two are very good at tracking, so we will spread out in a line one of either side of me, and once we find something, we will decide who follows and continue until we make a full circle around the town. Sound good?” Siyeon asked as the two sisters nodded.

“and Seulgi, we will wait for you to call whoever you need to once we get to the house, and then we move. Most of the animals that scavenge come out at night, so we are running out of time.

“what about us?” Wonho asked as he looked at Siyeon. She was thinking that someone needed to check the animals in town. Wonho and his mate would be perfect. They are not associated with Siyeon in the town and were known for saving Irene from Matthew’s brother.

“and us?” Matthew asked as he waited patiently. Taehyung’s tracking skills were going to be valuable but not just with animals.

“How strong is your sense of smell? Siyeon asked as Taehyung smiled.

“strong. I followed your pack by smell until I found your tracks.” Taehyung said. He was starting to see what she was planning.

“if we find where the animals are being poisoned, and it happens to be someone behind it, do you think you can track them back to wherever they stay?” Siyeon asked a Taehyung nodded.

“as long as the trail isn’t stale, it should be doable. I just need to know where to start, and I should be good.” Taehyung said as Siyeon nodded.

“ok, then you will follow behind us, and if we find anything, you will instantly follow that trail. Sound good?” Siyeon asked as Matthew and Taehyung nodded.

“let's go then,” Siyeon said as she shifted and looked back at sol and Elkie.

_‘you sure you are ok with being left here?’_ Siyeon asked as Elkie nodded.

“I found him, and I'm still worried. I don’t like how he is panting so heavily…” Elkie said as Siyeon nodded once in her wolf form and was soon off into the forest.

They did like they said and waited for Seulgi to call her friend, and luckily, the friend in question was a somewhat small yet extremely fast hawk. She had inquisitive eyes and was instantly intrigued by the wolves in front of her.

After Seulgi talked to her, she quickly agreed. She had noticed that several animals were behaving oddly and refused to prey on the sick squirrels and other prey. She was now happy she was a picky eater and quickly agreed to be Seulgi’s eyes in the sky.

_‘what is her name? she is beautiful…’_ Siyeon asked as she looked at the bird in admiration. She was a beautiful bird with reddish-brown feathers and a razor-sharp beak and talons, yet they did nothing to Seulgi’s skin.

“she doesn’t have a name. That’s more of a people thing. but she likes idea of a name.” Seulgi said as Siyeon thought about it. The beautiful bird definitely deserves a name. She so willingly agreed to help, plus Siyeon was fascinated with her.

_‘she is beautiful, but we should get moving…’_ Dami said as Siyeon sighed and nodded.

They were soon off, and so was the hawk. She sped towards the town and made it there in no time. Siyeon and the others weren't even close when the hawk sent an image of a white plastic bucket set out in the forest. It wasn’t far away, and when Seulgi showed Siyeon and the others the image, they instantly changed their path for the object.

After around five minutes, they arrived at the bucket. It looked like ones that hunters used to bait deer illegally, but this one was filled with meat that was now rotting after a full day or two in the sun. The stench should be horrendous, but the horrible scent was far less than it should be,

_‘is it because of the drug? Are there any signs of sick or dead animals nearby?’_ Siyeon asked as her pack spread out to search for signs of sick animals when Dami alerted them. She had found a raccoon that seemed to be slowly dying.

Seulgi quickly approached and soon turned around and nodded her large bear head. It was sick from eating the meat.

_‘Taehyung? Anything?’_ Siyeon asked. When the others searched for signs of sick animals, Taehyung Matthew scoured the area for scents while Somin and Jiwoo looked for any tracks that would lead into town.

It didn’t take long for Jiwoo to run back. They had found something. Taehyung ran after her and found exactly what he needed. On the ground, there was a cigarette butt on the ground, and the scent of its owner was all over it. Unlike the bucket that had the drug that dulled their senses, the remains of the cigarette held everything he needed, and soon he had Matthew tell Siyeon what they found.

Taehyung could have told them himself, but he didn’t want to distract himself from the trail and bounded through the trees after his pray.

-The Vampires-

Bora and the others traveled by the large old trees, and when she got closer to, they could see the signs of sick animals.

There were several squirrels that seemed sick and dying, as well as some birds. It wasn’t just limited to meat-eaters. Whoever was doing this was doing it purposely. Maybe as a sick experiment? Whatever reason there was no excuse for this.

Every time Bora saw a sick animal, it made her anger rise. The animals did nothing to deserve this. Whoever did this was sick, and she would love to sink her large fangs into their neck until she heard the satisfying snap.

When she was in her cat form, she was a bit more aggressive and animalistic, and it showed right now. The scent of dead and dying animals was everywhere when they got closer to the town, and her anger was only rising more and more.

_‘This is horrible…’_ Irene said as she jumped from one large branch to another. She was doing well, but she hadn’t had as much time in her cat form, so her pace was a bit slower.

_‘I agree. It smells horrible, as well. This is just wrong…’_ Minji said as she easily jumped from branch to branch. They had found many dead and dying animals, but they were too far gone for them to do anything.

Handong was running below when she spotted something abnormal. There was an animal staggering forward that didn’t seem to notice the giant tiger in front of it. The smell coming from it was sickly like an animal that had long passed, but it was clearly alive but not for long. The poor creature fell to the ground right before Handong and was gone before she could do anything.

Handong looked at it sadly and walked from where the poor thing came from and found what looked like its family. All dead. That was why it smelled so horrible. It didn’t want to leave its family but seemed to stagger away in its last moments.

_‘this is so horrible. We need to stop this somehow.’_ Bora said as she landed beside Handong. It was truly a sad sight, and it took a while for them to realize that the animals before them were some stray dogs from the area.

Bora thought about the possibility of this happening to Siyeon or the others. She knew that there are wolves like Siyeon that Jackson experimented on, and that made her heart ache. Just like these dogs here, they had a family, and to Bora, it didn’t matter if it was animals or people. This was wrong, and she would do everything she could to stop it.

Wonho and Hyunwoo were scoping the town, and luckily, it didn’t seem like whoever was doing this was messing with people's pets. It would be easier for someone to notice and for them to get caught after all.

But their search wasn’t pointless. There were people whispering about an area where some new gang was trying to take over Jackson’s lair. In doing that, they had cleaned out a bunch of things from the previous owner.

This could be how the drug got out. But it wouldn’t explain the animals dying. That was due to someone getting ahold of this, and if they didn’t know what the substance is, then maybe it was their sick way of trying to figure it out. Either way, they now had a clue to follow, and that was what mattered.

Right now, they needed to get back to Siyeon and let them know what they found. And if Wonho was right, they will probably have to investigate this new pack. The possibility of a fight was huge. At least they have Gahyeon Sunmi and Chungha. Their healing abilities might be needed.


	68. Chapter 68

-Investigation-

Siyeon and the others were investigating the area when the hawk alerted that Wonho and Hyunwoo were on their way back. Siyeon thought that it was a bit odd for them to be heading back already unless they found something. So she had the others wait and soon heard Wonho and Hyunwoo. They were running at full speed and burst through the brush to land in front of Siyeon.

Wonho’s excited expression told her that he found something, and soon his excitement spread to the others. Whatever news he had was something he thought was important enough to come running back for.

_‘What did you find?’_ Siyeon asked as Wonho gave a big wolfy grin.

_‘We found out that some new pack took over that warehouse that Jackson used, and they cleaned everything out. They could be the culprit or could have dumped the drug, not knowing what it was. If that’s the case, anyone could have gotten it. I think we should meet this new pack and question them. Maybe they saw someone lurking near the cleaned-out debris?’_ Wonho suggested as Siyeon thought about it.

Siyeon didn’t want to rush into anything, but she felt that she was running out of time. The question was if Matthew and Taehyung found anything. Their search took them into town after a scent, but they were now too far away for Siyeon to mind speak with.

_‘I don’t think we can overlook this, but I don’t want to run in there blind. I think we should give Jinyoung a call. He knows most of the packs in the area, and he also knows the drug better than we do. He may be able to help us, or at least his knowledge would come in handy…’_ Siyeon said as she looked at her packmates for their opinions.

Everyone nodded in agreement. It was better to go into the situation with more knowledge than going in blind. But all of them left their cellphones at home, so how would they be able to get ahold of Jinyoung and the others?

_‘sis? Should we go see dad? We know Jinyoung and the others have been working with him, so he most likely will be able to get in contact with them. Plus, he might want to know what is going on in the town…’_ Gahyeon said as Siyeon nodded and turned in the direction of her parents' house.

_‘before we go, we need to let Bora and the others know. Should we call them back or wait until we talk to Jinyoung?’_ Siyeon asked as Dami thought about it.

_‘I say we talk to Jinyoung first. They might be able to find something while we talk to Jinyoung. It's better to keep them searching.’_ Dami said as Siyeon nodded.

_‘I will let Bora know what's going on, and then we are off.’_ Siyeon said as she paused to update her mate. It didn’t take long, and soon, they were sprinting through the forest. There was the worry that whoever wanted to find Siyeon and her pack could still be lurking around her father, but Siyeon thought that maybe with Wonho being sighted in the town, it would have drawn their attention to the town and not to her father.

It was not very far, but they still ran in a wide search pattern. They didn’t want to miss something while they made their way to Siyeon’s parent's house, but the sick animals were getting fewer and fewer as they got closer to the house. Obviously, whoever was doing this was careful not to release it near someone who would investigate it.

Once the house was in sight, Siyeon’s pace picked up. Like she would before she left home, Siyeon ran to the back of the house and entered the back door. But what she found was an interesting sight.

Mr. and Ms. Lee were sitting at the dinner table with Jinyoung Yugyeom and Youngjae. Clearly, they were adopted into the family. It was nice to see that her parents were not alone, but the surprised look on everyone was hilarious to Siyeon.

“Have you gotten even taller?” Ms. Lee asked as she looked at her daughter, standing completely naked in the dining room.

“I don’t know? Sorry for the surprise visit, but we have some information to give you, and hopefully, Jinyoung could lend us a hand.” Siyeon said as he pointed at himself in surprise. He still had a mouth full of food and quickly chewed his food before speaking.

“are you looking for Elkie’s mother?” Jinyoung asked as Siyeon looked at him with a confused expression.

“How would you know where Elkie’s mother is?” Siyeon asked as Jinyoung started to look nervous.

“she has been hanging out with my mother lately. It seems that all the men have been making her nervous.” Jinyoung said as Siyeon looked at him in confusion.

“How did they even meet?” Siyeon asked as he started to look even more nervous.

“my mother said that she met her when she went shopping with Sunmi…” Jinyoung said as the fox in question clapped her hands.

“that’s right! She was chatting with a woman for a while when I was waiting for someone to get me some meat from the back! That was your mother?” Sunmi asked as Jinyoung nodded.

“she has even been spending nights over at my mother's house. You haven’t noticed she was missing?” Jinyoung asked as the others shook their heads.

“no, we just thought she was staying in her room a lot and didn’t want to bother her. I'm glad to know that she has been spending time with someone, though.” Siyeon said as everyone nodded.

“well, what are you here for?” Mr. Lee asked as Siyeon went serious again.

“have you noticed the sick and dying animals in the forest?” Siyeon asked as everyone at the table exchanged confused looks.

“I will take that as a no then. Well, we have noticed a large number of sick animals, and one of them is a friend of Seulgi.” Siyeon said as Seulgi stepped forward. Her hawk friend was nosey and wanted to see what the inside of a house looked like, so she was riding on Seulgi’s arm happily.

“What a beautiful bird…” Ms. Lee said in admiration. The hawk fluffed her feathers. She knew that she was being complimented and felt a bit shy. It only made Ms. Lee and Siyeon find her even cuter, though.

“so there have been large numbers of animal deaths?” Mr. Lee said as Siyeon nodded.

“it seems that the drug that Jackson was producing is being introduced into the animals' food. It's making them sick, and they are dying. We came to see if Jackson might have an idea of someone who would do this…” Dami said nervously. She was still worried that Mr. Lee wouldn’t like her.

“Jinyoung, have you noticed anything?” Mr. Lee asked as he shook his head.

“no, I haven’t been into the woods lately. I have been in town trying to learn who the new people are in town and keep an eye on them.” Jinyoung said as he looked at them with a worried expression.

“is it very bad?” Yugyeom asked as everyone nodded.

“There are animals sick and dying all in the forest from the town to our place, and the closer we get towards town, the more it smells like sickness and death…” Gahyeon said as everyone frowned. That wasn’t a good sign.

“there Is more, though. Have you heard of some new pack taking over Jackson’s old warehouse?” Wonho asked as Jinyoung tilted his head while thinking.

“no… but I know that there has been a new pack gaining power in town that are all of the ones that Jackson oppressed. If that’s the case, maybe they took it over. Their numbers were getting quite large if I remember right…” Jinyoung said as Siyeon sighed in relief.

If they hated Jackson, then they probably wouldn’t be like him. It also would mean that the drugs could really have been thrown out for anyone to find, though. This made their job a bit harder, but at least they wouldn’t have to fight unnecessarily.

“do you think you could come with us so that we can talk to them? We heard that they cleared out the warehouse, and if they threw out everything, then that’s possibly how the drug got into town, but someone is purposely poisoning the animals. How long until they test it on people?” Siyeon asked as everyone's faces darkened.

“if the failed versions are out there too, then it will mean madness and death for whoever this fool tests it on!” Jinyoung said as he stood. As he stood, so did Yugyeom and Youngjae. Clearly, their teamwork was getting stronger. They knew their alpha well.

“Jinyoung, you go help them, and I will go see my contacts to see if that drug has made it to the streets. Ok?” Mr. Lee said as Jinyoung nodded and started stripping. He knew that it was a bit of a run and didn’t want to slow anyone down any more than he had to.

“if it’s the warehouse, then you will know the way but be cautious. They were oppressed by Jackson and probably didn’t trust many. The possibility of traps could be high.” Yugyeom said as everyone nodded.

“I just told the rest of my pack. They will meet us there. Are the others going to meet us there?” Jinyoung asked when Bora entered the back door.

“We are, and we found a bucket similar to what the others found, but this time it was filled with grains and seeds to attract the smaller animals. We wondered why so many birds and squirrels were sick and dying. This person or these people are doing this on purpose. The drug dulls their senses, so they don’t smell that something is off and just eat the food…” Bora said as everyone frowned more.

“Handong seemed to pick up on something and broke off from us. She says she smells something familiar and is tracking it down. She doesn’t think it’s the person responsible but just knows it is familiar and is following it.” Bora said as Siyeon tried to think about what would catch the vampire's attention.

“Irene and Minji outside?” Siyeon asked as Bora nodded as she walked over to snuggle into Siyeon. The two wrapped their arms around each other as they exchanged a sweet kiss. They didn’t like being separated even if it wasn’t for long.

“Yoohyeon, what's your opinion? You have been rather quiet.” Siyeon asked as Yoohyeon looked up. Her eyes were the black and gold that happened when she drew on her demon side, and Siyeon wondered what she was trying to do.

“I have an idea… but I don’t know how to implement it or if it will even work…” Yoohyeon said as everyone looked at her.

“well, Seulgi has strong sight, right? What does she see when she looks at the buckets? Are there any signs of the person that left it? Because I feel the remnants of something on it. Like maybe I can feel the essence of the person that held it. If Seulgi can see the bones after sharing a connection with Gahyeon, could she possibly see whatever lingers on the buckets? If so, we won't have to rely on smell.” Yoohyeon said when Siyeon’s head snapped up.

“wait! Dami, maybe that’s what you confuse with smell! You feel their essences, and your mind just interprets it as a scent because of your wolf side!” Siyeon said as Dami’s eyes went wide. It made a bit of sense.

“it wouldn’t hurt to try. Both of us have demon blood in us, so if we both create a connection with Seulgi, maybe her sight will be stronger, but I still think we need to go to that warehouse. That way, we can learn the scents of the people there just in case we encounter it later…” Dami said as Siyeon nodded.

“well, let's get moving. We need to get to the warehouse first. They might have noticed someone rummaging through the trash of that place. It might give us a lead we need.” Siyeon said as Bora nodded and snuggled against her chest with a soft purr one more time before breaking her hold on Siyeon and walking outside.

Everyone walked outside except Mr. Lee, who got dressed in his uniform and drove into town. Siyeon and the others dwarfed Jinyoung and the others in their wolf forms. They were all larger and stronger compared to the three males. It looked like a couple of adolescent wolves running with the adults.

When they ran, they did it in a search pattern again, and it threw off Jinyoung and the others. They were heading towards where they had not searched yet, though, and didn’t want to miss anything.

As they got farther away from her father's house, Jinyoung and the others slowly started to see the sick and dying animals that Siyeon and the others had mentioned before.

Jinyoung slowed down slightly as he looked at the forest before him. There was no chirping of night birds or sounds of raccoons and other creatures that would move about in the night. It was just silent. It caused the fur to rise on the back of his neck. This just felt wrong. It was like the forest was empty, and he hoped that meant the animals just fled and not that they had all died already.

It didn’t take very long until they arrived at the warehouse, and just like he said, Jinyoung’s pack was waiting for him. Their numbers seemed to have risen quite a bit. It was good to know that people recognized Jinyoung’s leadership.

_‘do you or any of your pack recognize the scents of people inside?’_ Siyeon asked as Jinyoung conversed with the others. To their luck, several recognized family members. It meant that hopefully, they wouldn’t have to end up in a confrontation.

_‘you are more known in town. Mind doing alerting them that they have visitors?’_ Siyeon asked Jinyoung, who just nodded and tilted his head back. He howled the announcement of his arrival and that they were friendly, yet they noticed the pack before them scrambled to their defenses.

_‘don’t blame them. These are the people Jackson treated the worst. They probably have a hard time trusting others…’_ Jinyoung said as Siyeon nodded. The two alphas slowly walked forward. It made their packs nervous, but if anything happened, they could act quickly.

While Siyeon walked forward, Seulgi was in the trees with Irene. Her hawk friend was circling the warehouse and tunnel exit as she watched for abnormal behavior.

Once Siyeon and Jinyoung got midway, they stopped. They didn’t want to cross the line by walking too far into another wolf's territory.

To Siyeon’s surprise, an older wolf stepped up. They could tell that the wolf was older than most of them there, and the wolves that now lived in the warehouse seemed to look up to this wolf.

_‘what are you doing here so late?’_ the wolf asked as Siyeon took a half a step forward.

_‘we are trying to figure out why the animals are all sick and dying. We think that it might have been due to something Jackson used to store here. We were wondering if you noticed any weird substances when you cleared out the place or if anyone was lurking around the trash?’_ Siyeon asked as the wolf tilted his head.

_‘are you perhaps Siyeon?’_ the older wolf asked as she nodded. Everyone went from quiet, whispering to silence. Siyeon started to feel uncomfortable when everyone slowly started to approach her, but the wolf in front of her didn’t look worried in the slightest.

When they got closer, Siyeon fidgeted nervously when people started shifting back into their human forms and started thanking her. So many were before her and thanking her for stopping Jackson. It was not what she was expecting, but everyone in front of her showed some signs of his cruelty.

The wolf before her shifted too, and Siyeon looked at him in surprise. It was the best friend of her father. She used to call him her uncle when she was little. Why was he leading a pack that was oppressed by Jackson?

“Siyeon, it’s good to see you again!” he said as he hugged her and turned around to the others. Siyeon had known that she helped some people, but it was different when she could see the people that she saved. Some of them looked way too young to be here, though.

Siyeon’s uncle noticed where she was looking and sighed as he explained the situation. They had taken in the ones that had lost their parents to Jackson and even took in the children of those that died in the fight against Siyeon.

She was shocked to hear that they took in the children of the enemy, but when she asked about it, he only smiled. He told her that their parents might not have made the right decision, but most were forced into joining his pack. He also said that the children were innocent. They had done nothing wrong, so why punish them for their parents' decisions?

“I can't believe so many suffered from Jackson… if I knew he would turn out like this, I would have never helped him form a pack to begin with… I'm so sorry…” Jinyoung said as he looked at everyone in sadness.

“nonsense. I have heard many stories of people that “escaped” thanks to you and how you treated them with kindness. You were in a difficult situation too. Your friend, who you cared about, was turning more and more evil. You felt helpless, but instead of continuing to let it happen, you stopped him. That takes more courage than you give yourself credit for.” Siyeon’s uncle said, but Jinyoung still felt horrible as he looked on at everyone. How they didn’t look at him with hate or disgust, he had no idea.

“as for your questions, we did clear out the warehouse and found a room that was blocked off. It held several barrels that contained some white powder. We thought that it was just something from before Jackson took the place over, but maybe we were wrong.” He said as he walked into the warehouse and waved for everyone to follow.

“We set everything outside that night. We planned to take everything away the next morning, but when we woke up, the barrels were gone. These were not some light things. Someone needed at least two people to pick them up and a truck to haul them… here is the room.” Siyeon’s uncle said, and as soon as she came close, she could feel her senses dull slightly.

“don’t let anyone enter here. This is a drug that Jackson was developing. He has several versions, and most of them failed and would drive the user insane. Don’t let anyone in here until the room can be fully cleaned.” Siyeon said, and quickly he called for others' help. They sealed the room temporarily and then slowly went to leave when Seulgi gave them a warning.

“Are you expecting anyone in the tunnel system?” Siyeon asked as he looked at her in shock.

“tunnels? We have not explored everything yet. There are tunnels?” he asked as Siyeon nodded.

“yes, and a handful of wolves just entered the tunnel system. Jinyoung? Can you scout ahead? You know more of the people in the town and know the layout.” Siyeon said as he jogged down the halls silently.

“if I were you, I would gather the others and go to the safest spot in the warehouse. We will see who these wolves are…” Siyeon said, but she didn’t need to worry because Jinyoung quickly announced that it was Matthew and the others.

“I guess they were friends?” he asked as Siyeon nodded.

“Sorry for startling you, but we had a trail that we were following. Did you know that there is a room that was walled off in the tunnel system? It was recently broken into, and as soon as we got close, we couldn’t smell anything. The person who is doing this knows the layout of this place and managed to enter without everyone’s knowledge and robbed the drug supply…” Matthew said as Siyeon looked at her uncle. That meant that they might be back.

“I didn’t even know about those rooms either. Obviously, Jackson didn’t trust me as much as I thought. The only room I knew of was off of his bedroom and where he made the drug, but I destroyed that place with my pack…” Jinyoung said as Siyeon looked down the hallway.

“is the room you know about still untouched? If so, then they might be back. That could mean that though we couldn’t track them to their hideout, we might be able to follow them if they come for the last…” Siyeon said as Matthew nodded.

“from what it smelled like, the ones who broke in did it very late into the night. We have a couple more hours, but we need to have everyone act normal. That means bringing in everyone and placing them throughout the building.” Taehyung suggested as Siyeon nodded yet looked at her uncle. This building wasn’t hers, so she waited for his approval.

“everyone's safety is my main priority. These thieves worry me. I would appreciate your help. We have seen the damage you can do, so we know you can fight. I would be very grateful if you could help us.” He said as Siyeon nodded and called everyone inside.

Siyeon and her uncle explained everything to the residents of the warehouse. You could see the wave of panic that was washing over them, but Bora and the other vampires tried to soothe their fears with their abilities.

Soon the place looked like it normally would on the outside. Seulgi and Irene were still outside in the trees as they watched silently. They were like silent surveillance cameras. Irene's bond with Seulgi allowed her to see from her eyes as well and send what she thought was important back to Siyeon.

Seulgi was truly amazing to Siyeon. As soon as she saw the children cowering in fear, she wanted to help them. Her protectiveness of children could be her bear side, but Siyeon thought it could just be Seulgi. She seemed extremely kind and sweet.

Several hours had passed, and the way Siyeon had her pack set up was that Dami was near the back tunnel while Yoohyeon was near the front entrance. That way, they could use their shadow abilities to get everyone to safety before a fight broke out.

Siyeon’s plan was to let one escape, and when they did, Matthew and his pack would follow them as Seulgi’s hawk watched them from above. Wonho and Hyunwoo would help whoever needed it, but their main goal was to protect the residents of the warehouse.

If this worked out as Siyeon planned, then the matter would be solved quickly, but according to Dami, she sensed several other hidden rooms that had been walled up. If they didn’t round up everyone tonight, it would put everyone here at risk.

It was suddenly extremely quiet outside. The night insects that would cry in the long grass went silent, and Siyeon took it as a signal that the thieves were approaching and silently warned everyone.

The thieves must have felt that the tunnel was a safe entrance and snuck in silently. But Dami was waiting for them. As soon as Dami heard the soft sounds of their paws on the concrete floor of the tunnel, she signaled Siyeon, and everything happened so quickly.


	69. Chapter 69

-Ambush-

As soon as Dami gave the signal, everything happened. She used her powers to set an illusion that allowed Siyeon and the others to escort everyone to a safer location.

There were seven of them. Six males and one female, but what caught their attention was that Dami recognized them. On the night they broke in to save Gahyeon, several wolves ran instead of confronting them.

These were some of the wolves. They had turned on their own pack. She didn’t blame them at the time because Jackson was a cruel leader, but this made her mad. They ran and left their pack behind to die only to come back and rob the place blind?

They knew that this drug was toxic and didn’t care. The thought that they were possibly selling this was scary. That drug should be destroyed not sold.

They were most likely trying to test and find out what product was the good and the bad and decided to test it on the animals because they were too afraid to test it themselves. It took everything she had not to release a growl that might alert the thieves.

Siyeon quickly checked with Seulgi and Irene. They had seen a truck pull up out front of the building. If the thieves had come in through the tunnel, why did the truck stop out front? The only thing Siyeon could think of was that they planned to just walk out the front doors with it.

If that was the case, then they were not just thinking of sneaking in and out. The people here were in danger. Seulgi’s friend getting sick had actually been a bit of a blessing for everyone that now lived at this warehouse. Who knew what these scavengers planned to do?

_‘they plan to just walk out of this place. What did they plan for the people that live here?’_ Siyeon asked the others as everyone tensed. They all thought of horrible scenarios in their heads.

_‘I don’t know what they are planning, but they are heading to one of the walled-up rooms. This isn’t enough people to take their product AND walk out without harm… have Seulgi search the area. This doesn’t seem like all of them…’_ Dami said as she started to feel nervous.

Siyeon quickly contacted Seulgi, and soon the hawk took flight as she carefully looked over the area. The problem was her eyesight wasn’t as good as other birds that hunt at night. She was doing her best, but she worried that she was missing something.

Irene also hopped from the tree and stalked the tall grass as she made her way to the tunnel. She wondered if there were wolves waiting in the wolves by the tunnel. If Siyeon was right, then there would be more lurking somewhere.

While Irene made her way to the tunnel, Seulgi stalked closer to the truck in her human form. She wanted to get closer to see if there were more in the truck than expected, and to her luck, they were talking.

She listened quietly, but she knew what some words were but didn’t understand everything. Quickly she shared what was happening to Gahyeon. Their connection was strong after helping heal Taehyung’s broken arm, and she didn’t want to distract Dami or Siyeon.

Gahyeon was in charge of helping get the people to safety with Wonho and Hyunwoo, and when Seulgi contacted her, she listened quietly.

The talk wasn’t very important at first, but Gahyeon heard them mention a hideout and also something about a keycard to gain access. That didn’t sound like a normal hideout. This meant that they needed to look for this keycard, and the wolves that came from the tunnel wouldn’t have it, but that truck might.

_‘Seulgi? Can you take out their tires? Gently so that they wouldn’t feel it? That way, if they try to run, it will be on foot.’_ Gahyeon said as Seulgi agreed.

Seulgi quickly went around the truck and quickly drew on her bear form. Her claws barely formed, but it was good enough to pierce the tire and slowly let the air his out.

Once the first tire was pierced, she went to another tire until all tires slowly deflated. It would now be difficult for them to drive off, but they were too busy chatting quietly among themselves that they never noticed.

Seulgi wanted to try and take them out already, but they might alert the others if she tried. She also didn’t want to lose one if they decided to split up and run. So she waited for Siyeon’s orders. She just hoped that those orders wouldn’t come too late.

Sunmi and Chungha were positioned in two different locations in the warehouse. Chungha has by the tunnel just in case more were waiting. She could easily block the tunnel like she had done before while Sunmi was near the front door just in case the enemy tried to attack from the front.

The doors were originally ripped off by Dami, and the residents tried to replace them, but it wasn’t perfect. It actually looked like they could collapse at any moment, but they were much wider than the tunnel.

The people could walk the barrels out of the front door easily while if they tried to bring it through the tunnel, it might be more difficult to get those barrels through such a narrow passage.

Sunmi could understand what they were thinking, but it didn’t sit well with her. There were too many people living here for them to be able to walk out easily.

Everyone knew that something was off. They could feel it. But what could that be? How did they plan to get out of here with no problems?

While Dami held the illusion, Gahyeon got everyone to safety with Wonho and Hyunwoo while Sunmi waited quietly. Irene was still scoping out the woods, but something just made Sunmi swear that something was off.

These people were too confident that they could leave, so either they knew someone inside that they thought would let them pass easily, or they had a plan that would occupy the residents of the warehouse.

Sunmi thought to herself when she suddenly thought of fire. A fire would cause a panic and make people flee the building, especially if the sprinkler system kicked in.

_‘Siyeon! Fire! They might want to start a fire. Handong damaged the fire sprinkler system when we fought before! I don’t know if it has been fixed yet!’_ Sunmi said as Siyeon quickly moved. If they planned to start a fire, then not all of them would be in wolf form.

Siyeon carefully moved towards the tunnel, and sure enough, the males were in their wolf forms while the female walked with what looked like a can of gasoline. Sunmi was right. Their plan was to start a fire and make the others run. They planned to burn these people's home.

_‘fuck! Where is Handong when we need her? I haven’t even really tried to draw water before! Please, Minji get back here soon…’_ Siyeon said. She was running towards Chungha. She could have Chungha use her ice while she and Yoohyeon melted them if need be, but as soon as she got close, she got news from Irene.

_‘wolves in the woods! Many of them! I don’t think all of them were followers of Jackson, either!’_ Irene said as Siyeon swore. This wasn’t good. Jinyoung and his pack were quickly sent out to help while Sunmi masked them in an illusion to make sure they remained unseen. They needed to take these people out quickly.

_‘we are now in position. There are at least 20 wolves out here. We have them surrounded though they don’t know it yet. Give us a signal on when to start.’_ Sunmi said as Siyeon planned carefully.

_‘Seulgi, when I give the signal, you attack that truck. They will probably try to run on foot now that you have taken out their ride. When they run, Matthew and his pack will follow them. The ones that they can’t follow I need you to take out. We need to find their drug supply and destroy it.’_ Siyeon said as Seulgi waited for the signal. Everyone was tensed as they waited for her orders.

_‘now!’_ Siyeon announced quickly. She had seen the girl start to try and pour the gasoline out and moved quickly.

Once the signal was given, Dami dropped the illusion as Siyeon Bora charged in. Chungha quickly closed off their exit with ice as the wolves looked around in confusion and panic.

“what the fuck!?” the girl shouted as she looked around at the girls. Due to the illusion, it looked like she was tiptoeing around sleeping wolves, and now they were all gone as four girls surrounded them.

The males formed a circle around the girl as they growled. Clearly, she was someone worth protecting. That made her Siyeon’s goal. All they had to do was take out these boys and then maybe Siyeon could get some answers.

Before Siyeon could say anything, though, one wolf lunged at Siyeon. He knew that she was the leader and hoped that a surprise attack could work.

His body dropped to the ground before his packmates even saw Siyeon move. She didn’t have to. She launched a bolt of blue lightning that flickered throughout her white fur. It struck him, and instantly he dropped to the ground and didn’t get up. The bolt stopped his heart.

The girl in the middle looked on in horror as another lunged in only to be riddled with ice shards. He looked like a pin cushion by the time Chungha was done.

The next wolf lunged in as Bora sent out a wave of vivid purple flames. They made the wolf scream in pain as he flailed on the ground, trying to put out the fire, but in the end, he too remained still. The smell of burnt fur and flesh reached the girl's nose as she gagged, but she didn’t seem to be upset that her packmates were dying for her.

It was the opposite. She was more worried that she would die. To her, the others were expendable, but when their numbers quickly dropped, she realized that her life was in danger.

The next attack was two wolves at once. They were not difficult at all. Bora swatted one away with a large paw as Siyeon caught the other one midjump by the throat and shook him like a dog toy. This only left two guards for the girl, and now she was looking desperate.

“stop! Why are you attacking us?” she shouted as Siyeon laughed.

_‘WE are attacking YOU? Your guards attacked me first after sneaking in here in the middle of the night and now are playing the victim? Really?’_ Siyeon asked as she took a step forward.

The girls two guards growled and stepped between Siyeon and the girl as the fur on the back of their necks rose. Whoever she was, they were determined to risk their lives for her even if they were terrified.

“We just came for our belongings! They wouldn’t let us take them if we asked! We were part of Jackson’s pack! They would probably try to kill us!” the girl said as Siyeon snarled.

_‘the reason they wouldn’t want to let you in is because your pack had worked for Jackson. Torture murder and drugs are nothing to you. Do you know how many lost their families? How many children were left without parents because of you? And now you are here to steal the drugs. For what? Just to make a profit?’_ Siyeon snarled as the girl laughed.

“hey, we need to live! That shit can sell for huge bucks! We can live comfortably for a long time once we sell this shit!” the girl said with a laugh. She disgusted Siyeon. She only cared about profit and that her life was as easy as possible. Other people and animals’ lives meant nothing to her.

_‘well, if you think we would let you, then you are sorely mistaken…’_ Siyeon snapped as the guards lunged. They were trying to give the girl a way to escape. This was the one that they probably needed to follow.

_‘Matthew, Taehyung? Do you see her? She's about to run out the front door. Follow her. She seems to be the one behind this. We might be able to find where they are storing this poison and destroy it.’_ Siyeon said as Taehyung prepped himself.

She bolted through the front door of the warehouse. But as she pushed it open, the door fell almost crushing the truck. Luckily Seulgi had managed to take out everyone in the truck. They tried to stay and fight, so Matthew and the others didn’t have to worry about chasing them. With Seulgi’s strength, it was over as soon as it started.

As the girl bolted out the door, she noticed the scene before her. Her getaway drivers were lying on the ground. Dead. It looked like they were mauled by a bear judging by the damage.

Her heart raced in her chest as she turned and ran towards the woods. Taehyung waited until she was a bit ahead of him before he took off after her. He was on her tail and had her scent. He could smell the panic radiating off of her.

-Irene-

Irene was ready, and when the signal was given, she jumped from the tree she was perched on into the center of the wolves. She was in her cat form, but she drew on her powers. She wasn’t much of a fighter yet, but if she could land even one swipe of her claws with her ability, then she could easily stop them.

An intense cold radiated off of her as she swung around and slashed at the wolves. She managed to strike several, and soon the sounds of pain echoed throughout the forest.

Wolves dropped left and right as Irene slashed at them. One wolf got to close, though, and without thinking, she sunk her fangs into his neck. But as her fangs went in, his flesh froze almost instantly. With one more bite, she shattered the frozen flesh as his head separated from his body.

At the sight of this, most wolves backed up. They knew that if this cat touched them, then their lives would be over. But Jinyoung’s pack and Sunmi were just as dangerous.

The fight was very fast-paced as Irene and the others lunged in and out, taking out wolves left and right. Sunmi and Irene worked as a team of two as Jinyoung and Yugyeom worked as another set of two. Youngjae would keep the others from running away as the rogue wolves were defeated one after another.

Jinyoung and Yugyeom had a harder fight. Not many wanted to fight against the fox with lightning in her fur and the one that could turn you to ice with just a scratch. They had several received several bites and scratches while Irene and Sunmi came out perfectly fine.

Once it was over, Sunmi and Jinyoung’s pack walked among the bodies and spotted several wolves that they recognized from town, but there were new wolves here. Strange wolves that Jinyoung and his pack who had been roaming the town thoroughly still didn’t recognize. Where were they hiding out then when they weren't ever spotted in town?

It was time to regroup, but they didn’t have and information that would lead them to the hideout. Hopefully, the others had better luck. Irene thought as they walked back.

As she walked back and spotted Seulgi, she knew that her mate had found something. Her eyes were the iridescent color of her powers as she looked to the sky. Her hawk friend was racing back at a speed that Irene didn’t know was possible. Something was up.

_‘Siyeon! Somethings wrong! It looks like Seulgi is watching something through the hawk's eyes, and she's flying to us at a rapid speed!’_ Irene said as Siyeon tried to contact Seulgi. It was like a wall was there. While Seulgi was focusing, it was like she wasn’t there. She automatically blocked Siyeon from her.

It was a bit shocking. As an alpha, usually, that can’t happen. Gahyeon had to put a lot of energy into it when she was held captive, but Seulgi did it without knowing she even did it. Hopefully, that wouldn’t lead to dangerous scenarios later.

_‘Matthew needs help!’_ Seulgi said as she took off after the hawk. She was careful to leave a trail for the others to follow but judging from the desperate sound of Seulgi’s voice, it was bad.

_‘We can't send everyone out there! Gahyeon, you go with Irene and Yoohyeon. I wanted to save your powers just in case we needed you. I'm glad we did…’_ Siyeon said as Yoohyeon nodded and ran out of the door with Gahyeon right behind her.

They charged forward as Yoohyeon led them down the path. Irene caught up quickly, and soon they were on Seulgi’s trail.

_‘what happened?’_ Yoohyeon asked Seulgi as she ran. The bear showed her what she saw.

Matthew was surrounded by wolves. The woman had ended up escaping, and Taehyung was nowhere to be seen, but Somin and Jiwoo were fighting fiercely as they defended their alpha. Their teamwork was amazing, but they were getting overwhelmed.

_‘shit! Faster!’_ Yoohyeon said as she charged forward. Irene and Gahyeon picked up the pace as they charged forward. Things looked desperate.

The sound of a feral roar ahead signaled that Seulgi had made it to the fight, and soon the three made it as well, but it wasn’t a good sight.

Matthew was barely standing. He was bleeding from several places, and his bright fur was matted and dark with blood that they couldn’t tell if it was from him or someone else. He also had a hard time standing. He swayed slightly side to side as he stared down an enemy that approached.

Irene lunged in as she pounced on the wolf that was squaring off against Matthew. He didn’t even get to cry out as she crushed the wolf's now frozen flesh. Matthew didn’t even realize that the wolf was gone. It seemed that he was suffering from so much blood loss that he was blacking out on his feet.

Gahyeon didn’t need to be told what to do. As soon as she saw Matthew, she ran over. But he was so confused that he couldn’t tell if she was a friend or foe. When she approached, he let out a low growl as he swayed more.

Gahyeon quickly shifted, and luckily, he was able to at least tell that she wasn’t a threat and sank to the ground in a sigh. He had been using most of his strength to hold himself up.

Gahyeon gently touched his fur and winced as she let her powers flow into him. He was covered in bite wounds and what seemed t be a puncture wound. That wasn’t caused by these wolves, but right now, he needed to be healed immediately.

The cooling feeling of Gahyeon’s ability washed over him and chased the pain away. He sighed in relief as the cool tingles buzzed throughout his body. It was much better than the pain and the pounding headache he was feeling from the loss of blood.

Yoohyeon was helping Somin and Jiwoo. They were fighting another group that looked like they were supposed to escort the missing girl. They continuously tried to break away in the direction that Yoohyeon could see the girl went to, but Somin or Jiwoo would cut them off every time. Taehyung was a good fighter, but if too many got through, it would be a dangerous situation for him.

Yoohyeon launched in the fight and tore through the wolves in front of her until she made it to the others. Seulgi was smashing through the ones that had attacked Matthew, and luckily with Yoohyeon’s flames, she was able to reduce the remaining attackers to ashes.

Matthew was now more aware of his surroundings, but he was still slightly confused. He would be like that until his blood levels went back to normal. Now that he was better, though, Somin and Jiwoo was Gahyeon’s priority.

They, too, had suffered many wounds, but the enemy clearly targeted Matthew first. Such a large and strong wolf would obviously be a threat, so of course, they would target him. It seemed that Somin and the Jiwoo had fought hard to protect not only him but Taehyung.

Gahyeon healed Somin first. She was the most wounded out of the two, but luckily it wasn’t very severe. The cool tingling helped ease the aches and pains as she sighed in relief, and next was Jiwoo. She was much quicker to heal, and luckily, she was also able to give some information on what happened.

_‘they must have been waiting for her just in case something went wrong. We ran right into them and didn’t realize it until it was too late. Matthew Somin and I were able to allow Taehyung to break through to chase after that girl. But I don’t know if a couple slipped through or not. Everything happened so fast…’_ Jiwoo said as Somin gently rubbed against her to calm the anxiety that was building.

_‘we will go after him. Can you get Matthew back to the others?’_ Yoohyeon asked as the two nodded and walked over to their alpha.

_‘we have Matthew. Please protect Taehyung. He likes to charge forward when on a trail. Don’t let him do anything reckless…’_ Somin said as Yoohyeon nodded.

_‘Seulgi? Ready to head after them?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Irene watched her mate. It seemed that her hawk friend had searched ahead but came up with nothing.

_‘can't find them…’_ Seulgi said as she looked around. She could see the trail for now, but it was taking them over areas that didn’t leave a good trail. She might lose him.

As Seulgi walked over to the trail, she paused. A tuft of fur was snagged onto the bark of a tree. It wasn’t Taehyung’s, so this must be their prey.

Seulgi looked over to Yoohyeon and paused. She was great at tracking, but if Yoohyeon’s demon powers could track the essence of someone, maybe it would be a better approach?

_‘want to try your idea?’_ Seulgi said as Yoohyeon paused. It took a second before she realized what she was talking about and nodded.

_‘what do I need to do?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Seulgi walked over to her. It didn’t take long for the two to feel the connection being created.

Seulgi watched as Yoohyeon walked over to the tuft of fur, and as she sniffed the air, a dark shimmer appeared in front of Yoohyeon. It was a visualization of what Yoohyeon saw, and she couldn’t believe it. Even the tracks were more visible because it held the dark shimmer of the girl's essence in it.

_‘well… that’s interesting…’_ Yoohyeon said. Seulgi had shared what she saw, and the others couldn’t believe what they saw. It was amazing.

_‘Well… let's get moving then…’_ Yoohyeon said as Irene rubbed against Seulgi. She was so proud of her. It was going to be in interesting night. They needed to move quickly, though, if they wanted to catch Taehyung before it was too late.

Yoohyeon just prayed that Minji was alright. She didn’t like that she went after Handong alone. Yoohyeon’s separation anxiety was flaring up. She just prayed that Minji was ok as she looked down the trail ahead of her.

_‘well… better keep moving...’_ Yoohyeon thought to herself as she ran down the path with Seulgi Gahyeon and Irene.


	70. Chapter 70

-The Search-

Seulgi looked down the trail. The dark shimmer of the girl's trail was intriguing. Seulgi liked tracking things though she didn’t like killing things. It was more like a game to her, but right now, she knew that her animal friends were in danger.

As she charged forward, she followed the trail. As she feared, she found herself coming across a dry riverbed. The humans had redirected the water years ago to suit their needs leaving the dry remnants behind.

The hard earth made it almost impossible for tracking with regular means, but Seulgi could see them clearly with her ability. She could even see that the girl struggled to climb the riverbank. The smears of the girl's essence told her that she was struggling, but for some reason, the girl was hesitant to shift.

Seulgi couldn’t help but think that she was carrying something on her, and that was the reason. Otherwise, why would she run in her human form? She would tire more in her human form. She must be feeling exhausted right now.

Seulgi didn’t have an issue scaling the dry riverbed due to her large size but quickly shifted into her human form as she helped the wolves up the incline. Never once dropping her ability. She didn’t want to lose it.

Once everyone was up the hill, Seulgi shifted again and looked down the trail. She could tell that the girl tried to lose them by doubling back on her tracks, but she couldn’t fool Seulgi. Where the girl had walked twice had a thicker layer of the girl's essence, making it simple to follow.

It was like a fingerprint. Everything she touched would leave a trail behind. It was a mix of energy scent and many things that made up that person, so to be able to track that made her packs job much easier. You might be able to cover your scent, but you can’t get rid of your essence if you are still breathing.

As Seulgi followed the correct path, she realized that the girl's steps were becoming sloppier. She was getting exhausted, and Seulgi didn’t even know if they were close to where the girl was running or not.

Their goal was to follow her back to their hideout, but if she collapsed before then, it would make the situation much more difficult.

_‘is she tiring?’_ Irene asked as Seulgi nodded.

_‘her tracks are getting sloppier. If she collapses before we follow her back, then this was pointless…’_ Yoohyeon said as she ran beside Seulgi.

_‘not pointless. We will be closer to finding this place. This area alone is probably a hint. And we can't forget the animals and people that are in danger with this drug.’_ Gahyeon said as everyone nodded.

_‘I hope your friends are ok…’_ Irene said as she watched Seulgi’s expression darken. It was like Irene knew exactly what she was thinking.

_‘me too…’_ Seulgi said as she ran.

They decided to slow their pace. The girl's tracks were getting worse, and Seulgi could see handprints on the trees as the girl struggled to move along.

_‘you have to give this girl some credit. She was running in her human form and managed to get this far ahead of us. Yes, we stopped to help Matthew, but this is still a huge accomplishment for someone in human form.’_ Yoohyeon said as everyone else nodded. It was rather impressive.

Seulgi paused and scrunched her nose. The girl had run until she became sick and had emptied her stomach beside the trail. Seulgi was sure that the girl was going to collapse any minute at this rate.

_‘not good…’_ Seulgi said as she followed the prints. They told her that the girl was moving slower and was staggering slightly. Many handprints were on the trees beside the trail. She was obviously extremely weak at the moment.

_‘will she even make it there alive?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Seulgi shrugged a bear shrug while running. She had no idea, but it wasn’t looking good.

They burst through the treelike into a small clearing. In front of them, they could see the girl. She was staggering and ran up to what looked like a rock wall that had a random metal door on it. She quickly pulled something from her pocket and touched it to the tiny panel on the wall as everyone watched as the door opened.

It looked like some kind of old military base they wanted to charge forward, but they knew that they would never reach the door before it closed. They didn’t want to alert the people inside that they were found either.

_‘we found it…’_ Yoohyeon said with a sigh of relief.

_‘but what do we do now?’_ Irene asked as Yoohyeon shrugged.

_‘Why didn’t we find Taehyung, though?’_ Gahyeon asked as she looked around. But to her surprise, she spotted the wolf crouched down in the bushes close to the door. He had managed to track the girl all the way here, and it looked like he was waiting for something.

_‘there!’_ Gahyeon said as she pointed with her nose. It really did look like he was waiting for something, and soon, they saw the door open.

A man walked out with a gun in his arms as he looked around. He was making sure that the coast was clear. Taehyung’s dark fur helped him blend in as he hunkered down.

Seulgi could see that Taehyung was debating on sneaking into the door while the man's back was turned. His muscles tensed as he debated it, but when he went to move, the man turned as he spat on the ground and strode back into the hideout proudly.

Taehyung missed his chance, but that was a good thing for the girls. He could have gotten himself killed trying to charge into someone else's hideout without being prepared.

The girls were screaming in their heads for him not to do it and were relieved that he missed the chance. Matthew would be furious if he found out what his mate almost did.

The girls quietly stalked closer and surprised the hidden wolf. He was shocked that they managed to follow him, but their judging look told him they saw him almost enter their base.

_‘I know I wasn’t thinking it through, but I didn’t do it. Please don’t tell Matthew. He really worries…’_ Taehyung said as their expressions darkened.

_‘you almost lost Matthew. The wolves of that ambush all targeted him. Somin and Jiwoo fought fiercely, but if it wasn’t for Gahyeon, he wouldn’t have made it. You might want to head back. He seemed rather weak…’_ Yoohyeon said as Taehyung’s eyes went wide.

_‘What?’_ he asked as Gahyeon nodded.

_‘it looked like everyone focused on him. Somin and Jiwoo are trying to bring him back to Siyeon by themselves, so I think they might need your help.’_ Yoohyeon said as Gahyeon nodded.

_‘he is probably extremely worried about you.’_ Irene said as Taehyung stood. He needed to know that Matthew was alright.

Quickly Taehyung turned around and ran back towards the warehouse. Yoohyeon and the others watched him, and now they had to decide what to do. Yoohyeon tested her connection with Siyeon. It was an extremely long distance, but luckily, she was able to reach her. It really showed how strong they were getting.

_‘Yoohyeon? Is everything alright?’_ Siyeon asked. Yoohyeon filled her in on the situation as Siyeon paused. She was trying to think of a plan.

_‘hmm… there is no way to get in there at the moment. But we need to know how many are in there or if they have a regular time that they come or go…’_ Siyeon said and went silent. Dami was speaking to her, and soon she started talking again.

_‘Yoohyeon, Dami says you have been practicing to remain unseen with your shadows, right?’_ Siyeon asked as Yoohyeon smiled a wolfish grin. She knew what they were wanting.

_‘you want me to watch them and see what I learn?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Siyeon smiled.

_‘yes. You and Seulgi can take shifts. She too seems to be hard to track, so I think it would be a good thing for the two of you to trade off once one of you feels sleepy or tired.’_ Siyeon said as the two girls smiled at each other. They liked this idea. They just found this place, after all.

_‘so, what about Irene and I?’_ Gahyeon asked as Siyeon thought carefully.

_‘do you think the two of you can find your way back safely?’_ Siyeon asked, but the two hesitated before answering.

_‘I will take them.’_ Seulgi said as Siyeon smiled.

‘that means I take the first watch. Seulgi, when you return, bring some food with you. I'm STARVING!’ Yoohyeon said as everyone laughed.

Seulgi led them back to the warehouse when Gahyeon remembered the conversation that Seulgi overheard.

“a keycard!” Gahyeon shouted as she smacked her forehead and ran to the truck that was now empty. They searched the truck and were about to give up when Siyeon smacked the seat in anger. The seat shifted forward. It was meant to so that the person in the back could get in, but when the seat moved forward, an old looking card became visible.

The card was in an indention in the floorboard so you couldn’t see it if you just peeked underneath. You had to actually move the seat to see it.

Siyeon reached forward and picked up the old looking card. On it was the picture of a man in a military uniform. This definitely didn’t belong to any of these young wolves. It was the picture of an older human.

“What is this?” Siyeon asked as she held it up for the others to see.

“isn’t that a military id badge?” Dami asked as Siyeon nodded.

“wait, is this the keycard that they were talking about?” Gahyeon asked as Dami held the card in her hands and closed her eyes.

“There is something inside it. It’s some type of metal. This is indeed a keycard… but how did they get ahold of it or even know that place existed?” Dami asked as she handed the card to her alpha.

“I don’t know, but we now have a way to get inside as long as they didn’t deactivate the card. We can go in and raid the place. We don’t want to wait for them to make another attempt. Hopefully, everyone is still inside that building. We will wait for Minji and Handong and then make a move.” Siyeon said as someone stepped out of the forest nearby.

“what about waiting for us?” Minji asked as she looked around. She quickly realized that Yoohyeon wasn’t there and started to worry.

“what’s going on, and where is Yoohyeon?” Minji asked as she looked at Siyeon.

“she is watching the hideout of the people that caused this. What took so long?” Siyeon asked as the two vampires looked at Bora. She was playing with some of the kids nearby but stopped when she felt their eyes on her.

“what's wrong?” Bora asked as she slowly stood up and walked over.

“well, the scent that I recognized was someone we three knew…” Handong said as Minji nodded and rolled her eyes.

“who?” Bora asked as Minji grinned. She was excited to see Bora’s reaction to this.

“your weird cousin, the girl that would always make cat noises. It seems like she is in town with friends. We ran into her, and it seems that she too was curious about why the animals were getting sick and dying.” Handong said as Bora groaned.

Siyeon looked between the three in confusion. She didn’t know who they were talking about, but it obviously was someone that seriously annoyed Bora. Her mate rolled her eyes after muttering and walked over to snuggle into Siyeon’s bare side.

“I'm never going to hear the end of this. I used to tease her because she acted like a cat, and now I turn into a giant one…” Bora said as Siyeon laughed.

“is she that bad of a person?” Siyeon asked as Bora shook her head.

“she’s not a bad person. She's just a bit weird. She is kind of ignored by our family because she is a bit eccentric. But she might have been right all along. She could have felt her feline side before anyone else could. I will never hear the end of this…” Bora said as Siyeon laughed. This might be an interesting sight.

“Did she have any information that was useful?” Dami asked as Minji nodded.

“she said that someone approached her and her friends about some type of drug and said that it would be available for purchase tomorrow. That means we need to stop them tonight.” Minji said as everyone looked to Siyeon.

_‘Yoohyeon, has anyone come or left that place?’_ Siyeon asked as Yoohyeon responded. No one had come or gone since they had left.

_‘well, it looks like we will be coming to you. Handong and Minji just came back with some new information.’_ Siyeon said, but as soon as she said Minji’s name, she felt Yoohyeon’s mood brighten.

_‘Minji’s back? Is everything alright?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Siyeon giggled.

_‘yes, she's fine. We will be heading your way soon.’_ Siyeon said as Yoohyeon relaxed a bit.

“What happened to Matthew?” Minji asked as she looked over to him. He was being babied by all three of his packmates. He looked rather dazed but wouldn’t let go of Taehyung.

“he got attacked in the woods. Gahyeon had to heal him, but he is still rather weak.” Siyeon said as Minji nodded. That explained why his packmates wouldn’t leave him alone.

“So, when are we leaving?” Handong asked as she looked at Siyeon.

“as soon as we get Matthew and the others to safety,” Siyeon said as Wonho stepped out of the warehouse.

“we will split up. Hyunwoo will stay here, and I will go with you. We don’t like leaving you to go in there by yourself, and Matthew isn’t in any condition to be moved right now.” Wonho said as Siyeon nodded.

“I wish Elkie was coming with us. Her ability to clear some space might be useful…” Handong said as Siyeon smirked.

“admit it. You just want her close.” Siyeon said as Handong nodded with a cute pout.

“I do…” Handong said as Siyeon laughed. She loved it when Handong acted cutely.

“Please be careful… your father would kill me if he found out you got hurt.” Her uncle said as Siyeon nodded.

“we will come back here and tell you how it went,” Siyeon said as he nodded with a smile.

“I will also call your father and let him know how things are going,” Jinyoung said as he pulled out his cell phone.

“between Hyunwoo and us, we should be able to hold everything down until he gets here. He will remove the last of the drugs if you can just mark where to break down the walls?” Jinyoung asked as he handed Dami a red marker.

It didn’t take long with Dami’s ability, and soon, they were ready to leave. Siyeon could see the worried expression on Jinyoung’s face and smiled.

“don’t worry. We have dealt with things like this before, remember? There won't be as many as last time, I'm sure. So, no worries.” Siyeon said, but Jinyoung hesitated before saying something.

“Just remember you almost lost Gahyeon before. Please be careful…” Jinyoung whispered as he leaned closer.

It was a bit of a reality check for Siyeon. She was confident in their abilities, and it was leading to a bit of cockiness, but Jinyoung’s comment brought her back to reality very quickly. The loss of Gahyeon hit everyone hard. It fit wasn’t for Solar and Sol, they would have truly lost her.

Siyeon nodded as she became more serious. She didn’t want to let her cockiness lead to the death of one of her packmates.

“ok, I will. Guard them well. There may be more people out there…” Siyeon said as Jinyoung nodded and patted her shoulder.

“let's go!” Siyeon shouted as she shifted and waited for her packmates.

_‘Seulgi? you lead, and we will follow right behind.’_ Siyeon said as they took off.

Seulgi took the lead as everyone followed right behind her. She knew the way this time and didn’t need to follow the essence except for at a few places.

Their pace was fast as they raced through the forest. Siyeon remembered that this area used to be a very beautiful place until the humans rerouted the river for some silly reason, and now she couldn’t help but think that their true reason for moving the flow of water was due to this base.

Siyeon was watching closely when they arrived at the base. It looked older, and she was sure that there was another entrance. This was more like a back entrance. There was no path for that truck to take or for the barrels to be brought in. This might actually be the perfect place to enter.

Yoohyeon trotted up when she spotted them and filled them in on everything. Someone had come out to check the area but didn’t do a very thorough job. It had lasted less than five minutes, and then he went back inside.

_‘so, no other people came or went?’_ Siyeon asked as Yoohyeon shook her head. They had all shifted into their human forms to take up less space. Yoohyeon was glued to Minji’s side as she let out a soft whimper. She was so worried that something would happen to Minji.

_‘That makes this a bit easier. Irene? You still have the keycard?’_ Siyeon asked as a very pale looking Irene came forward.

_‘yes… it's right here. And let me say riding a tiger isn’t the best thing for my motion sickness…’_ Irene said as Handong snorted.

_‘Sorry, but I didn’t want to risk the keycard becoming damaged if we held it in our mouths while running. You ok?’_ Siyeon asked as Irene dry-heaved a bit.

_‘yes, I will be fine in a couple minutes…’_ Irene said as she walked over to Seulgi and fell into her arms with a happy sigh.

It was about to be an all-out fight. Siyeon had ended up showing Jinyoung the way to the place, and her father had arrived at the warehouse. After the shock of seeing his friend after a long time, he told Siyeon that he had the rest of the drugs being hauled out at the moment, and as soon as he was done, he would send Jinyoung and his pack to help.

It was good to know that help was on the way, but she didn’t forget what Jinyoung had said earlier. They were going to be extremely cautious. They didn’t want to lose anyone this time.

_‘Dami? What do you feel with your powers?’_ Siyeon asked as Dami closed her eyes and mapped the area with her ability.

_‘there are at least three levels. It seems like it had holding cells or something. I can feel metal bars. Is this the place they took my father to?’_ Dami wondered as Siyeon tensed. If this was the place, then it was now abandoned by the government, and hopefully, there would be some information left somewhere.

_‘well, this just became even more important. We have to be careful not to damage the place, ok?’_ Siyeon said as everyone nodded.

Siyeon stared at the old door nervously. She didn’t like heading into a dangerous place blind, but luckily, Dami shared the map that she was able to create, so it wasn’t like they were going in completely blind, but it still made them feel uneasy.

Siyeon’s nerves were getting the better of her. All the images of Gahyeon lying dead in that field were flashing in front of her. Bora instantly knew what was wrong and wrapped her arms around her mate.

_‘Siyeon, everything is going to be fine. We just have to trust each other and watch each other's backs. We will be fine. Gahyeon can heal now too. No need to worry. Deep breaths…’_ Bora said as they breathed together.

_‘I think we all are restless… Chungha has just healed, so I'm nervous, but I know we can do this. It can’t be as bad as when we went against Jackson. This place is not even a third of the size of that warehouse. How many people can really be inside?’_ Sunmi said as she held Chungha.

_‘I know. But remember. No lightning or fire. We can’t damage any of the things inside just in case there are any clues to Dami and Yoohyeon’s parents.’_ Siyeon said as everyone nodded. Finally, Wonho stepped forward. His red eyes were shimmering in the dark light.

_‘We need to move before we lose the element of surprise. I will enter first. I'm used to fighting in tight spaces. But this entire place has narrow hallways and tight spaces. Remember to be careful.’_ Wonho said as he pawed the ground excitedly. He had been unable to show them what he could do against Matthew’s brother due to that gas, but they couldn’t use that now without casing the entire place.

_‘alright, let's move… Dami? Can you cover us in your shadows until we get inside? I don’t like the thought of everyone being in the open.’_ Siyeon said as Dami drew on the shadows.

They snuck down to the door, and when they got close, a much less green looking Irene used the keycard on the panel beside the door.

Everyone was silent. Their breath held as they watched Irene swipe the keycard. If this wasn’t the card needed, then they would fail before even starting. But after what felt like an eternity, the card beeped, and the door opened.

_‘we move fast. Don’t let them call an alarm. These people need to be dealt with quickly. Ok?’_ Wonho said as everyone nodded.

Wonho silently charged silently down the hallway as everyone filed in. But what they didn’t know was that someone had been watching them for a while. Three girls came out of the trees and quickly snuck inside the door just before it closed.

_‘good work Jiwoo. We wouldn’t have been able to find this place without you.’_ A girl with intense eyes and long black hair said.

Jiwoo just nodded as they looked down the empty hallway. They were here on a rescue mission and had hoped Siyeon and the others could help, but they never found them no matter how desperately they searched. They hoped to ask for their help, but here they were helping these strangers unknowingly.

_‘let's go. I miss her already…’_ the other girl said. She had a very feline face with very pointed canines, and her red eyes glowed in the dark hallway. Whoever she was looking for, she obviously cared a lot for her.

The three snuck down the hallway as they followed the carnage that Siyeon and her pack left behind. They didn’t know where to go but hoped that they would be able to find it.


	71. Chapter 71

-An Odd Rescue-

The three girls ran down the hallway following Siyeon and her pack when Jiwoo turned to the girl with the long black hair and rested her hand on her arm.

“Hyejoo… don’t shift if possible. I don’t want to run into them and have them think you are with this pack… I don’t want you getting hurt too.” Jiwoo said as Hyejoo frowned. She didn’t like it when she wasn’t able to shift, but she didn’t want to start anything either.

“alright… let's go, though. We are being left behind.” Hyejoo said as she nodded at the third girl who sniffed the air cautiously. She was farther ahead of them and still moving.

“Hyunjin, wait for us!” Jiwoo whispered as she jogged up to her friend.

_‘you can just speak to me like this, you know. All I hear is you two whispering…’_ Hyunjin said as Jiwoo blushed. She wasn’t like the two and had difficulty with speaking mind to mind, so she would usually forget and switch to speaking aloud on occasion.

Hyejoo realized the switch and had worried that Jiwoo was struggling with it and spoke too, Leaving Hyunjin to sigh. She much preferred speaking mentally than verbally. But people that couldn’t do so thought that she was weird and barely spoke at all.

_‘sorry…’_ Jiwoo said as Hyunjin shook her head.

_‘it's not your fault. You are just now getting used to it. Let's get going. I smell something odd…’_ Hyunjin said as she trotted down the hallway. She quickly shifted into her cat form.

Hyunjin was from the same Kim family as Bora. Her form was also a black leopard, but she was much smaller than Bora’s. If you compared her to an actual black leopard, she was very large, but she wasn’t anywhere near Bora’s size, which she found amusing when she spotted her transformed earlier.

The three ran down the hall when they suddenly heard fighting. It had seemed that Siyeon’s pack had finally found a large group of the enemy. The three exchanged a look and rushed down the hall.

When they entered the room, they watched as a very large wolf that looked muscular like a pitbull shredded through wolves in the room. He could spin around rapidly, and he also had powerful jaws. If he got them around a wolf, you would hear bones crunching.

His red eyes blazes as he spun and would even use his size to knock his opponent over and end it with a powerful bite.

Siyeon and the others were fighting as well, but Hyejoo noticed a shifty-looking wolf sneaking along the back wall towards them.

She had thought that the wolf wanted to escape, but his target was actually the girl that smelled like mint and tingled her nose. Hyejoo watched the wolf get closer, and when he went to attack, she reacted before she could think this through.

The wolf launched at Gahyeon when Hyejoo shouted a warning. Siyeon looked back and suddenly panicked as she saw a girl with long black hair shift as she launched herself at Gahyeon. Siyeon quickly spun around to try to save her sister, but the girl that quickly shifted snatched a wolf out of the air. It was clearly going for Gahyeon, and this girl had just stopped him.

When Hyejoo landed, she went for the wolf's throat and bit down as she shook her head side to side violently. The wolf went still once she was finished, but she felt like an idiot.

Hyejoo was mentally kicking herself. She could have just shoved the girl out of the way, but she automatically shifted as Jiwoo warned her not to. This stupid mistake might have put not only her in a dangerous position, but her friends as well.

Now they were in an awkward situation. Or so she thought. A door near her opened as more wolves charged into the fight. Without a second thought, Hyejoo spun around on them and started shredding through them one at a time. She might have been on the small side for a wolf, but her fighting skills were exceptional.

Siyeon quickly realized that this wolf and her friends weren’t with the others and focused on her enemy for the moment. That didn’t mean that she would let her guard down, though. She continued to glance at the three periodically.

Hyejoo was starting to get overwhelmed when Hyunjin launched into the fight with a roar. Her smaller size made her more agile as she slashed and spun around, helping Hyejoo fend off the enemy.

_‘there are so many! How did they cram so many wolves in such a tiny base?’_ Hyejoo said in frustration as Hyunjin latched her jaws around some poor wolf and bit down powerfully. Hyejoo winced at the crunching sound but continued to fight.

_‘no idea, but we need to make sure that we don’t let them get near Chuu. I don’t know about you, but I'm not looking forward to facing Sooyoung if she gets hurt…’_ Hyunjin said as Hyejoo nodded. Jiwoo’s girlfriend was rather intimidating at times.

_‘How could they have seriously believed that this pack of mutts was really part of the government? Why did they just go with them?’_ Hyejoo said as both Jiwoo and Hyunjin sighed.

_‘they didn’t go along with them easily. They used some kind of gas. It didn’t affect me, but the others couldn’t move, and when they threatened to hurt me, the others went along willingly… this is all my fault…’_ Jiwoo said as her friends shook their heads.

_‘it's not your fault. You are worth protecting. And I don’t mean that you are important because you are some rare being or something. You are our friend, so of course they would want to protect you. We are just lucky they thought you were a human…’_ Hyejoo said as Jiwoo sighed by the door. She didn’t even know what she was, but her friends never saw her as anything but Jiwoo, their friend.

They even let themselves be taken by what they thought were government officials just to keep her safe. It didn’t sit well with her. She had heard horror stories of wolves and other beings being taken by the government. Some came back acting like they were brainwashed, and others never returned at all…

The fight was looking serious when suddenly Siyeon and the others jumped back, leaving a vampire standing in the center of the room. She looked like a cougar, but what was weird was the frost crystals gathering on her fur.

The temperature in the room dropped drastically, and when the enemy launched at her, they quickly learned not to touch her.

A wolf lunged in and latched onto her shoulder only to launch back, screaming in terror and pain as they slowly started to freeze. The cries stopped as his head froze solid, but the ice continued to travel down him until he was completely frozen. He was forever frozen in a terrified position.

The other wolves looked at their frozen packmate in panic before looking back at the girl. She let out a low growl as she stalked forward. As she approached, the enemy tried to flee, but It was too late because their path of escape had been blocked completely with Chungha’s ice wall.

Irene launched into the now panicked pack of wolves and let herself go feral. She slashed pounced and crunched through the wolves like they were nothing. She was wanting to test her ability but didn’t want to do it where her packmates could get hurt, and this was the perfect place to try.

It was rather impressive, and she was slowly destroying the enemies before her. The frost was also slowly creeping along the floor, showing a wide and dangerous circle around the vampire. The wolves were hesitant to enter that circle and tried to avoid the large feline as they looked for an escape route.

Jiwoo Hyejoo and Hyunjin watched the interesting show as wolves tried to flee from the cougar only to be pounced and shattered like ice. The three exchanged worried looks. They hoped that they would never have to experience that ability themselves.

Three wolves broke free and charged at the exit. The issue was that Jiwoo was standing in the doorway. Automatically Hyejoo jumped in front of her friend defensively and let out a low growl as Hyunjin stood beside her. Their black fur shined in the artificial light of the room, and their fangs shone brightly against the dark fur.

The three wolves didn’t stop, though, and when they lunged at her friends, Jiwoo cried out for them to stop. The wolves stumbled as their feet didn’t want to move, but their speed didn’t change. It caused them to tumble forward, and the two made quick work of them.

Siyeon and her pack watched the three. She had decided to observe the three, and what just happened was interesting…

The three wolves reacted immediately to the girl's cry, and their legs seemed to go weak at her command to stop, but she didn’t look like a wolf or any other being she could think of, and it seemed her friends felt she needed protecting. Whoever the three were, it was an interesting situation.

Siyeon went to look at Bora to see what she thought. After all, there was another black leopard in the room, but she found Bora crouching down, trying to make herself as little as possible.

_‘Bora, what are you doing?’_ Siyeon asked as Bora winced.

_‘that other vampire is my cousin Hyunjin that Minji mentioned earlier… I don’t want to hear an ‘I told you so’ from her…’_ Bora said as Siyeon snorted at her mate. It was cute to see her like this.

_‘but isn’t it interesting that she can shift into her cat form? Does that mean that she has a chosen in her pack too?’_ Dami asked, but Bora shook her head.

_‘Hyunjin is one of the strongest in our family. She showed signs that she could tap into her cat side even as a child, but everyone just thought that she was crazy or weird. She would walk around making cat noises and would hang around the stray cats in the area…’_ Bora said as she hid from her cousin.

_‘so she is incredibly strong for a vampire?’_ Gahyeon asked as she watched the three girls.

_‘yes. But because she seemed so weird that her parents cut her off from the family fortune and she left them. I haven’t seen her since we were young.’_ Bora said as Minji nodded.

_‘she came to us after her family kicked her out and asked us to teach her what she needed to make a living. She was determined not to rely on her family and even refused the money I offered for her to live on her own.’_ Minji said as Siyeon watched the girl.

What interested Siyeon most was the wolf that was with Bora’s cousin. She was small, and it seemed that she had not become an adult wolf yet, but she fought like someone who was much older than her age. Her fur looked black, but when the light caught just the right way, it looked like a metallic silver. Her eyes matched her fur as well. They shined with a silver-grey glow.

The girl was obviously from another rare family like Siyeon and her sister or Elkie, and this intrigued her. Something was different about her, and the people that she surrounded herself with seemed intriguing too.

Siyeon switched her attention back to Irene and noticed that the girl seemed to be weakening. Her movements were slightly slower, and the ice that came from a bite or claw mark was happening slower than before. Even the ring of frost around her was shrinking, and it didn’t go unnoticed by the enemy too.

Siyeon stood and was about to go in to help when Seulgi stopped her. She was immune to Irene’s ability, but everyone else wasn’t. Quickly the bear charged in and helped her mate.

Nothing was more intimidating than a charging bear roaring at you before crashing into you, so when the wolves saw Seulgi moving towards them, they too tried to bolt only to be finished off by Hyejoo and Hyunjin.

The last remaining wolves were finished off, and Siyeon finally stood and walked over to the three that now looked extremely nervous. Hyejoo’s ears drooped slightly as her tail dropped as well. She could feel Siyeon’s alpha aura even though she wasn’t trying to. Her aura was now so strong that others could feel it without her trying.

Siyeon stopped a bit away from the three as Dami and Yoohyeon stood at her sides. The two looked intimidating as well, and it wasn’t helping Hyejoo stand confidently.

_‘How did you get in here?’_ Siyeon asked as Hyejoo flinched. She didn’t know what to say.

“We followed you inside. Bora, I know you are over there…” Hyunjin said as she shifted and stood in front of Hyejoo and tried to change the subject. She knew her friend was having an issue with Siyeon’s aura and blocked her from view allowing the wolf to relax slightly.

Bora flinched and walked forward. She was shorter than Hyunjin in human form, but her cat form was much larger than Hyunjin’s. Hyunjin didn’t seem bothered by it, though. Instead, she smiled as she looked at the large black leopard before her.

_‘Why did you follow us?’_ Gahyeon asked as she stepped forward and let calming waves wash over Hyejoo and the others.

_‘we were looking for you in town but never found you. We wanted to ask you to help us, but Jiwoo finally spotted you and managed to follow you here…’_ Hyejoo said from behind her friend.

_‘What did you need our help with?’_ Siyeon asked as Hyunjin’s expression changed. Her tail and ears were out, and she was clearly annoyed by whatever she was about to say. Her ears went back in annoyance as her tail swished side to side.

_‘my friends were taken by these idiots. They were gassed and taken here. The pack here must have found uniforms and badges still in the building and acted like they were part of the government, and when we finally caught their trail, we found ourselves here… there are rumors of people capturing our kind and selling them like pets to rich humans. We are worried that this pack of idiots has the same idea…’_ Hyunjin said as everyone looked at each other. They had experienced that gas before.

_‘Are you sure that they are here?’_ Siyeon asked as the three nodded.

_‘what did you do to those wolves?’_ Yoohyeon asked Jiwoo, who flinched at the two-toned eyes staring at her.

Yoohyeon realized that she was worried and shifted back as she smiled and apologized. That seemed to help, and Jiwoo finally spoke.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know what I am. Sooyoung says I might be a weird version of what she is, but I'm not sure…” Jiwoo said as Irene stepped forward.

‘Sooyoung?’ Irene asked as Jiwoo nodded.

“her girlfriend is Ha Sooyoung. She can draw both males and females to her, and Jiwoo seems to be similar, but her power seems to be cuteness. People just automatically want to protect her.” Hyunjin said as Siyeon looked at the girl carefully.

“is she a succubus?” Sunmi asked, but the three shook their heads.

“no. She's similar, though. She gains energy from people paying attention to her, but she doesn’t have to physically do anything to them.” Hyejoo said as she hid behind Hyunjin.

“she’s basically like those girls that are the center of attention even if they don’t try to be. She draws power from it while Chuu is the same way. She's so bubbly and cute that people are naturally drawn to her.” Hyunjin said as Siyeon stepped forward and tried to look around Hyunjin to see Hyejoo.

Hyunjin didn’t move or even flinch at the closeness. Siyeon was so close to Hyunjin that she could feel her breath on her face but didn’t even blink, but Hyejoo flinched back. Siyeon snorted as she looked at the wolf behind Hyunjin.

“I'm not going to hurt you or anything. Why are you so afraid of me?” Siyeon asked now in her human form. Hyejoo finally looked up to see Siyeon looking at her with a confused smile.

“I'm sorry… she's not usually like this. Usually, she seems cold and quiet, but your alpha aura is really strong to a young wolf. She can't help but react to it.” Hyunjin said as she looked Siyeon in the eyes. She did seem a bit weird. It was like she wasn’t afraid of anything as she stared calmly at Siyeon.

“We don’t just attack people though it probably looks like it right now. These people are planning on poisoning people for profit. They even tested it on the animals around here and killed so many. I don’t know about the others, but I don’t mind helping you rescue your friends. But can you help us as well?” Siyeon asked as Jiwoo and Hyejoo looked up in shock.

“what do you need help with?” Hyunjin asked suspiciously.

“We just need to make sure we destroy the drug and try not to damage this place. There might be information that we can use.” Siyeon said as Hyejoo peeked around Hyunjin.

“like in old files or documents?” Hyejoo asked as Siyeon nodded.

“I don’t know what this place is, but Yoohyeon and Dami’s parents went missing years ago with the rumor of some government agents involved,” Siyeon said as she looked around the room. There wasn’t much to this room. It looked like the wolves had been using it as a common room, and there was nothing that could be useful, but she hoped that it would be different the deeper they went.

“if you are stopping the animals from dying, then I will help you. Hyejoo? Jiwoo?” Hyunjin asked as her friends nodded. They knew that Hyunjin had a soft spot for the wild animals of the area though she would often bring dead birds to her girlfriend, leading to a lot of screaming and sulking.

“then let's get going. We don’t want everyone to escape…” Dami said as everyone ran up to the frozen path. Chungha removed her ice wall, and soon they all were running down the hallway.

Wonho was in the lead as he drew the wolves' attention as the others finished them off. Hyejoo and Hyunjin stayed at the back to protect Jiwoo, and soon they were getting deeper into the facility.

There had been several small fights, but they were nothing like the first fight. Dami finally stopped everyone by a thick door. According to her ability, this led deeper down into the facility, and luckily the door was unlocked.

_‘there might be more wolves on this level. Be prepared…’_ Dami said as they quickly and silently ran down the twisting stairs to the next level.

The next level seemed to be where there used to be offices. This was where there might be clues, but there were also wolves all throughout the floor.

Several more fights started, but they were able to take them out before they could alert the others. It was getting narrower as they went forward, and there were more wolves that they encountered. Finally, though, they managed to find the stairs to the last floor. This was the floor that Dami thought she felt cages in. If Dami was correct, then they would probably find the three girls' friends somewhere below them.

Once they entered the stairs, they heard a woman shouting. The sounds echoed throughout the stairwell as they ran down them. She seemed enraged about something, and the three girls tensed at the sound. Siyeon turned around and asked them what was wrong, but judging from Jiwoo’s pale complexion, it must be Sooyoung.

_‘that’s Jiwoo’s girlfriend… I think we need to hurry. I have never heard her this mad before…’_ Hyejoo said as she slipped past Siyeon and ran into the room. Hyunjin quickly followed her as they charged down the hallway and into the room.

Siyeon swore as she ran in after them, but oddly there wasn’t anyone there. The sound was coming from a hallway to the right, and they could hear the swearing much clearer now.

“if you touch a hair on her head, I swear I will fucking kill you!” Sooyoung screamed as she rattled the bars of the cage. Jiwoo grabbed Gahyeon’s arm in panic as she heard her girlfriend screaming, but before anyone could do anything, they heard the girl that they followed laugh.

“oh, really? And how will you be able to do that? You are in a cage that is even demon proof. Do you think you can get to me? Your little girlfriend will be my toy until I'm done with her! you can’t even do anything about it because you haven’t even made her yours yet… too afraid? Well, I won't be. And when I'm done with her, I'm sure my pack will enjoy playing with her too…” the girl said as Sooyoung screamed and lunged at the bars.

Siyeon could hear the bars rattle, and the girl laughed more. She seemed to enjoy torturing Jiwoo’s girlfriend, and that didn’t sit well with anyone. But this time, Jiwoo charged in without thinking.

“oh, really? What would you do with me again?” Jiwoo asked as she smiled. Her tone was even and cute. It was slightly scary because Siyeon and the others could feel the rage radiating off of her, yet this wolf was completely oblivious of it.

“Jiwoo? Jiwoo! Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” Sooyoung asked as she looked through the bars, but Jiwoo didn’t look at her. It would break her concentration if she saw her right now.

“Oh… so this is the girl? What is she? An idiot? Who else would sneak into a den of wolves?” the girl said with a laugh as Jiwoo laughed cutely.

Without knowing it, the girl smiled at Jiwoo and let her guard down as she stepped closer. She was looking Jiwoo up and down very slowly as Sooyoung roared in rage.

What the girl didn’t know was that Jiwoo had her complete attention as Hyejoo and Hyunjin snuck in the shadows to cut off her exit.

When the girls snuck into the room, though, there was stirring in several other cages. How many people were trapped here? Siyeon wasn’t sure, but she would soon find out.

“you are not my type. Sorry!” Jiwoo said cheerfully as the girl looked at her in shock. She didn’t know why, but that comment devastated her.

“why? What's wrong with me?” the girl asked as she stepped closer to Jiwoo.

Jiwoo stepped closer and leaned in to whisper into the girl's ear. She was so curious that she leaned in to hear whatever Jiwoo would say but instead leaned back in shock.

“what?” she asked as Sooyoung smirked. Whatever Jiwoo said, she had clearly heard it.

“I said I wouldn’t want a crazy woman. You can’t even compare to my Sooyoung.” Jiwoo said with a smile.

“you crazy bitch!” the girl shouted as she brought her arm back to slap Jiwoo, but as soon as her arm came back to strike Jiwoo, Hyejoo latched onto it and shook it fiercely.

The girl went to scream, but Hyunjin was there with her jaws clamped around her neck, cutting off her cry for help. The girl clawed at Hyunjin’s sides helplessly, but it was too late. The girl was finally still, and they quickly checked her pockets for a way to open the cages but found nothing.

Jiwoo couldn’t hold out any longer, though, and finally looked at Sooyoung as tears welled up in her eyes. Sooyoung looked so relieved to see her and held her arms out through the bars as Jiwoo ran to her. The two sobbed as they held each other. Sooyoung was checking Jiwoo for injuries as she giggled.

“I'm alright. I promise! We will find a way to get you out of this cage. Ok?” Jiwoo said as she smiled happily at her girlfriend.

Sooyoung gently wiped the tears from Jiwoo’s eyes with a gentle smile when their attention was pulled away by a voice coming from another cage in the room.

“the guy with the key is down the hall!” someone else whispered. Hyunjin jumped at the voice and ran over to the cage in excitement.

“Hyunjin!” the girl shouted as the vampire purred loudly and rubbed against the cage repeatedly.

“I haven’t seen you in forever… can’t you show me your beautiful face?” the girl whined as she leaned her face against the bars.

Hyunjin shifted out of her cat form and wrapped the girl in a hug through the bars. She was still purring, and the girl in her arms sighed in relief.

“I missed you…” she said as the two hugged through the bars. Hyunjin was like a kitten that finally saw their favorite person after a long time.

Her purrs could be heard throughout the room. Hyejoo didn’t look relieved like everyone else, though. The one she came here to find wasn’t in any of the cages in this room. Dami could see the girl's reaction and feel the worry and walked over to her.

“There are other rooms with cages. We will check them all. Don’t worry yet.” Dami said as she looked up with a hopeful expression.

“now… let's go get that key…” Siyeon said as her pack got into formation behind her. They still hadn’t found the drug, but her sense of smell was weakening. She was close. Whoever had the key was probably guarding the drugs. It was time to finish this and help these girls find the rest of their friends.


	72. Chapter 72

-An Explosive Idea-

Siyeon and her pack slowly stalked down the hallway, looking for whoever had the key when they entered a different section. According to Dami, there were four sections on this floor that held cages and one that would probably be a storage room.

They were heading into the room that the storage room was off of, and when they silently entered the door, they heard a girl scream. She screamed like she was terrified of something. Siyeon quickly reacted as she and the others ran into the room.

A man was standing there with a belt in his hand and would smack it into the bars of a cage, causing the girl inside so scream and flinch back. Every time he would do it and cause the blonde inside to scream, another girl would start swearing loudly.

It was like déjà vu. just like Sooyoung, this girl was swearing and trying to get through the cage beside her and get to the man scaring the other girl.

“When I get out of this cage, I will rip your eyes out!” she screamed as the man laughed.

“what’s a bird brain like you going to be able to do to me from inside that cage?” he asked as he laughed a crazy laugh.

“you won't be able to keep me in here forever…” the girl said in a low voice that was filled with rage.

“a bird belongs in a cage! You are right where you need to be. You will be my pet forever! There's no way I can give up such a feisty bird until I break you. No one would buy you otherwise. Behave like your friend here!” he shouted as he swung the belt again, striking the bars of the cage loudly.

The girls scream sent her friend into a rage as she grabbed the bars and shook them with all her might. They groaned loudly, and quickly he spun around and smashed her hands with the belt.

“now now! A bird should behave! No trying to escape!” he said as she jumped back and nursed her stinging hands.

“I will kill you…” she said as she glared at him just out of reach of his belt.

“you are all talk. You can't do anything to me!” he shouted when suddenly he heard a laugh coming from behind him. He quickly spun around to see Siyeon and her pack staring at him menacingly.

_‘she might not be able to do anything to you in there… but we can.’_ Siyeon said as she stalked forward. She could tell that the drugs must be in the storage room behind him because she could barely smell anything, and that meant he was the only thing in the way of their goal. He would have to go.

“Whoever you are, let me do the killing blow!” the girl shouted as she pressed her face to the bars. But he went to swing the belt at her face when Yoohyeon latched her jaws onto his wrist and bit down until she heard a satisfying crunch.

The man screamed in pain as he grasped his broken wrist and looked at her with a glare. But Yoohyeon was already back beside her alpha. Siyeon’s eyes blazed green as she stalked forward until she was so close that he could feel her breath on his face.

_‘you like torturing girls, do you? You must not be much of a man then. Have some issues downstairs, do we?’_ Siyeon asked as he looked at her in shock. He was used to dealing comments like this bit had never been the victim of them.

“excuse me? I am more of a man than you have ever been with!” he shouted as Siyeon scoffed.

_‘we don’t like men at all.’_ Siyeon said with a bored expression.

_‘yet we can tell you are not much of a man…’_ Dami said as he screamed in rage. It seemed that they had hit a sore spot with him.

He angrily went to strike Siyeon, but out of nowhere, a shriek came from one of the cages blasting him off of his feet.

Siyeon and the others looked over to see the girl who was swearing earlier. Her eyes reflected red as she stared at the man on the ground with such a look of rage.

“check his pockets for the key! It looks like a metal bar with grooves all over it and has a magnet on the end of it!” the girl said as Handong stepped forward and rummaged through his pockets until she found what the girl had mentioned.

“This?” Handong asked as the girl nodded excitedly.

Handong quickly ran over and inserted it into the lock and followed the girl's instructions. There was a specific way it had to be turned for the magnet to unlock the first pin and then moved the other way to finally open it.

After several tries, the door swung open, and the girl flew out of the cage and landed onto the man and did like she promised as he shrieked and tried to throw the enraged girl off of him. Finally, he remained still as she slowly stood and took the key from Handong with shaky fingers and walked over to the cage that held her friend.

Her hands were shaking so much that it was difficult to turn the key, but she refused help. She had promised to get her out of there and was going to keep her promise.

“Jinsoul, just wait a bit longer. I promised I wouldn’t leave you here…” she said as she finally opened the door, and the blonde inside flung her arms around the smaller girl.

“Jungeun!” she said as she held the smaller girl tightly as she shook. Both girls seemed quite rattled.

“Jungeun, are you alright? That was the first time you have ever killed someone…” Jinsoul asked as Jungeun hid her face and snuggled closer to Jinsoul. She could only shake her head as the blonde gently stroked her hair, trying to soothe her nerves.

“Jungeun?” Hyejoo asked as she looked into the room. She didn’t know that Jungeun had gone missing as well.

“Hyejoo? What are you doing here? It's dangerous!” Jungeun said as she peeked around Jinsoul.

“they took Heejin and Sooyoung. We went to come rescue them. When did you get taken?” Hyejoo asked as she looked from Jungeun to Jinsoul. There were rumors in their town that the two girls were together, and she guessed it was true as Jungeun snuggled into Jinsoul’s arms.

“I don’t even know how long we have been in here,” Jinsoul said slowly.

“I don’t remember hearing about Sooyoung’s disappearance, so maybe we were taken first…” Jungeun said as she looked at her friends.

“they were trying to gather rare creatures, so it's not surprising that they would take people like Sooyoung or us but why Heejin? She is just a human that has a bit of rare blood in her. She’s mainly human.” Jinsoul asked as Hyejoo just shrugged.

“wait… where is Chaewon? You never go anywhere without her…” Jungeun asked as Hyejoo’s expression darkened.

“I don’t know… she disappeared at the same time that Heejin and Sooyoung did, but I haven’t found her yet…” Hyejoo said as she fought back tears from her eyes.

“relax. There are two more rooms with cages. We have to check them as well. She might be there.” Dami said as Hyejoo nodded, but her mood didn’t get any better.

“let's get moving. We need to get into this storage room and torch everything. Then we will look into the next two rooms. This drug can kill people.” Siyeon said as Jungeun looked up in surprise.

“are you talking about that white powder?” Jungeun asked as Siyeon and the others nodded.

“They took three barrels full of the stuff the night before. I don’t know what they did with it, but they never came back with it and bragged about easy money…” Jinsoul said as Siyeon swore.

“let's get this done quickly before something happens…” Siyeon said as she opened the door and stared at a storage room full of the barrels of toxic powder.

“Yoohyeon? Care to torch this for us?” Siyeon asked, but when Yoohyeon walked forward, Jungeun shouted for her to stop.

“what?” Yoohyeon asked as Jungeun shook her head.

“that powder is a fine dust! We don’t know what it is made of, but fine dust can cause explosions when a fire is introduced. Even flour can become explosive with the right factors! That drug numbs the nose, doesn’t it?” Jungeun asked as Siyeon and the others nodded.

“that effect… how far away did you notice it?” Jungeun said as Siyeon thought to herself.

“We could smell it from the other room,” Siyeon said as they nodded.

“That means that this fine powder is in the air all the way to there. We risk blowing everyone up in these two rooms!” Jungeun said as she looked at Siyeon with a serious look.

“free the others and torch it as a last resort, but it's dangerous. It's not like you can teleport or freeze time!” Jungeun said as Minji and Yoohyeon exchanged glances. They had an idea.

“you two are seriously thinking what I think you are, aren’t you?” Siyeon asked as the two nodded. It was dangerous but not as dangerous as this drug being sold on the streets.

“you get everyone out of the cages and up to the next level. Once everyone is safely on the next level, Yoohyeon and I will set fire to the drug and meet you upstairs. Just keep the doorway free. We will be moving fast to get out of there safely.” Minji said as Siyeon nodded and quickly turned as everyone filed out of the room to help the other caged people.

“Sunmi? Chungha? Can you go upstairs and make sure that the way is clear? We don’t want to be cornered by more wolves when we need to escape.” Siyeon said as the two foxes nodded and trotted off towards the stairs.

“Bora? Go to your cousin and tell her and her friends the plan. We might need their help getting out of here, but I also want to make sure that they are safe and won't do anything that will put them in danger when the explosion happens.” Siyeon said as Bora sighed but quickly kissed Siyeon and ran off to find her cousin.

“How are you so confident that they can get out of here safely?” Jungeun asked as Siyeon smirked.

“because we are not quite normal,” Siyeon said with a smile as they ran out of the room, leaving Minji and Yoohyeon behind.

Siyeon walked out and watched as Handong unlocked the cages one at a time, and when it got to Heejin, Hyunjin stood there anxiously as her tail swished from side to side. She didn’t like waiting and wanted her in her arms right now.

Once the click of the lock was heard, Hyunjin shoved Handong out of the way and rushed inside the cage and wrapped her arms around Heejin.

“was she always this rude?” Handong asked as she looked at Bora, who just laughed.

“she only focuses on one thing at a time. Right now, she only sees Heejin, so don’t take it personally.” Bora said as Handong gave the feline a glare before walking over to Sooyoung’s cage.

Jiwoo was basically bouncing in excitement. She had missed Sooyoung so much that she couldn’t wait to hold her in her arms once more.

Unlike Hyunjin, once Handong opened the cage Jiwoo thanked her before carefully opening the door, but Sooyoung scooped her up into her arms and spun her around in excitement.

“God, I've missed you…” Sooyoung said in a deeper tone than usual as she held Jiwoo tightly. The younger girl couldn’t help but smile as she hugged her girlfriend back happily.

“don’t mean to interrupt your moment, but we need to move quickly and clear out the cages in the next two rooms and get everyone upstairs before this level blows up!” Bora said as Sooyoung looked at her in shock.

“blows up?” she asked as Jungeun and Jinsoul walked up.

“yes… these idiots plan to torch a possibly flammable powder that might explode and still think they can get out of here safely…” Jungeun said as Sooyoung stared at her in shock.

“Jungeun? What are you doing here?” Sooyoung asked as the shorter girl sighed and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

“the same reason you are here. I was captured with Jinsoul…” Jungeun said as Sooyoung looked at her clothes carefully.

“Are you bleeding anywhere? You are covered in blood…” Sooyoung asked as Jungeun quickly went quiet and looked down.

“she killed that guy with the key…” Jinsoul said as she hugged her girlfriend reassuringly.

“Oh… it was your first time, wasn’t it?” Sooyoung asked as Jungeun nodded.

“but your kind is known for knowledge and announcing death and disasters. I'm surprised it's your first time.” Sooyoung said as Jinsoul shook her head.

“she might warn of disasters, but her kind doesn’t cause them. This isn’t very easy for her…” Jinsoul said as Sooyoung nodded in understanding.

“let's get going. It looks like Hyejoo is going to faint if she doesn’t find Chaewon…” Heejin said as she looked at her friend as Hyunjin purred loudly in her arms.

“ugh! Hyunjin! No licking!” Heejin shouted as her friends rolled their eyes. Obviously, this was a normal argument between the two.

“where is Wonho?” Siyeon asked as she looked around to spot him hiding from Jungeun.

_‘what's wrong? Is she dangerous?’_ Siyeon asked as he met her eyes and shook his head.

_‘I have a trauma… I am now afraid of birds…_ ’ Wonho said as Siyeon remembered him mentioning something about it before.

_‘I doubt that she would hurt you.’_ Siyeon said as Wonho sighed.

_‘I know… can I go up with Chungha and Sunmi? I can help search through some of the documents or something…’_ Wonho asked as he looked up at her with an expression that made him look like a puppy.

Siyeon giggled and nodded. He didn’t wait for a second longer and bolted down the hallway and up the stairs.

_‘Sunmi? How is It going upstairs?’_ Siyeon asked as the fox looked around carefully.

_‘it seems that another shift of people has come in but its rather small. Chungha and I have encountered a handful here or there but nothing severe.’_ Sunmi said as Siyeon started to worry. Maybe it was a good thing that she sent Wonho up with them.

_‘Wonho is coming to help. That girl Jungeun seems to have triggered some trauma…’_ Siyeon said as she heard Sunmi’s laughter.

_‘I think I hear him coming. I will have him check the floor above us while we do a bit of searching.’_ Sunmi said as Siyeon nodded and went with the others into the next room.

Hyejoo seemed to wilt more and more. Chaewon wasn’t in this room, either. If she wasn’t in the last room, then the possibilities were not good.

Chaewon could have been sold already or killed or was just missing. Her mind was running wild with the worst possibilities, and it was getting harder to hold back her tears when Gahyeon gently rested a hand on her shoulder.

“breathe, or you will send yourself into a panic attack…” Gahyeon said softly as she looked at Hyejoo with a genuinely worried expression. She didn’t want Hyejoo to send herself into a panic attack and pass out.

“sorry…” Hyejoo said as she took some deep breaths, but it wasn’t easing her anxiety. Gahyeon frowned and let some calming energy wash over the younger girl. She knew that it was Gahyeon that did it and smiled gratefully.

“let's go look for your friend. They are almost done opening the cages in this room.” Gahyeon said as she held out her hand. Hyejoo hesitated for a second before slowly taking Gahyeon’s hand. Though Hyejoo looked fierce, she seemed like a baby to Gahyeon.

_‘so cute!’_ Siyeon said as Dami watched the two walk towards the next room.

_‘it’s a good thing she's not an adult wolf, or I might be worried…’_ Dami said as Siyeon laughed.

“Let's go. We need to check the last room.” Siyeon said as everyone walked into the room to hear a low growl coming from the room. Everyone froze except for Hyejoo. She recognized that growl anywhere.

“Chaewon?!” Hyejoo shouted as the growling stopped abruptly.

“Hyejoo?” a nervous voice asked as Siyeon looked along the wall for a light switch.

Finally, Siyeon spotted the switch and flicked the lights on. A blonde-haired girl covered her eyes as she blinked away the dots from the bright light. But when Hyejoo spotted her, she ran over to the cage in excitement.

“Chaewon!” Hyejoo shouted as she ran to the cage but froze when she saw another girl lying unconscious in the cage with her.

“Chaewon… who is that?” she asked as Chaewon looked at the girl lying there with a worried look. She was lying there with wounds and crude bandages all over, and her breathing seemed labored.

“I don’t know who she is, but they threw her inside my cage when I was sleeping. I think they expected me to kill her or something because they kept coming in and checking in on us…” Chaewon said as she looked at the injured girl.

“They finally got mad because whatever they wanted to happen never happened, so they turned the lights off and didn’t come back. I don’t even remember the last time they brought us food…” Chaewon said as Siyeon frowned.

Handong was unlocking the cage, and she too didn’t like what they were hearing. And when she looked up, she spotted a camera in the corner of the cage. They turned the lights off, but they continued to watch them all along.

_‘Siyeon… we might have an issue… look!’_ Handong said as she nodded at the camera.

_‘shit… Sunmi? Chungha? Have either of you come across a security room anywhere?’_ Siyeon asked, but both girls hadn’t found anything like that yet.

_‘damn… Wonho? Have you found anything like a security room? There is a camera placed in one of the cages. Someone has to have been watching her. We need to find that room.’_ Siyeon said as he quickly changed direction and went looking for the security room.

_‘I will look for it. But be careful. It seems that people are arriving. They aren’t that dangerous, but it's better to be prepared than cornered.’_ Wonho said as Siyeon turned around to the girls in the cage.

_‘alright. Be careful…’_ Siyeon said as she turned to Seulgi.

“can you carry her on your back?” Siyeon asked, but Seulgi wasn’t sure.

“It might be better for me to do it. We might need Seulgi’s strength later, and her bear form is a bit large to fit through the doors, and we can’t have Irene do it just in case her ability is triggered…” Handong said as Siyeon nodded.

“should I heal her first?” Gahyeon asked, but Siyeon shook her head.

“what if the reason that they were watching her wasn’t to see what she would do to the unconscious girl, but what the unconscious girl would do to her when she wakes up?” Siyeon asked as everyone went quiet.

“heal her just enough that she will be safe to carry out, and then we will finish healing her once we are out of here. Sound good? I just don’t want to put everyone we just rescued into a dangerous situation.” Siyeon said as Gahyeon nodded.

When she went over to heal the girl, she couldn’t help but be amazed that she was still alive. What did they do to her? No wonder her breathing was labored. She had several broken ribs, and one was dangerously close to puncturing her lung.

“Seulgi? Can you help me for a minute?” Gahyeon asked as Seulgi walked over.

“her rib is broken and extremely close to piercing her lung. I need to at least repair that, but if she jumps or winces, she might puncture her own lung. Can you see it?” Gahyeon asked as Seulgi nodded and shared what she saw.

It amazed Gahyeon because it was like she was looking at an x-ray. The rib had a jagged edge and would stab her lung slightly if she would take too deep of a breath. Seulgi could see some minor bleeding, but it had not been fully punctured yet.

“well, this makes it a bit easier…” Gahyeon said as Seulgi continued, so share what she was seeing.

The two watched as the bone slowly shifted in her torso, and when it finally got in place, the girl cried out and tried to move, but Seulgi had her pinned carefully. She wanted to keep her still but not hurt her.

“thank you. Now I just need to heal that and… damn…” Gahyeon whispered as she probed for more injuries with her powers.

“Seulgi, can you look at her head?” Gahyeon asked, and when she did, Gahyeon knew why she wasn’t waking up. She had suffered some serious head trauma. This had to be dealt with carefully. A piece of her skull was floating around her brain. With the slightest movement, it could do some serious damage.

This wasn’t done by a beating. This looked like she was hit by a car or something large. Carefully Gahyeon teamed up with Seulgi again as she helped move the piece of broken bone and carefully healed it while reducing the pressure inside her skull from the head trauma.

“Siyeon, there's no way they expected her to do anything in this situation. How she's not dead, I have no idea…” Gahyeon said as she looked up at her sister with a serious look.

“that bad?” Siyeon asked as Gahyeon nodded.

“it looks like she was hit with a truck or something. All of her injuries make me think that they might have hit her with a vehicle while she tried to run away. Maybe she saw something she shouldn’t?” Gahyeon asked as Dami stepped forward.

“that could be why she was put in here and was being watched. Whoever did this could have hoped that Chaewon would kill her or that she would just succumb to her injuries. We need to get her out of here if that’s the case. They wouldn’t want her leaving here alive.” Dami said as she gently leaned down and scooped the purple-haired girl up and walked over to Handong.

“ready?” Dami asked as Handong shifted, and carefully Dami draped the girl over her back.

_‘we might need to tie her. Anything nearby that we can use?’_ Handong asked. Everyone looked around and finally found some old clothes nearby. Hyunjin used her claws and cut them into strips that they then tied together and tied the girl onto Handong’s back.

“ok, let's go upstairs. We need to get everyone to safety so that Yoohyeon and Minji can destroy that drug.” Siyeon said as Handong and the others nodded.

Siyeon and her packmates made sure that everyone made it upstairs before they finally followed them. Sunmi and Chungha were waiting at the door on the next floor and got them to safety as they waited.

Siyeon was the last one upstairs, and once they were there, they started doing a quick headcount. It took several minutes, but everyone was accounted for except Yoohyeon and Minji.

_‘Yoohyeon? Minji? Everyone is safely upstairs, and the doorway is clear. Torch it!’_ Siyeon said as the two looked at each other and nodded.

Minji started to glow as a pink light radiated around her, and when Yoohyeon looked at her paws, she saw the same pink aura.

_‘we ready?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Minji nodded.

_‘then let's do this!’_ Yoohyeon said nervously as black flames flickered all over her body. She was praying that nothing would go wrong.


	73. Chapter 73

-A Race Against Time-

Yoohyeon looked over to Minji nervously. They had to do this just right. If Jungeun was correct, then this would go up fast.

Though it was a nerve-wracking situation, Yoohyeon couldn’t help but also feel a little excited. She pawed the ground nervously as her legs buzzed with excitement. She was known for being fast, so her speed wasn’t the issue, but Minji wasn’t as fast as Yoohyeon.

They quickly agreed for Minji to be as close to the door as possible without being too far away for Minji’s ability to fail. It was a bit of a risk. If they moved too soon, then it could break their connection and could be fatal. But Yoohyeon believed in Minji just like she believed in Yoohyeon. They could do this. But when Siyeon told them that everyone was safely upstairs, the two couldn’t help but feel nervous.

_‘we ready?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Minji nodded.

_‘then let's do this!’_ Yoohyeon said nervously as the black flames flickered all over her body. Minji quickly ran to get into position as Yoohyeon prayed that nothing would go wrong.

Yoohyeon slowly walked up to the storage room and looked in at the several barrels. One was opened, and the powder was scattered all around it. Clearly, they must have played around with it, or maybe this was the barrel that all of the drugs that poisoned the neighboring animals came from? Either way, it had to be destroyed.

Minji signaled that she was in position as Yoohyeon gulped nervously. Yoohyeon shook away the nerves as she summoned more of the black flames and quickly turned around so that all she had to do was run.

Yoohyeon launched the black flames as she looked over her shoulder and watched them flow towards the barrels. They roared across the room and spread out like a tidal wave as they crashed into the barrels and clung to them as they slowly burned their way through them. But like Jungeun had said when the flames reached the open barrel Yoohyeon saw a flash of light. Even with time slowed to almost a crawl, it was approaching her fast.

Yoohyeon froze for a moment as she watched the vivid multicolored explosion coming at her. Whatever was in that drug caused the fire to shimmer multiple colors, and it looked like a beautiful light show. But the heat she felt on her tail reminded her that this wasn’t just some beautiful image but a deadly explosion.

She felt the ground slightly rumbling underneath her paws and suddenly remembered where she was and that these flames might be pretty, but they were also extremely deadly. But she still wasn’t moving.

Yoohyeon finally remembered to run and bounded down the hallway and into the next room where she saw Minji.

_‘run!’_ Yoohyeon shouted.

Minji looked back to see the multicolored flames chasing her mate at an alarming rate. No wonder Jungeun didn’t think that they would make it out alive. But she underestimated the two.

Yoohyeon and Minji bolted for the doors, and once they were in sight, they felt slightly relieved, but they knew not to let their guard down.

The twists and turns of the stairwell would be dangerous. One slip, and it could be fatal. Especially if the one that was in front slipped. But they refused to think of that.

Yoohyeon was right behind Minji. She refused to leave her mate behind and wanted to make sure Minji would make it out safely, but she could feel the fur on her tail starting to singe from the heat. It was getting closer.

_‘run! Faster!’_ Yoohyeon shouted as they took a quick turn towards the stairs. They were moving so fast that they skidded across the floor but made it into the stairwell just in time as flames roared by.

By some miracle, neither Minji nor Yoohyeon tripped going up the stairs. But the flames were chasing them. Yoohyeon and Minji had told them to leave the doorway clear, but they would need to shut them as soon as they were inside just to be safe.

_‘I see the door just ahead!’_ Minji shouted as she ran. She cut a corner so fast she had to run up the wall slightly and launched through the doors and turned.

Yoohyeon was right behind, and when she flew through the doors, Minji used all of her strength to shut them just in time.

But Yoohyeon was going at such a high speed when she flew through the doors that she couldn’t stop. She struggled and ended up tumbling until she splatted against the wall on the other side of the room with an ‘oof.’

Minji giggled as she looked at her mate. Yoohyeon’s legs were over her head and resting against the wall as she stared up at her mate with a goofy smile. She had been knocked out of her wolf form with the impact and seemed to be slightly dazed.

-Siyeon-

Siyeon gave the signal and waited nervously. Could they make it out in time? Would they end up getting hurt? And were they all safe enough away from the explosion? There was only one way to find out, and that was to wait and see.

Suddenly there was a roar of flames heard from the doorway as the ground shook beneath them. The flames were roaring to life and chasing her two friends. Siyeon closed her eyes and prayed that they would make it out alright when she felt wind pass her and a loud bang of the doors being shut as an ‘oof!’ was heard from across the room.

Siyeon opened her eyes to see Yoohyeon splatted against the opposite wall with a goofy grin as she gave her alpha a thumbs up.

Minji only laughed as she looked at her goofy girlfriend. Minji didn’t want to worry Yoohyeon, but racing the explosion took more strength than Minji knew it would. As she ran, she could feel her strength weakening and just prayed that they would make it through the door in time.

As the two flew through the doors, Minji’s ability failed, but they still managed to make it just in time. Minji felt her ability’s strength fluctuating and had to pump more of her power into it just to make it to safety. It was dangerous, but luckily, they were here safe and sound.

“Are you two alright?” Siyeon asked as Minji nodded.

“We just barely made it out in time! I think I used all of my energy, though…” Minji said as she wobbled from side to side. Her energy was completely drained.

“oh no! my baby is dizzy! Me too!” Yoohyeon said as she looked up at her feet in the air with a confused expression and flopped onto her side as she stood and staggered over. She was still a bit out of it from the impact.

“We need to move now! There might be more explosions when the heat makes its way through more of those barrels. That explosion wasn’t big enough for all of them!” Jungeun shouted as the earth shook. Another barrel had exploded.

“move!” Siyeon shouted as Seulgi ran over in her human form and threw Minji over one shoulder and Yoohyeon over the other and bolted down the hallway with the others as Siyeon followed at the back. She wanted to make sure that everyone was safe.

_‘well, so much for don’t damage anything…’_ Siyeon thought as she heard the doors that Minji shut blow open with a deafening bang followed by the roar of flames.

“move!” Siyeon shouted as everyone ran faster. Handong was moving quickly yet carefully with the unconscious girl on her back and couldn’t help but laugh when Seulgi ran past with both Yoohyeon and Minji slung over her shoulders.

Seulgi was truly strong. Her strength from her bear form clearly also showed in her human form. She ran past without the slightest signs of a struggle as she charged forward.

_‘are you all safe? What were those explosions?’_ Sunmi asked as Siyeon explained. They were finally close to going up to the next floor and soon were up the stairs and arrived safely as Wonho greeted them.

_‘I found it! There was a security room that was hidden. I found it and managed to get a copy. It looks like they had more of those barrels and sold some, but they had cameras all over this place. We can give this to your father, and he can track them down from the CCTV!’_ Wonho said as Siyeon and the others panted from their race against the explosion.

_‘oh, and I noticed something interesting… remember when Jinyoung said that one of the wolves in his pack was challenging him? I think that I recognized some of them on the camera when Wonho showed me a clip…’_ Sunmi said as Siyeon frowned.

_‘well, I believe he and his pack are on the way… this will be interesting…’_ Siyeon said as Sunmi sighed and nodded.

_‘when he gets close, warn him so he can decide what to do. Some of his packmates betrayed him, and that’s probably why he wasn’t aware of what was going on around town. They knew where to avoid so that he wouldn’t get suspicious…’_ Dami said as she walked up.

_‘right now, we need to get these people to safety. I don’t know what to do if Jinyoung has to confront some of his own pack. I don’t want the people we just broke out being casualties of that…’_ Siyeon said as Hyunjin walked up with Jungeun.

_‘we will help. Jungeun says to keep them inside and be waiting outside. Jinyoung can confront the traitors then. It wouldn’t be safe to have everyone outside because they could recognize them, so they might be taken out instantly…’_ Hyunjin said with a disgusted expression.

_‘I can stay inside and guard the rest of them against any stragglers that enter, but we don’t know how his pack will react. Will most of them side with him? Or switch sides to the traitors? If those traitors have built up strong bonds, then it could be a dangerous situation…’_ Jungeun said as Siyeon shook her head.

_‘Jinyoung is going to be devastated…’_ Siyeon said as everyone nodded sadly. It was always painful when you are betrayed by someone you trusted or loved.

_‘Well, now we wait until they are in range…’_ Siyeon said as she looked over at Handong. The girl with the purple hair was still unconscious, and Siyeon was curious about her.

“Gahyeon? How bad were her injuries again?” Siyeon asked as Gahyeon shared her memories of healing the wounds with Seulgi. Siyeon could only wince in shock.

“that bad?” Siyeon asked as Gahyeon nodded.

“I haven’t even healed everything. I just did what we could so that she was safe to move…” Gahyeon said as Siyeon frowned.

“why would they have placed her in that cage with that girl?” Siyeon asked as Chaewon and Hyejoo walked up.

“well, I believe that they expected something to happen, but I don’t know what… they would continuously come and check on us, but nothing happened. I ended up using the sheet I had and ripped it into strips to bandage her wounds. They are not perfect, but I didn’t want to leave her there like that…” Chaewon said as she looked over at the girl strapped to Handong’s back.

“her injuries worry me…” Chaewon said softly as Hyejoo hugged her comfortingly.

“do you think they were expecting either you or the girl to kill one another?” Dami asked as she shrugged.

“from how creepy these wolves are and with their love of torture, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were hoping that Chaewon would violate her while she was unconscious…” Hyunjin said with a frown. She clearly didn’t have much respect for the wolves that made this base their home. And with good reason.

“Whatever the reason, at least you are free now. I know it will probably be hard but try to forget what happened here.” Siyeon said as she quickly looked at the direction of the door. Jinyoung was now in range.

Siyeon quickly made contact with Jinyoung and told him to act like nothing was wrong. Already he had a nervous feeling in his gut. Something was wrong.

Jinyoung was in shock. How could his own packmates betray him? They even helped him when he would do jobs for Siyeon’s father. How could they do that to him? He trusted them, and now he had doubts about his pack.

_‘I have watched some of the clips. Want me to share with you what I saw? Sunmi said that she recognized several…’_ Wonho asked as Jinyoung thanked him.

_‘shes right… some of my pack were there in that building… they were the ones that fought my leadership in the beginning… I thought that they were finally learning to respect me… instead, they decided to stab me in the back! I wouldn’t be surprised if they will ambush us when we get there. Be ready…’_ Jinyoung said as Siyeon looked at the others. He, too, expected a fight.

“well… let's get ready then…” Siyeon said as Gahyeon walked over to Handong.

“Siyeon, can I finish healing her? I think we will need Handong’s strength with Yoohyeon and Minji being down…” Gahyeon said as Siyeon nodded.

“change of plans. Chaewon and Hyejoo will guard everyone inside. I will help with Sooyoung and Hyunjin. Let's get ready…” Jungeun said as she walked forward, but Jinsoul grabbed her hand.

“what do you want me to do?” Jinsoul asked as Jungeun looked at her with an apologetic smile.

“the ones that tried to hurt you were not in this building… that means they could be with this Jinyoung person. Please stay inside?” Jungeun asked as Jinsoul paled and nodded with a gulp.

“a, alright…” Jinsoul said as Hyejoo and Chaewon led her away from the door.

“is she going to be alright?” Siyeon asked as Jungeun sighed.

“there were some wolves that liked trying to scare her and threatened to do things to her as a way to try to upset me…” Jungeun said as Siyeon frowned and looked at Yoohyeon, who was still over Seulgi’s shoulder.

“That sounds familiar…” Siyeon said with a growl. Jungeun looked at Siyeon in surprise and noticed her eyes blaze green in anger.

Jungeun went to ask Siyeon what she meant but was suddenly silenced when she felt something coming. She had experienced this many times before and silently stood there and waited.

_A light flashed before Jungeun’s eyes, and suddenly she was watching the fight that was about to happen. The one in the middle must have been the Jinyoung that the girls had talked about. There were two wolves on either side of him growling protectively._

_It looked like they had stopped on their way here. They would never make it to the base. The traitors must feel too uncomfortable to go there just in case they were found out._

_Jinyoung spoke, but Jungeun couldn’t hear it. This was only a vision, and no sound came with this one. Suddenly Jinyoung’s pack looked at each other in confusion until one large wolf lunged at Jinyoung._

_Once the wolf lunged at their alpha, all of the traitors suddenly showed their true colors as they turned on their own pack. The innocent packmates never expected the sudden turn of events and didn’t even have enough time to defend themselves as Jinyoung and his friends desperately tried to protect the remnants of his pack._

_Jinyoung turned his back to help one wolf who was crying in pain when the one who started this used the opportunity to attack. It wasn’t looking good for the pack when suddenly the vision faded away._

“We need to go to them! Now!” Jungeun shouted as everyone looked at her in surprise.

“why? What did you see?” Hyunjin asked as Jungeun looked at her in a panic.

“they won't even make it here! They stop just before getting here and turn on Jinyoung. His packmates didn’t even know what was happening until it was too late. So many will die!” Jungeun said, but something was odd about her voice. It was almost like it was echoing in their heads.

“We need to move now then!” Hyunjin said as everyone started running out the door.

_‘how do we know she is going to be correct?_ ’ Bora asked her cousin as Hyunjin snorted.

_‘do you know what Jungeun is?’_ she asked as Bora shook her head.

_‘her kind is called several different things depending on where they live. Once, they were called the owls of knowledge, while others would call them banshees. They hold much knowledge and also will see visions of the future at times. That is why they were known for warning of death and doom…’_ Hyunjin said as Bora and Siyeon exchanged a look.

They had heard of banshees before but always heard them described as floating apparitions that looked like old women. Jungeun was nothing like that. Hyunjin snorted again. She could guess what they were thinking and explained.

_‘their kind spread rumors of them looking like hags to protect themselves. How much would someone pay for someone who could see a possible future?’_ Hyunjin said as Siyeon thought about it. People would pay a high price for that.

_‘did they know what she is?’_ Siyeon asked as Hyunjin shook her head.

_‘they just thought that she was a regular bird shifter… idiots…’_ Hyunjin said as Siyeon sighed in relief. If they did know what Jungeun is, then they would never leave her alone.

_‘who wants a lift?’_ Jungeun asked as they looked at her in surprise.

_‘a lift?’_ Siyeon asked as Jungeun smirked as they ran out the door. Without a break in her stride, she shifted into a giant owl and quickly took flight. She looked like a horned owl, and her feathers were white except for some feathers that threaded through that looked reddish-brown.

_‘it's not the most comfortable flight, but I can bring one with me in my claws. We can give those traitors a surprise…’_ Jungeun said as Siyeon looked at the packmates she had left.

Bora, Dami, Gahyeon, Handong, Sunmi, Chungha, and Irene stared back at her. Seulgi stayed with Minji and Yoohyeon inside just in case they needed her strength. It was a tough decision, but Siyeon was leading towards Irene. They could drop her in the center, and with her ice ability, it would startle them enough for Siyeon and the others to get there.

_‘Irene? You ok with going with Jungeun?’_ Siyeon asked as the vampire nodded and looked at the owl who had landed on a nearby tree.

“what do I need to do?” Irene asked as Jungeun took flight.

_‘hold your arms out, and I will grab under your arms. After that, put your arms down. Hopefully, you are not too heavy… I'm a bit rusty at flying…’_ Jungeun teased as Irene gulped but did what she said.

Jungeun skillfully swooped down and carefully grabbed the vampire in her talons and was airborne with a shriek of surprise from Irene. Jungeun was careful not to hurt the vampire with her talons, but it didn’t help the vampire's nerves.

_‘off we go!’_ Jungeun said as she flew towards where Jinyoung and his pack should be.

Irene would shriek from time to time as Jungeun skillfully dodged trees and branches. She was good at judging what she could and couldn’t do, but it was still frightening for Irene. It was her first time flying, after all.

_‘We are almost there!’_ Jungeun said as she scanned the forest with her eyes. They glowed a bright red as they flew through the trees. A giant bird with bright red glowing eyes would probably terrify most humans, and at one point, their kind was even called the Mothman. It was insulting to Jungeun because how could you seriously confuse an owl with a moth?

Yes, Jungeun’s ‘horns’ were longer than on a regular owl, but she didn’t think they looked like moth antenna. Her kind had tried to warn of great disasters that were supposed to happen in a small area, and instead, some even blamed them for it. It wasn’t their fault that the humans didn’t understand their warnings until it was too late.

Jungeun’s mind was wandering as she flew through the trees. She finally started to focus again when they were close and began to look for signs. With her large reg eyes and her excellent night vision, Jungeun was able to spot Jinyoung and his pack from an extremely far distance. They were suddenly starting to slow down. It looked like Jungeun made it just in time.

_‘Irene, right?’_ Jungeun asked as Irene nodded.

_‘When we get close, cover your ears. I'm called a banshee for a reason… once I cry, I will swoop down. When I let go of you, shift into your cat form, and you should land safely. Alright?’_ Jungeun asked as Irene agreed and readied herself.

Jungeun swooped down, and when she took in a deep breath, Irene did as she was told and covered her ears. She was grateful for the warning because it was deafeningly loud with her ears covered.

Jungeun screeched as she swooped down. It sounded like the scream of a dying woman, and everyone quickly looked up to see those blazing red eyes as Jungeun flew towards them. With a flick, Jungeun released Irene, and as soon as she felt herself freefalling, she shifted into her cat form and landed gracefully in the center of the wolves as she drew on her ice ability.

The temperature around her dropped, and the wolves could actually hear the grass and plants around freezing around her.

Irene quickly looked at Jinyoung, who looked at her in surprise. He didn’t stand there for long though. quickly, Youngjae and Yugyeom went to his side as he stepped forward.

_‘Irene brings news… some of our pack that we trusted with our lives, and the lives of our families have betrayed us…’_ Jinyoung said as his packmates looked on in shock as they shuffled around nervously.

Irene let a wave of cold radiate off of her as it washed over the wolves. It wasn’t enough to freeze them, but it was a silent warning to them. It was her way of saying, ‘don’t move.’

The chill went among the wolves as they shivered and looked around nervously. Suddenly the large wolf that Jungeun saw in her vision stepped forward.

_‘cover your ears!’_ Jungeun shouted as Irene quickly shifted into her human form and covered her ears. Jinyoung and his friends heard Jungeun’s warning as well and covered their ears just in time as Jungeun swooped down as she let out another shriek of doom.

Once she was done, she looked at the wolves as she landed on Irene’s shoulders. She was surprisingly light to the vampire, but she stood still as Jungeun prepared to speak.

_‘traitors! your decision to fight will only lead to your death and the deaths of your friends… choose wisely!’_ Jungeun said it her weird voice that seemed to echo in your head.

_‘if you continue, you will have to fight a daughter of winter and Siyeon’s pack is on their way…’_ Jungeun said as Irene looked up in shock. A daughter of winter? What did she mean? Was Jungeun just trying to scare the wolves? Either way, it worked. The two could see several wolves backing up nervously. It was obvious who were the traitors now.

Jinyoung noticed it as well as he frowned. He couldn’t believe so many of those he trusted had turned on him. He was about to say something when Siyeon contacted him.

_‘We are close and will surround them. I know you probably don’t want to do this, but what is your decision? Let them flee, or will you kill them?’_ Siyeon asked as Jinyoung looked at his packmates with a torn expression.

_‘I want to say let them live, but they stood by while we fought their friends and didn’t even warn them to keep their cover… they are just like Jackson…’_ Jinyoung said with a sigh. He really didn’t want to do this, but he knew that letting them live would be putting everyone else in danger.

_‘it's whatever you decide. we will help with whatever your decision is…’_ Siyeon said as Jinyoung prepared himself.

_‘we will kill them… they are a threat to this town and its residents. If we let them go, they might actually go after the people of the warehouse…’_ Jinyoung said as he sighed. Was he really going to do this? Jinyoung glanced up at Jungeun’s eyes. The blazing red, for some reason, cleared his mind, and soon he was ready to do this. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it had to be done.

_‘Thankfully, my pack doesn’t have a range like yours does… some of our pack is still at the warehouse…’_ Jinyoung said as uneasiness went through Siyeon’s pack and Jungeun’s friends.

Siyeon was extremely close now, and she was torn. Could Jinyoung’s pack that was left behind be doing something? No, her father and his men were there. Right? There was only one way to be sure, and that was to make it back there quickly, and they still had to help the ones that were kidnapped escape. Siyeon wasn’t sure what to do, and it made her head ache.

_‘one thing at a time…’_ Siyeon said to herself as she spotted Jinyoung’s pack and Irene standing with Jungeun on her shoulders. What was odd is that Irene had not dropped her frost ability, yet Jungeun was perched on her shoulders without being affected at all.

_‘interesting…’_ Siyeon said to herself as she looked to Bora. Her mate had noticed it too. How could Jungeun perch on Irene and be completely fine?


	74. Chapter 74

-Choices-

Siyeon and the others were in position and watching silently. Siyeon and the others were very intrigued by Jungeun. How could she perch on Irene so easily? They could still see the frost ring around the girl, so it really caught their interest.

_‘babe? How can she do that? When Irene fought against Chungha, she almost lost her arm, and she has an ice ability… how is this possible?’_ Bora asked as she glanced over at Siyeon. Her large red eyes flicked from Siyeon to Jungeun and Irene. This was starting to get weird.

Jinyoung stood there, glaring at the massive wolf on the other side of Irene. He had hesitated at Jungeun’s warning, but he could tell that the wolf wasn’t going to give up so easily.

_‘you stood there at that warehouse. You saw everyone that suffered from Jackson, and you still did this? You even let those wolves enter that warehouse and remained silent to keep your cover. You pick no sides, do you? You just do what you like, don’t you? You have no loyalty!’_ Jinyoung shouted as the wolf slowly walked around Irene to glare at him and laughed.

_‘why should I pick sides when I should be the one leading? People should choose me! I could care less about the lives of those people at the warehouse. They are insects that need to be squashed. They will only get in our way. Who cares if some of them get killed when we retrieve that drug? Their lives are meaningless. They are no better than beggars!’_ the wolf snapped. His jaws snapped closed to prove his point, and Siyeon could see that Jinyoung’s anger was rising.

_‘those insects…. Those beggars… some of them were the children of your friends when you were in Jackson’s pack! The insect is you! You are a disgrace to all wolves! You have no loyalty and only think of yourself! Everyone else is expendable to you! Do you know how many wolves will die today just for supporting you?’_ Jinyoung asked as the wolves around him shuffled nervously.

_‘like I care! Who cares if some die? As long as I get what I want, I don’t care! I don’t care if everyone here dies!’_ the wolf said as the other traitorous wolves looked at him in shock. They were slowly starting to realize that they had chosen the wrong side but knew that it was too late to redeem themselves.

One wolf stepped forward. He was one that betrayed Jinyoung, but he looked at the large wolf with so much hatred as he stepped forward. Clearly, he didn’t like being thought of as expendable.

_‘he planned to wipe out everyone at the warehouse as soon as we return! Some of the people recognized him yet were too afraid to say anything! He noticed this and planned to kill them all as soon as that officer and his men leave!’_ the wolf said, but as soon as he finished, the large wolf spun around and latched his jaws onto the wolf's throat and shook viciously until the wolf was still and silent.

‘traitor!’ the wolf shouted once he let go and looked up at the others. His fangs were bright against his dark fur and still coated in the other wolf's blood.

_’anyone else want to become a traitor? Know your place!’_ he shouted with a growl. They all looked at him in silence. There had been a clear division in the pack. As soon as the innocent wolves noticed what was going on, they quickly walked over to Jinyoung and stood behind him.

The only ones behind the traitorous wolf were his supporters, and now they looked torn. You could see the look of regret on their faces. They could tell that they made the wrong decision, but it was too late. They had sealed their fate when they went along with the plan of the warehouse.

Jinyoung looked at the wolves with disgust. They could tell that there would be no redemption, so there was only one thing to do, and that was to fight.

_‘Siyeon? Can you make your presence known?’_ Jinyoung asked as Siyeon gave the signal to her pack. Suddenly low growls were heard all around them. The traitors started to panic as they formed a circle while keeping their backs protected. They knew that they were surrounded and knew their fate, but it didn’t mean that they would go down easily.

_‘give them a chance to surrender… they can be turned in to the authorities if they choose to give up.’_ Jungeun suggested.

_‘but they have a plan ready to destroy the warehouse!’_ Jinyoung said as Jungeun looked at him with her blazing red eyes.

_‘you can see the regret on several wolves' faces. Remember that you too once sided with the wrong side and redeemed yourself. They learned that they are nothing more than expendable pawns to that wolf. I think they learned their mistake. But the choice is yours. They are your pack…’_ Jungeun said as Jinyoung went silent.

_‘what can we do with them? If we bring them back to the warehouse, then they might warn the others…’_ Jinyoung said as Jungeun’s head turned around so that she was looking behind her as she spotted Hyunjin.

_‘ask Hyejoo if the fires below have stopped and see if any of the cells survived…’_ Jungeun asked as Hyunjin nodded and soon had an answer.

_‘Jinsoul went below to put out the flames and check. She says everything might be a bit wet, but the last two rooms seemed to survive. She says the one that held Chaewon is still in perfect condition. The door was shut when the explosion went off.’_ Hyunjin said as Jungeun’s head slowly turned to face Jinyoung. He had to admit it was a bit unnerving when her head spun around like that.

_‘they can be held below. The choice is yours, though…’_ Jungeun said as she looked from him to the nervous wolves awaiting their fate.

Jinyoung thought hard. It wasn’t an easy decision, but Jungeun was right. He once followed Jackson and was one of the people that helped Jackson form the pack, to begin with. Many wolves wouldn’t have turned out like this if their views and beliefs weren't twisted from Jackson’s influence. With a sigh, he knew his decision.

_‘you have two choices…’_ Jinyoung said as he stepped forward. His ears and tail high as his alpha aura radiated off of him.

_‘you can surrender and live. Or fight and die. The choice is yours…’_ Jinyoung said as Yugyeom and Youngjae stood on either side.

The wolves looked around and thought about their fate. Many didn’t want to die, but some didn’t want to live in a cage for the rest of their lives. The decision was a tough one. But when the traitor wolf roared at them and called them cowards for even considering it, he could see that their choices were swaying.

The wolf turned on his supporters and wanted to make an example of one of them when they all attacked. They refused to be a pawn any longer.

The traitorous wolf roared in anger as the wolves swarmed over him, but soon he was overwhelmed. It wasn’t long before his cries of rage and pain ended, and only silence was left in the forest for several minutes.

It was a very uneventful situation compared to Jungeun’s vision, but she preferred it like that. Two deaths versus many? She was relieved that everyone managed to get there in time to help this be resolved somewhat peacefully. Jungeun sighed in relief when another vision struck her powerfully.

_Jungeun watched as Siyeon and her pack led everyone to what looked to be a large warehouse. It must have been the one that poor wolf was talking about, but when Siyeon and the others came into view, they noticed that there were no officers around, and no one was in sight._

_Siyeon could feel that something was off. The fur on the back of her neck rose as she felt that something was seriously wrong. Cautiously Siyeon turned around and told the others to wait as she Dami and Bora slowly walked closer to the warehouse as they searched for everyone. Dami sniffed the air but couldn’t smell anything._

_The officers must have stirred up the drug into the air when they hauled it away. This meant that they were walking in there blind. There was no noise. No birds or even insects. Just silence. Everything was just too quiet._

_When Siyeon and the others walked closer to the warehouse, they started to get the feeling that something was wrong when Siyeon stepped in something wet and sticky. She glanced down to see a dark puddle. When Siyeon lifted up her paw, she could see the red of blood on her white fur and froze._

_Suddenly they were swarmed with wolves. They were hidden well and soon swarmed out of their hiding spots before Siyeon and the others could react._

_Bora cried in rage as she saw her mate swarmed by wolves and fought desperately to protect her, but they were now separated. Lightning blew several wolves away to reveal Siyeon coated in blood and bites as she backed up to Dami, who was protecting her alpha viciously._

_Bora roared a fierce roar as she fought to get to Siyeon, and soon the three fought against many. Her pack heard the commotion and ran to help only to find the three swarmed and about to fall._

_The vision skipped forward to reveal Bora holding Siyeon to her chest as she sobbed. The wolf was covered in injuries. For some reason, Gahyeon wasn’t there to heal them, and Siyeon was slowly fading away in Bora’s arms as her tears fell._

The vision was over as soon as it started, but Jungeun puffed up her feathers in shock. Siyeon was going to die at that warehouse if they approached it carelessly. And whose blood was that? Did they already kill all of the residents of the warehouse? Or was that the blood of the officers?

Jungeun looked around and noticed Jinyoung and the others leading the traitors back to the base and looked for Siyeon.

_‘is everything alright? I could feel you tense. Did you see something? You are trembling…’_ Irene asked as Jungeun hopped off of her shoulders and landed on the ground as she shifted back.

“I need to talk to Siyeon. Now! it’s an emergency!” Jungeun said as Irene called to her alpha.

Siyeon had walked with the others escorting the wolves that had given up, but when Irene mentioned how startled Jungeun seemed, the wolf came running back with Bora.

“is something wrong?” Siyeon asked as she shifted from her wolf form to her human form and jogged up to the girl.

“yes, something is very wrong… something is probably happening at the warehouse right now or is about to… are you in range with whoever is there?” Jungeun asked as Siyeon tested her connection.

“um my father is there, and I can reach him, why?” Siyeon asked as Jungeun sighed in relief.

“he's one of the police in the town, right?” Jungeun asked as Siyeon nodded.

“don’t let him leave! I don’t know what they did when the police left, but in the vision, you stepped in blood right before you were attacked… Siyeon… you didn’t make it…” Jungeun said as Siyeon and Bora looked at each other in shock.

“the drug was all through the air so you couldn’t smell anything, and it was the perfect time for an ambush… if the police don’t leave and know in advance what is planned, then we might be able to change this future…” Jungeun said as Siyeon quickly contacted her father.

He couldn’t believe that Jinyoung’s own men turned on him, but Siyeon assured him that it was true and quickly explained the situation.

Siyeon had caught him at the right time. He was just about to leave, and Hyunwoo was helping Matthew away from the warehouse. If he had left, a massacre would have started, and no one would have been there to stop it.

Siyeon’s father quickly came up with an excuse to stay. Luckily the one who seemed to be the leader of the warehouse happened to be an old friend of his. It allowed him to remain behind as his men prepared. Half vanished into the forest to search for rogue wolves while the others made their presence known at the warehouse as they busied themselves throughout the building.

Siyeon told Jungeun what they were planning, and she hoped that it was enough. Jungeun might be a banshee, but she was very young. Her visions were of possible futures and didn’t give much detail. It was rare that she also had sound in them. The skill came with age, but for her age, she was more advanced than most. She just wished she could see more so that more people could be saved.

_‘then let's get these wolves locked up, and we need to get to that warehouse quickly… I only saw that one possibility. I don’t know the outcome now that we have changed it…’_ Jungeun said as Siyeon nodded. Bora wrapped her arms around her mate nervously. She didn’t like knowing that she could have lost Siyeon.

Siyeon stroked Bora’s head soothingly as the vampire snuggled against her neck and breathed in deeply to calm herself. She tried to control her breathing, but she still felt her heart pounding.

If that vision had come true, then both sisters would have died at that warehouse. It was only because of Sol and Solar that Gahyeon was alive today. Bora suddenly paused. Why didn’t Gahyeon heal her sister in Jungeun’s vision? Did she stay behind?

_‘Siyeon? Were you planning on having Gahyeon stay behind?’_ Bora asked as Siyeon nodded.

_‘I was thinking of leaving Yoohyeon Minji Gahyeon and Seulgi behind while we brought the others to safety. I guess I almost made a fatal mistake. But what do I do with the injured girl? I wanted to get everyone to safety before we woke her up, but we might not have a choice.’_ Siyeon said as Bora nodded. They needed Gahyeon’s healing ability, and she couldn’t be tied up, babysitting the sick and injured.

_‘well, let's get these wolves locked up safely and go wake up that kid then…’_ Bora said nervously as Handong trotted up.

_‘what's wrong? Everyone can feel the tense and worried energy radiating off of you two…’_ Handong asked as she looked at the two with worry.

Siyeon and Bora explained as Handong frowned. She could see oo many things that could possibly go wrong, but she was very grateful for the warning. If they knew about it in advance, at least they could try to prepare.

Once they arrived back at the base, they entered to see Hyejoo and Chaewon panting. It seemed like another group of wolves had come just before Siyeon and the others got back. The two dealt with them while Seulgi guarded the others.

“have fun?” Hyunjin asked with a smirk as the two rolled their eyes.

“so much…” Hyejoo said as she rolled her eyes and watched the traitor wolves being escorted into the building and down to the cages.

“I take it things went well?” Hyejoo asked as Jungeun walked up and shook her head.

“no. they dealt with this group, but there is a possible ambush waiting for them. Many innocent people might die if this goes wrong… what is wrong with this town?” Jungeun asked as Hyunjin snorted.

“see the reason I left?” Hyunjin said as Jungeun nodded and went looking for Jinsoul.

Suddenly screams were heard from below, and Jungeun bolted down the hallway in a panic. Those screams were from Jinsoul.

Siyeon and the others ran after Jungeun to find Jinsoul sitting on some man's chest as she held his mouth open. With the other hand, she was using her ability and blasting water into his mouth as he struggled to break free while trying not to drown. Jungeun ran to Jinsoul and tried to pull her off of the wolf, but Jinsoul was stronger than Jungeun.

“go ahead! Say It again! I dare you!” Jinsoul shouted once she was finally dragged off of the man with the help of Siyeon and Hyunjin.

The wolf on the floor sputtered and coughed as he ejected the water from his lungs, but as soon as he could breathe again, he just laughed as he looked up at the girls with a smirk.

“I said that your bird girlfriend would sell for a pretty penny! Am I wrong? Many men would pay for a girl that looks like her. Add whatever she Is, and that bitch is a gold mine!” the wolf laughed before coughing.

Jinsoul struggled to be freed, but when Jungeun heard that her blood boiled. She recognized that person's voice. He was one of the ones that would threaten Jinsoul to upset her. Before anyone could react, Jungeun walked forward and took a deep breath.

Jungeun’s eyes widened in panic as she shouted for everyone to cover their ears. Siyeon and the others just barely managed to cover their ears in time as Jungeun let out a scream that had so much force that when it slammed into the wolf, his eardrums ruptured, and his nose started bleeding.

Jungeun held the scream until he went unconscious and then walked over to his limp body as she stomped on his sensitive spot with all her strength. When he woke up, he would be hurting significantly.

Jungeun struggled to hold herself back. She was so tempted to scream until his head exploded, but she didn’t want to be like the ones that did this to them. She didn’t want to get used to killing without a thought or even a hint of remorse.

Once the situation was over, everyone looked at Jungeun with a surprised expression. What they just witnessed was a first for most, and they didn’t want to end up like the half-drowned and bleeding wolf on the ground.

“Sorry, everyone… I lost my temper…” Jungeun said as she looked at Siyeon and the others.

Jinyoung had been in the other room, and when he heard that there was a commotion, he came running to find the wolf on the ground and was glad that none of the girls were hurt.

“it's alright. He deserved it…” Jinsoul said as she walked over and wrapped her arms around her tiny girlfriend.

Jungeun snuggled closer. She was embarrassed for losing her temper and didn’t want everyone to look at her like she was some sort of monster.

Jinsoul wrapped her arms tighter around Jungeun as she calmed the banshee and looked at the others. She, too, felt embarrassed by her outburst and wished that she could just disappear.

Siyeon suddenly gasped when Jinsoul started to actually vanish in front of them. Jungeun looked up to see what was wrong and giggled. It was why no one had ever seen them as a couple back home. As soon as Jinsoul felt embarrassed, she just vanished.

“Jinsoul… come back to me…” Jungeun said cutely as Jinsoul blushed and became visible again.

“Sorry…” she said as Siyeon looked at her with an expression of interest.

“what are you?” Siyeon asked. But it wasn’t in the harsh or fearful tone that Jinsoul expected. Siyeon just seemed truly curious.

“um… I'm not sure…” Jinsoul said as Jungeun nodded to confirm it.

“there were rumors of sirens, but it didn’t fit her abilities. We don’t know much besides the fact that she can control water…” Jungeun said as Hyunjin nodded.

“I'm going with water dragon…” Hyunjin said as Jungeun rolled her eyes.

“Hyunjin, stop reading so many webtoons and manga…” Jungeun said as the vampire stuck out her tongue.

“you are right, though. She doesn’t fit a siren…” Sunmi said as she walked closer. In her many years alive, she had met many different creatures, but this girl stumped her.

After the rest of the wolves were locked up, Siyeon and the others walked back upstairs. It was time to wake the injured girl.

“Gahyeon? You ready?” Siyeon asked as her sister nodded and let her power wash over the girl as all of her injuries major and minor started to heal.

They watched as the girl smiled. Whatever she was feeling tickled. She felt a tingling all over her body as the pain was washed away, and finally, when all the pain was completely gone, her mind started to clear.

Everyone noticed the purple-haired girl's eyes slowly started to move. It was a sign that she as waking, and after a couple more seconds, her eyes fluttered open.

Everyone looked at the vivid purple eyes staring up at them. She seemed confused, and as she looked around, she suddenly became worried.

Why was she surrounded by a bunch of naked people? The last thing she remembered was some weird people suddenly chasing her, then the last thing she remembered was the flash of headlights before everything went dark.

Slowly the girl sat up with Gahyeon’s help as she felt dizziness wash over her. It was the after-effects of her head trauma, and she hoped whatever it was, the feeling would go away soon.

“w, what am I, doing here?” she asked with a bit of a struggle. It seemed that the trauma had messed with her speech slightly, but with Gahyeon’s healing ability, it should be resolved in a couple of hours.

“do you remember anything? Your name? What was the last thing you remember?” Siyeon asked in a soothing tone as the girl looked up at her with a confused expression. She had never seen eyes that glowed green before.

“y, Yerim… I t, think…” the girl said as her face scrunched as she struggled to remember.

“r, remember running… b, bright lights. Pain. T, then nothing…” the girl said as Siyeon looked at her with worry. Maybe she really was hit by a vehicle. It sounded possible from what she described.

“well, Yerim, my name is Siyeon. We rescued the people that were trapped here when we found you. Do you remember where you live? A phone number? Anything?” Siyeon asked as Yerim’s expression gradually looked more and more confused. She couldn’t remember anything but her name at the moment.

Siyeon frowned. Would her memory ever come back? Or was she stripped of her past and memories by these people? Siyeon looked to Gahyeon, but she didn’t have the answers either.

“well, we need to get moving. Can you stand?” Siyeon asked as she and Gahyeon slowly helped Yerim up. She was a bit wobbly at the moment. There was no way that she could travel all the way back to the warehouse on her own. Someone needed to carry her.

“hmm. I don’t think you are stable enough to walk yet. We will have to have someone carry you… let's see… Seulgi will be carrying Yoohyeon and Minji, so who can carry you? We need someone who is a smooth runner. I don’t want you struggling to hold on…” Siyeon said aloud as the girl looked up at her in confusion.

“Irene? Would you be able to carry her?” Siyeon asked as the vampire walked up and nodded.

Yerim noticed that the girl who offered to carry her had eyes that glowed red and had a gold rim around them. Was she dreaming? What was all of this?

“alright. Let's get you on Irene’s back and start moving. We have to get to the warehouse before it is too late. Sound alright?” Siyeon asked as Yerim nodded. She still didn’t know what was going on, though.

Irene fell forward, shocking Yerim. She thought that the girl was going to land on her face, but instead of her arms hitting the ground, she watched as strong feline paws touched the ground lightly. The girl that was there a second ago was now replaced with a large cougar that looked at her with those same red-gold eyes.

“w, Woah…” Yerim said as she looked at the vampire in wonder. She had never seen anything like this before.

“h, how?” Yerim asked as Siyeon and the others looked at her in confusion. Her purple eyes told them that she wasn’t a human, but she was behaving like one. Did she not know what she is?

“Yerim? What color are your eyes?” Siyeon asked as the girl looked over at her and smiled.

“d, dark brown. W, why?” she asked with a smile as everyone exchanged worried glances. She really didn’t know?

“Yerim… your eyes are purple…” Jiwoo said as she slowly walked over. Her happy and calm demeanor seemed to soothe the confused girl, but she still didn’t know what they meant.

“look,” Jiwoo said as she held out a mirror. Yerim grabbed the mirror with hands that shook and struggled to open it. The tremors were slowly fading, but they were making opening the mirror difficult.

Jiwoo opened it for her and held the mirror out for Yerim to see. Her eyes went wide as she noticed the vivid purple that blazed like the others. Her eyes had never done this before… how was this happening?

“I guess we will have to explain everything when we get back to the warehouse. For now, let's get you on Irene’s back. Alright?” Siyeon asked as Yerim nodded.

Siyeon and Gahyeon helped her onto Irene’s back and made sure that she could hold on properly. Once they were sure it was safe, they were out the door and ready to leave. Siyeon had to admit that she wasn’t looking forward to explaining everything to Yerim, though.

When everyone shifted before her, Yerim looked amazed as she smiled and looked around. Everything was so amazing to her, and she had finally convinced herself that she must be dreaming.

When Jungeun shifted and took flight, she couldn’t help but smile in amazement. The giant owl flew with her girlfriend dangling from her claws, and when Yerim looked over, she saw Hyunjin shift into a black leopard as Heejin climbed onto her back.

Hyejoo quickly shifted into her wolf form, followed by Chaewon. Once Chaewon was in her wolf form Hyejoo nuzzled her sweetly. Yerim couldn’t help but smile at the cuteness and looked to her other side to see the girl that handed her the mirror before.

Jiwoo was on her girlfriend's back. Sooyoung looked like she was ready for a race, and the extra weight on her back didn’t even seem to be noticeable.

_‘Yerim? Hold tight. I don’t want you to fall off.’_ Irene said as Yerim nodded and held on tightly.

“I a, am!” Yerim said as Siyeon glanced over at her.

_‘see? She can hear us when we mind speak. She is definitely not human…’_ Dami said as she watched the girl.

_‘yes, but what is she?’_ Siyeon asked as her packmate shrugged.

_‘well, let’s focus. My father can’t stall for much longer. Let's go!’_ Siyeon shouted as everyone charged off into the forest. They needed to get to the warehouse before it’s too late. But when this was over, they had many questions for Jungeun.


	75. Chapter 75

-A Surprise From Above-

Everyone ran as fast as they could. They were trying to get to the warehouse as quickly as possible and were able to move at a good pace.

Hyejoo and Chaewon were able to keep up the pace even with the adult wolves. Hyunjin was also easily able to keep up with Bora and the others even with her smaller size, and Sooyoung was sprinting through the forest easily able to keep up with the others even with Jiwoo on her back. Whatever she was, it was interesting.

When they got closer Siyeon’s father made a panicked connection. It seemed that the wolves he sent into the forest to check for rogue wolves never came back. He was also noticing strange behavior all over. Several residents of the warehouse were suddenly tense, and he was sure that more people were there than before. Whatever they had planned, it was about to start.

_‘shit!’_ Siyeon shouted as she relayed his message to everyone else.

_‘I will fly ahead! I will tell you what I see!’_ Jungeun said as she launched forward with her powerful wings.

After a minute or two, Jungeun made contact with Siyeon. He was right. There were more wolves than there should be, and the residents seemed nervous and grouped together like panicked sheep.

_‘what about a warning cry?’_ Siyeon asked as Jungeun refused. If she did her warning cry with Siyeon and the others so far off, it might send the enemy into a panic and rush them into action.

Siyeon knew that Jungeun was right. They just had to hurry. She looked back to see Irene carefully running with Yerim. Handong and Bora were running on either side of her just in case Yerim lost her grip. They didn’t want her to fall.

Yerim, though seemed to be having a good time. She was enjoying the ride as she looked around at all the exciting sights and sounds. This was a very fantastic dream for her.

_‘Irene, we will need your ability, so once we get there, we will need to hide Yerim someplace safe. Any ideas?’_ Siyeon asked as the vampire thought carefully.

_‘hmm… a tree? I can easily climb them, and wolves don’t usually think of looking up.’_ Irene said as Siyeon nodded. It was true. Most of their enemies in the area were not in the trees, so they had no reason to look up.

_‘alright, if she feels safe in the tree, then we will leave her a bit away in the trees for safety.’_ Siyeon said as she planned what to do.

_‘Seulgi? Are Yoohyeon and Minji still unconscious?’_ Siyeon asked as the bear came up beside her to show both girls still unconscious over her shoulders.

_‘damn… we will probably need them… Dami? We will probably have to rely on your shadows a lot for this… please be careful not to drain yourself completely…’_ Siyeon said as Dami nodded beside her. She was ready and had something exciting planned.

_‘what about me? Should I wait back with Yerim and the others?’_ Gahyeon asked as Siyeon shook her head.

_‘no, we will need your healing and plant abilities. Trip up and snare as many wolves as possible. When the ground itself fights them, it might make them lose some of their confidence…’_ Siyeon said as Gahyeon nodded. She was glad that she brought the repaired necklace that Dami made her. Sol’s brothers and sisters might come in handy.

They ran in silence after they planned their angle of attack. Finally, there was contact again, but it wasn’t Jungeun but her girlfriend, Jinsoul.

_‘something is starting to go down. The wolves are slowly encircling the people that live here. They are slowly herding them inside. This doesn’t look good. I'm going to go in. I can't be seen if I don’t want to be, and at least we will know whats going on inside. Jungeun Is bringing me closer.’_ Jinsoul said as Siyeon sighed in relief. It made her feel a bit easier to know that they would have eyes inside that building.

They were soon close, and Siyeon realized that Hyejoo Hyunjin and the others didn’t know what to expect. Siyeon didn’t expect them to fight for people that they didn’t know.

_‘I don’t expect you to fight with us. I don’t want to force you into a situation where you feel obligated to fight and help. Once we are close to the warehouse, you will find a road. It will lead you into town.’_ Siyeon said, but she was ignored.

_‘nice try. I'm not letting you have all the fun!’_ Hyunjin said as she ran forward with Heejin on her back.

_‘I will stay with Yerim while Hyunjin helps you.’_ Heejin said as Siyeon looked behind her in shock.

_‘you know that this is dangerous, right? in Jungeun’s vision, she saw me dying… you will be putting your lives at risk…’_ Siyeon said as everyone nodded. Hyejoo and Chaewon also planned on fighting. Hyejoo didn’t want to admit it, but she was quickly starting to look up to Siyeon.

_‘im going to fight too. They won't be able to attack me, and Chuu can stay with Yerim and Heejin. If anyone does notice them, she can distract them with her ability,’_ Sooyoung said as Jiwoo nodded on her back.

_‘they will be safe with me. So don’t worry and focus! You can do this!’_ Jiwoo said in a cute and encouraging tone. She was definitely adorable, and everyone felt a surge of confidence in themselves. It was part of Jiwoo’s ability, and she didn’t even know she was doing it.

They were soon close, and Siyeon realized that she hadn’t heard from her father in a while. She started to get nervous and contacted Jungeun.

_‘Jungeun? Have you seen my father? I haven’t heard from him…’_ Siyeon said as she waited anxiously for Jungeun’s reply.

_‘I flew him to safety a bit ago. He's probably out of range at the moment.’_ Jungeun said as Siyeon sighed in relief. She was worried that he would do something reckless, and that was precisely what he was planning.

Luckily Jungeun saw it right before it happened and managed to get him to safety before he got himself killed. He complained the whole way there until she said that she was helping Siyeon. He instantly went quiet. He didn’t want to get scolded by his daughters.

Siyeon was relieved that he was safe, but she was still nervous for Jinsoul, who was hiding inside the base. Carefully she contacted the girl, and to her relief, they were locking the people in a room. They obviously didn’t want to weaken themselves by fighting before Siyeon, and the others got there. So the people were safe, and Jinsoul was able to sneak around easily without worry of getting caught.

Just like Jungeun’s vision showed, there was so much of the drug stirred up in the air that it made it impossible to smell anything inside or outside the warehouse. She planned to free the people and sneak them out, and with Dami’s instructions, she learned where the tunnel was to bring the residents of the warehouse to safety.

If that went as planned, then it would take some of the burden off of Siyeon’s shoulders. She would be able to fight without having to worry about protecting the people there.

They were now close. Irene quickly eyed the trees and spotted a good one. Carefully she lept from branch to branch until she carefully got to a place that would be safe. It was wide enough for several people, and it was perfect for the three girls.

Yerim carefully climbed off of Irene’s back and sat on the wide branches as she looked into the distance. She could see the warehouse. It would be the perfect place for them to watch what was happening.

Next, Irene had Jiwoo hop onto her back as she climbed the tree. Hyunjin had already brought Heejin, so now the three carefully got situated as they looked nervously at the warehouse in the distance.

Now that the girls were safely in the tree, Seulgi went and placed Yoohyeon and Minji at the base as she guarded them. She didn’t like being left out of the fight, but she didn’t want the others to get hurt while they couldn’t defend themselves.

Siyeon and the others prepared themselves and soon charged in. Jungeun spotted them in the distance and flew over the warehouse as she did a blood-curdling shriek. Wolves flew out of the building in panic as they looked up and spotted the large owl with glowing red eyes above their heads circling just out of reach.

_‘leave now! Or I see bloodshed and death in your futures! You are going into a fight you can't win!’_ Jungeun said in that strange voice Siyeon was starting to get used to. The wolves seemed to be unsure of what to do when she let out another shriek before slowly circling higher and higher into the sky.

_‘they have had their warning and chose to ignore it. My job is done…’_ Jungeun said as Siyeon and the others charged into view.

The enemy was so startled by Jungeun’s appearance that they didn’t spot Siyeon and the others until they were almost upon them. Quickly a wolf let out a warning call as everyone turned to face Siyeon as both sides crashed into each other with great force.

Siyeon lunged in as she latched onto the throat of the nearest wolf and bit down before shaking furiously until she felt flesh rip and then dropped him and moved on to the next target. Blood was painted down the front of her. Her white fur covered in a bright red, making the enemy nervous at the large and strong alpha.

Bora was right behind Siyeon as she lunged in with claws and fangs as she cleared a small space. Already her claws were covered in blood as she stood beside her mate as they fought. Bora refused to get separated from Siyeon. She wouldn’t let them hurt her mate.

Handong was charged by several large wolves. Obviously, they knew about her and had planned on ways to take her down. They tried to surround her as she roared and spun around to keep them back.

The wolves tried to nip and bite at her legs, hoping for an opening when they met her tail. One wolf was smashed out of the way. He didn’t expect Handong to use her tail as a weapon too.

The opening was all Handong needed. Quickly she spun on one wolf as she pounced on him, pinning him to the ground helplessly as she bit down on him with such force that the crunch was heard by the others.

As soon as she finished, she spun around for the next one, but he tried to flee. Handong instinctively pounced on him and bit down on the back of his neck as he panicked and tried to escape. One strong bite and the struggling stopped.

They were no match for the large tiger. Her strength was just too much for them, and they quickly realized their mistake, but it was too late. Handong wasn’t going to let them escape like last time.

Wolves seemed to be coming from everywhere, and soon they started to see the effects of Gahyeon’s powers. Plants would snare the wolves as they tried to run or trip them if they could. Many wolves fell to Gahyeon’s abilities, but the number of wolves that they were fighting was more than there should be.

_‘where did all of them come from? There are more wolves here than we have in town!’_ Gahyeon said as she bought time for her mate. Dami was building up her powers in an attempt to knock many wolves out at once.

_‘I don’t know… there are so many of them! more than we fought last time…_ ’ Siyeon said as she ripped out a wolf's throat and moved onto the next one as Bora roared beside her.

_‘Jinyoung needs to get here soon…’_ Gahyeon said as everyone agreed. They had split up and planned to cut around to the back tunnel and clear the path so that Jinsoul could lead everyone to safety, but these numbers were just so overwhelming.

Hyunjin launched over Gahyeon as she tore into a wolf that tried to sneak up on her. They all knew Gahyeon’s weird ability with plants, and the wolf tried to eliminate her while her mate was distracted but instead met a vicious end by Hyunjin’s sharp claws and fangs.

_‘watch behind you!’_ the vampire said as Gahyeon nodded and carefully let her powers flow into the plants nearby. She was spending too much time directing them and feeding them energy. Instead, she made her energy flow and told them who shouldn’t be attacked and let them go wild.

The plants started snaring wolves and constricting them like snakes until their hearts stopped and would then move on to the next one. It was a shocking sight to see for Hyunjin and the others, but they quickly adapted.

Hyejoo and Chaewon proved to be a ferocious team. They would zip in and out as they used their smaller sizes to their advantages and worked together to bring down several large targets. They were too fast for the enemy to catch and managed to immobilize several wolves with well-placed bites.

Unlike Hyejoo and Chaewon, Sooyoung walked into the battle like a queen as she stormed forward. Her long hair blew in the wind as wolves would lunge at her but suddenly lose the will to fight as she put an end to them quickly. She didn’t like to kill like this. But the people inside that building are what mattered right now.

Siyeon had to admit the girl was rather impressive. It was like as soon as the wolves came close enough, they just froze as she put an end to them. Her strength reminded Siyeon of Seulgi’s. She was strong and fast like her. There were so many types of people that Siyeon had no idea about, and she had to admit that the girl was interesting.

Siyeon was brought back from her thoughts as Bora roared in pain. A large wolf had leapt onto her back and bit down hard on the back of her neck. Siyeon felt rage rising as the air rippled around her. The wolf on Bora’s back felt the change from Siyeon and looked over to see the white wolf glowing with a silver aura as her eyes changed from green to a blinding silver.

The wolf instantly let go as he met Siyeon’s eyes. Something had taken over Siyeon, and soon she felt a surge of power that she had never felt before. The wolves around her hesitated at the sight of her. The silver light radiating off of her felt like the moonlight that they loved turned dangerous.

Siyeon lunged in as the wolf yelped in terror before she spun around to notice several wolves staring at her. Even her pack was staring at her in surprise except for Gahyeon, who quickly made her way over to Bora to heal her wounds.

Siyeon charged forward. She wouldn’t let this opportunity go to waste. While they were stunned and distracted, she and the others tore into them as they reduced their numbers. But as soon as the numbers dropped more came.

_‘Dami any time now!’_ Siyeon shouted as the wolf opened her eyes. Her eyes blazed as shadows burst from her body and spread over the enemy. Unlike before, this was something different. The shadows covered the wolves in darkness as they struggled until they finally stopped moving.

_‘what did you do?’_ Irene asked as she prepared to attack.

_‘I used the technique that Yoohyeon used with a few small changes. Nightmares… I forced them to live their most terrifying nightmares until their hearts couldn’t take it anymore. It took more time and strength than I expected, though…’ D_ ami said as she turned around to see what remained. Their numbers had dropped drastically, but more were coming, and soon Siyeon and the others were feeling overwhelmed again.

_‘Jinsoul has successfully escorted the people to safety!’_ Jungeun said as she flew above. That was a relief, and now it was Irene’s turn to make an appearance.

_‘drop me in the center?’_ Irene asked as Jungeun quickly turned in the air and dived at the vampire. Irene remembered what to do and held out her arms as the banshee gracefully and silently picked her up and flew towards the fight. From this height, Irene could tell that there were more wolves in the forest and started to worry. This was an insane amount of wolves to fight.

_‘it seems that the traitors had made an alliance with other packs… they seem to be lending them their strength…’_ Jungeun said as Irene nodded. It made sense. She just hoped that she could help.

_‘by the way… I know that this is bad timing, but did you mean it when you said ‘daughter of winter?’_ Irene asked as Jungeun looked down at the vampire.

_‘you don’t know?’_ Jungeun asked as she felt Irene shake her head.

_‘well, if we make it out of this alive, then I promise to explain everything. Ready for your landing?’_ Jungeun asked as Irene nodded, and soon she was freefalling for the second time today.

Irene landed with a soft thud as she stood among the enemy. Her ice ability was spreading out and catching some wolves that were too slow to get out of the way in time. They soon froze completely solid, causing the others to panic.

Irene didn’t waste any time, though, as she lunged in and took out wolves with her frosty claws and fangs. Yelps of pain and terror were heard around her as the temperature dropped drastically. The frost in her fur was growing thick as she started to look like she was covered in a light dusting of snow.

Her whiskers and eyelashes even had frost on them as she stood there. Her frost ability seemed to be getting stronger as the ring around her grew.

The enemy was starting to realize that they made the wrong decision, but it was too late. They were not permitted to run. Chungha was on one side while Sunmi was on the other. They were taking out the fleeing wolves and making sure none escaped.

Suddenly a new group of wolves charged in. They must have been the ones that took out her father's police. They seemed older and better fighters than most of the ones here. There were so many of them that even with whatever ability Siyeon was using at the moment, it wouldn’t be enough…

_‘incominggggggg!!!’_ a familiar voice said from above. Everyone froze as they recognized the voice and looked up.

_‘Sol?!’_ both Dami and Gahyeon shouted as they looked up to see a large black bird flying at a great speed with something in its claws. It was Sol.

_‘what the hell is that?’_ Jungeun asked as Siyeon looked up to her.

_‘what? The bird or the talking plant?’_ Siyeon asked as she smiled internally.

_‘um… both?’_ Jungeun said as Siyeon smiled.

_‘the plant is Dami and Gahyeon’s baby! His name is Sol!’_ Siyeon said as the two girls looked at Siyeon and shook their heads before turning back to the fight.

_‘their what?!’_ Hyunjin asked as she and Sooyoung looked the two girls in shock.

_‘I don’t even wanna know how…’_ Hyunjin said as Siyeon laughed.

_‘if Sol is here then…’_ Handong said worriedly as she scanned the area to spot a reddish wolf running towards them at a great speed. She didn’t even stop when she met the enemy, and soon Handong saw wolves forced into the air as Elkie bulldozed her way to her mate with her ability.

‘ _not late, am I?’_ Elkie asked as she smiled and nuzzled the tiger quickly before turning to face the enemy.

_‘don’t move! Sol is about to attack!’_ Elkie shouted as Sol was dropped from the bird's grip and started to spin as he shot out thorns striking several wolves, causing them to fall on the spot before he spread out again. His vines spread out wide as he grabbed several wolves, and with one powerful motion, snatched them all together so that they smashed into each other, knocking them out cold. He was quickly regrowing his thorns and would launch them, stopping wolves in their tracks.

A wolf lunged forward, trying to attack Gahyeon when Sol snatched him out of the air, and as he did once before, he shot his vines down the wolf's throat, and soon the wolf's body erupted with thorns as it went limp in his grip.

Sol quickly retracted his vines and flung the lifeless wolf at several that tried to charge them. He was just a plant to the wolves, but they soon realized that this plant was to be feared. Even if he did sound so happy.

_‘no touchy mommy!’_ sol said scoldingly as he looked at the enemy. They didn’t know what to think about his appearance.

_‘How did you know to come here?’_ Siyeon asked Sol and Elkie as the wolf grinned.

_‘Moonbyul sent us. She said she wasn’t going to let her favorite pack end like this. She said that you will get a taste of your gift right now. Shes lending you some of her powers. But this is just a hint of your gift. You are glowing with the power of the moon.’_ Elkie said as Siyeon looked at her paws and saw the silver aura.

_‘huh…’_ Siyeon said in surprise as she looked back up to the enemy. Their numbers dwindled with the appearance of Elkie and Sol. They were missed, and now Siyeon felt her pack was complete again.

_‘oh, we ran into Hyunwoo and Matthew and the others on the way here. Hyunwoo is coming as soon as he gets those four to safety. It might be over by then, though…’_ Elkie said as Siyeon smiled.

_‘actually… where is Wonho?’_ Elkie asked as she looked around. The massive wolf wasn’t in sight. And soon, Siyeon noticed his absence too.

_‘I don’t know… he was here when we charged earlier…’_ Siyeon said as she scanned the fallen wolves. Luckily he wasn’t among them.

_‘I see him! He is fighting a large wolf. The wolf looks like he's a difficult opponent… I think Wonho will lose at this rate…’_ Jungeun said as Sunmi and Chungha looked up in surprise.

_‘where is he?’_ Sunmi asked. She didn’t want to lose her friend.

_‘he broke off from the group when he spotted this wolf. It seems like he knows them and hates them very much. He is fighting too emotionally…’_ Jungeun said as she showed the two foxes what she was seeing.

_‘lead me there! I will help him!’_ Sunmi said as Chungha looked at Siyeon for permission to join her mate. Siyeon nodded, and soon both foxes were running towards Wonho.

Sunmi came upon them and could see that Wonho seemed absolutely out of his mind with rage. He was fighting recklessly and was making mistakes. He had several marks on his body as the consequences.

_‘liar!’_ Wonho raged as he lunged in and was easily dodged by the large wolf who just laughed.

_‘is it a lie? Or is it the truth? You fled, leaving behind wolves that needed your help. Your precious ‘friends’ ended up leaving with me. They were afraid to leave that day but always figured you would come back for them. When you didn’t, they started to hate you and came to me…’_ the wolf said as Wonho’s eyes blazed red.

_‘they have been very loyal to me… though I don’t think they will make it though this night… oh well…’_ the wolf shouted as Wonho went to lunge in again only to be stopped by Sunmi’s cry.

_‘don’t let him get to you! You are becoming too emotional!’_ Sunmi shouted as she ran up to her friend.

_‘Oh great… a fox…’_ the wolf said with a sigh.

_‘cant fight your own battles?’_ he said as Wonho growled.

_‘he doesn’t need my help fighting you. I will even the odds a bit, though…’_ Sunmi said as she leaned against Wonho, healing his wounds and allowing him to think clearly.

The wolf snarled and went to snap at Sunmi when Chungha launched ice shards at him, making him jump back as she ran over to her mate protectively.

_‘not a chance!’_ Chungha said as she guarded her mate.

_‘you were always a liar… even when we were forced to fight each other, all that came out of your mouth were lies… I can't believe I let myself believe you for even a second…’_ Wonho said as the wolf snarled. He didn’t like being called a liar.

Wonho took a deep breath as he took a step forward. His eyes blazed red as he took confident steps forward. There was a reason that this wolf had never fought Wonho when they were kids. It was because Wonho was a much greater fighter.

Wonho lunged in as the two snarled and snapped at each other. They were constantly moving and spinning in circles as they leapt in and out with their fangs bared, but finally, the wolf slipped up as Wonho bit down powerfully on the wolf's leg as he yelped in pain and jumped back.

The bite rendered his leg useless, but they were used to fighting with broken limbs. This would only slow him down slightly. But that was all Wonho needed, and soon his jaws were around the wolf's neck as he slowly bit down as the wolf struggled futilely.

Once he no longer stirred, Wonho dropped the wolf and looked at his friend and her mate. Without them, he knew he would have fallen for that trick. It was one of the few topics that could make him emotional, and that wolf used it against him.

_‘thank you…’_ Wonho said as the two nodded and quickly went back to the others. The fight wasn’t over yet.

Siyeon looked over her shoulder to see the three running up and sighed in relief As Jungeun would swoop down, snatch a wolf up and fly high as she dropped them to their death. But suddenly something strange happened. Heejin and Jiwoo started shouting. Yerim had just disappeared. It was like she blinked out of existence.

Siyeon looked around as the missing girl appeared in front of her. Her vivid purple eyes were staring into siyeon’s. How did she do that? But before she could do anything, the girl turned to her and touched her fur and Bora’s when they suddenly felt dizzy.

The two were near the building with their backs to the wall. But two wolves had snuck to the rooftop and planned to crush the two with debris when Yerim spotted it. Without even thinking, she just wanted to be there, and in a blink, she stood in front of Siyeon.

Yerim didn’t even know what she was doing, but she just felt like she needed to as she carefully touched the two and quickly blinked out of the way just in time for some large metal pipes to crash onto the ground piercing the ground where they once stood.

Siyeon and Bora were now several meters away as Yerim smiled at them and suddenly blinked out of sight, leaving a faint purple smoke behind before returning to the tree with the others.

_‘what the hell was that?’_ Siyeon asked as she looked at her mate in shock. Bora just stood there as stunned as her as they looked over their shoulders towards the tree. What was Yerim?


	76. Chapter 76

-Lasting Effects-

Siyeon and Bora exchanged glances as they looked back at the tree that Yerim was now back in and then faced the fight. It wasn’t over yet. 

Sol was defending Gahyeon like he was a guard dog as she would let her powers flow from her and heal both people and plants around her.

Finally, it looked like the last wave of wolves ran from the forest towards them when Siyeon heard Moonbyul’s voice in her head.

 _‘wait until they are close and then howl…’_ Moonbyul said as Siyeon paused in confusion.

 _‘howl?’_ Siyeon asked as Bora looked at her in confusion. Only Siyeon could hear Moonbyul’s voice.

 _‘yes, howl. Now!’_ Moonbyul shouted in her head as the wolves came in range and quickly Siyeon obeyed as she threw her head back and let loose a howl that was so powerful the ground rattled. Moonbyul’s gift radiated off of her as the silver light blazed all around in a blinding light.

The advancing wolves faltered and soon found themselves unable to do anything in front of the wolf that radiated energy that felt like the full moon. The silver glow around her was now blinding as she held the sorrowful howl for longer than should be possible.

Sol didn’t let this opportunity go to waste. He let his powers surge as he let loose a barrage of thorns striking many of the frozen wolves. The numbing effects quickly dropped them, and now their numbers were dwindling.

Siyeon finally ended her howl slowly when Moonbyul’s voice radiated from her body. The wolves that were standing instantly started to tremble as her powerful voice echoed throughout the field and into the woods.

 _‘you dare to attack one of my chosen? They are not your pawns. Each of my chosen is precious to me, and yet you dare try this? You dare try to abuse the powers I have bestowed on them? The tides are changing, and soon my chosen won't stand still and be pawns to power-hungry alphas any longer. You have been warned…’_ Moonbyul’s voice faded away after her ominous warning.

The wolves in the field found themselves bowing in front of the strength radiating off of Siyeon. Her alpha aura was so strong with the addition of Moonbyul’s gift that they were unable to stand in front of her.

Siyeon slowly walked closer and looked at the wolves before her. Several growled lowly, yet they were trembling before her. They were terrified. The difference between Siyeon and alphas like Jackson was that Siyeon didn’t enjoy this power she had over them.

Most wolves would love to have this power over others, but Siyeon instead felt sad. They didn’t believe in her or trust her. They were forced to behave like this. It didn’t feel right to her and made it difficult for her to understand those wolves who enjoyed this power.

Sol quickly took out the cowering wolves and looked over to Wonho excitedly. He was being trained by them to increase his accuracy and how quickly he could produce the detachable thorns and was proud of what he achieved, but he still hoped that he would be proud of him.

‘did well?’ Sol asked as Wonho shifted out of his wolf form and walked over to him.

“you did excellent Sol,” Wonho said proudly as Sol giggled in excitement.

“Sol was the bird that flew you here the same one that Seulgi knows?” Gahyeon asked as Siyeon, Bora, and the others walked through the dead and immobilized wolves to find any that were faking.

 _‘yes. He got better, and soon Solar and Moonbyul had plan. He decided to help, and so did I!’_ Sol said excitedly as Elkie walked over. Or attempted to. Handong was so relieved to see her that she was clinging to her as she purred and circled the wolf. It was a very slow walk over.

 _‘Moonbyul started frowning a little after you left. She said that the possible futures around you were shifting like crazy. It made it hard for her to be able to see what would happen, but almost all of them had a bad outcome.’_ Elkie said as Handong purred loudly.

 _‘suddenly, the outcomes started getting better, and she said that someone who could manipulate futures must be involved.’_ Elkie said as Jungeun flew down to shift back into her human form before the wolf.

“that would be me… sorry.” Jungeun said as Elkie shook her head

 _‘she said without your interference, it would have gone much worse. You helped greatly. She said that without your help, all of the people inside would have died and to thank you.’_ Elkie said as Jungeun let out a relieved sigh. She as always worried that her interference was causing more harm than good.

“its good to know that…” Jungeun said as she looked at her friends and smiled.

Sooyoung was looking behind her as Jiwoo Heejin, and Yerim made their way over with Seulgi, who was still carrying Yoohyeon and Minji, but they were looking much more awake than before.

Jiwoo ran into Sooyoung’s arms as the girl spun her around happily. While Heejin was quickly pounced by Hyunjin as everyone heard shouts of ‘yuck! Hyunjin! No licking!’ being shouted over and over again.

Hyejoo and Chaewon were following Siyeon like they were her shadow. The two young wolves were amazed by Siyeon and her alpha aura. They followed her around like two little puppies.

Yerim, on the other hand, looked around in curiosity. Everything was so fascinating to her, but she was slowly starting to realize that this may not be a dream. It was hard for her to understand, but with the way things were going, she knew she would need to adapt quickly.

Siyeon slowly walked back. There were a couple of wolves that had tried to hide among the dead and immobilized but quickly were ended by Siyeon and Bora.

“Yerim, what did you do earlier?” Siyeon asked as she shifted back to her human form and looked at the purple-haired girl in curiosity. She still had a silver glow around her that interested Yerim as she answered.

“I don’t know. I just saw what was about to happen and suddenly wanted to be there to help when I saw something shining beside you. and then I was there…” Yerim said as everyone looked at her in confusion.

“shining?” Bora asked as she hugged Siyeon tightly. She was going to be very clingy for a while.

“yes. Like the sun reflected off of something… when I looked at it, I was suddenly down here with everyone…” Yerim said as Dami walked around the area and paused when she saw something in the dirt.

“Siyeon?” Dami asked as Siyeon, and the others walked over to see a small handheld mirror. It must have been one of the residents’ belongings that was dropped when everyone was rushed inside by the traitors.

“something shining…” Siyeon said as she picked up the mirror and showed it to Yerim.

“like this?” Siyeon asked as Yerim nodded excitedly.

“Yes! I saw something like that, and suddenly things around me felt funny…” Yerim said as both Siyeon and Bora nodded. The headache they got after was the result of that weird feeling.

“well, does she need a mirror to so that? Or was that just what helped her focus to be able to do it?” Dami asked as Jungeun walked over. There were rumors of several creatures that could do something similar to this, but the girl before her didn’t fit into any one of them. It made her wonder if she was something new or maybe a hybrid.

“Yerim? Do you remember anything about your past yet? Friends or family?” Jungeun asked as Yerim tried to think back, but there was just nothing. The girl shook her head as Jungeun sighed. There just wasn’t enough information…

Suddenly a roar echoed throughout the woods by where the tunnel exit was as Jungeun looked up in a panic. She knew that shout.

“Jinsoul!” Jungeun shouted as she ran and shifted midstride as she flew through the trees towards her girlfriend.

Siyeon looked at the others only for a second. Everyone was ready to move as they all ran over to find Jinsoul standing there with her eyes blazing a beautiful blue as water radiated off of her back. It made it look like she had wings made out of water as she stared down at a now-dead wolf.

Jungeun ran over and flung her arms around the girl as she started to tremble. Jungeun had wondered where the wolves that had tortured Jinsoul went, and obviously, this wolf had tried to sneak inside the tunnel only to run into Jinsoul and the rest of the residents.

“where are Jinyoung and his pack? He was helping you, right?” Siyeon asked as Jinsoul’s breathing slowly went back to normal, and she nodded.

“they heard wolves in the distance and went to take them out before they got close to these people. This one tried to flee and ran into us.” Jinsoul said with only the slightest tremor in her slow and smooth voice.

As if on cue, Jinyoung ran into view with the remaining wolves as Gahyeon ran over to heal them. Jinyoung sported a nasty gash over one eye. The blood was running into the eye, forcing him to close it as he used his good eye.

Once the wound was healed, he nodded gratefully as she moved onto the others. Jinyoung and his pack were good fighters, but when you have to fight the ones you trained with, it becomes more difficult. They know your strengths, weaknesses, and patterns. This was proof of that. Every wolf had wounds from their fights.

Jinyoung shifted back into his human form, but the scar was still quite visible over his left eye. It would take a while for the scar to slowly fade away.

“there were way too many wolves here. Some of them I recognized from other towns. When I was in school, I was on the sports team, and when we would have a game, I would meet new wolves. I saw several of them today. That bastard made alliances with several other packs… all for that drug and money…” Jinyoung said as he shook his head in disgust.

“I'm sorry I left you. I thought it would be safe…” Jinyoung said to Jinsoul, who just shook her head.

“it wasn’t your fault. That wolf fled as soon as you appeared and tried to take cover in the tunnel for safety. He just didn’t expect us to be there.” Jinsoul said as he nodded and looked down.

“I wasn’t very close to this wolf, but I feared that he had a cruel side…” Jinyoung said as Jungeun scoffed.

“that is an understatement…” she said as she held her girlfriend in her arms.

“I'm sorry… this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have trusted them when they challenged me in the beginning…” Jinyoung said as Yugyeom walked over.

“it's not your fault. I told you to give them a try…” he said as Youngjae put his hand on Jinyoung’s shoulder.

“All three of us were fooled. I should have noticed the lack of scent on them from the drug, and I didn’t… you rely on my nose… I'm sorry.” Youngjae said as they looked behind them. Their numbers were significantly reduced, but every wolf behind them were wolves that they knew they could trust.

What they also didn’t know is that several of the younger wolves that now made their home at the warehouse noticed how Jinyoung and his pack fought to protect them even against people they were close to. Jinyoung’s pack would soon grow again.

“I told you she was a dragon!” Hyunjin said as she walked up to see the wings of water that were flowing behind Jinsoul. The girl looked over her shoulder and stared at the wings in shock. She didn’t even know they were there until Hyunjin said something.

“what are these?” Jinsoul asked slowly as she moved them. They truly looked like they were made of water.

“is it that they are just water and you can control them because you can control water? Or are those really wings, and that’s just how they look because of your ability?” Dami asked as they watched Jinsoul test them as they moved slowly.

“try to take flight,” Jungeun said as she stepped out of her girlfriend's arms and watched carefully.

“I, I don’t know how…” Jinsoul said as she focused on the wings. It was like suddenly sprouting a second set of arms. It was taking a bit of time to get used to.

“what do I need to do?” Jinsoul asked as her girlfriend coached her. When she decided to try, everyone stepped far back to give her some room. The wings were rather big, and when she forced them down rapidly, she became airborne for a brief moment before she landed softly.

“it could be because her girlfriend is an owl, right? She is so used to seeing Jungeun like that, so maybe that is how her powers became?” Sunmi asked as she slowly walked around the girl. They didn’t look like the wings of an owl, though.

They reminded her of a bat's wings, except they were much larger and thicker. Cautiously Sunmi reached forward and ran her hands over one of the wings and watched as it flickered before her.

For a brief second, it almost looked like she saw scaled wings in vivid shades of blue and teal. She also felt cool scales that seemed solid, unlike what it looked like before she touched them. She was starting to think that Hyunjin might be right.

When she removed her hands from the wing, it looked just like water again. Was she the only one to see that? She wasn’t sure, but no one looked shocked or surprised as she expected.

“This is all your fault, Hyunjin!” Jinsoul said with a pout as the vampire looked at her in confusion.

“How is this my fault?” Hyunjin asked as Jinsoul pouted cutely.

“you kept saying that I am a water dragon, and I started thinking it would be cool if it were true… now I have wings!” Jinsoul said as her eyebrows raised cutely. It was one of Jungeun’s weaknesses, and soon the banshee was back in her girlfriend's arms.

“well, it’s a good thing that that you got used to me flying you everywhere!” Jungeun said as she snuggled against her girlfriend, who just whined while looking at her new wings.

“well, this has been an exciting day…” Siyeon said as she looked around her. They had a lot to clean up. She needed to contact her father. He was now within range, and she told him that the fight was finished. It was now cleanup time.

They slowly walked back to the warehouse and looked at the damage that had been caused. The main thing was the doors that were still on the ground when Dami had an idea.

She trotted off into the distance when the others heard a rumbling noise as the ground shook. Dami was pulling metal from the ground. She had never tried to melt metal into a shape before, but carefully she shifted the soil so that it left an indent that would be the size of the fallen doors and let the metal flow into them. When the metal met the ground, it hissed and smoked as the ground became scorched and black, but soon the metal would be cold enough for them to work it.

Siyeon walked over to see what her packmate was doing when she looked at Dami in confusion. She still had not figured out what her friend was doing.

“Dami?” Siyeon asked as the younger girl grinned.

“the old doors were falling apart and fell too easily. That won't keep these people protected. But THESE doors will. They are much thicker and should make them feel more secure.” Dami said as Siyeon smiled.

“right now, it's just a block of metal, though. How are we supposed to hang them?” Siyeon asked as Dami smiled.

“All we have to do is take the hinges off of the other door, and I can heat them and fuse them to the door. Kind of like welding, I guess...” Dami said as Siyeon nodded. She would feel better if these people were more secure too.

“you remember when you blocked up the hole in the wall that Seulgi made?” Siyeon asked as Dami nodded.

“well, can you do that around the warehouse? A stone wall is better than a chain-link fence…” Siyeon said as Dami felt around her. It was all depending on what stones were under the soil. Sadly, there weren’t enough large stones, but she had an idea.

“is Yoohyeon a bit more awake?” Dami asked as Siyeon nodded. She went over to check on them. She was feeling a bit weak but was still her dorky self.

“the soil here has a lot of sand. What happens when you heat up sand?” Dami asked as Siyeon looked at her with a strange expression.

“glass…” Siyeon said as Dami nodded.

“I can pull the sandy soil up while Yoohyeon and Bora use their flames on it,” Dami said as Siyeon frowned.

“yes, but glass breaks easily, right? It's not as strong as stone.” Siyeon said as her friend nodded.

“yes, but its better than nothing and might work as a warning. Who could make it but someone strong? It's more of a message than a real wall. Plus, for some reason, this warehouse has had many odd things happen inside it. It seems to be something that people around here want to claim for power…” Dami said as Siyeon sighed. Glass walls just didn’t sound very secure to her, but she nodded and let Dami go to her sister and tell her the plan.

It took several hours to make, and once it was done, it looked slightly creepy. Once Yoohyeon’s and Bora’s flames faded, it left behind a black glass that almost reminded Siyeon of obsidian. It did indeed look intimidating even if it was only glass. The new doors looked very secure and intimidating, though.

While Dami Bora and Yoohyeon worked on that, though, Siyeon’s father arrived with several trucks as they loaded up the dead wolves and arrested all of the ones that Sol had paralyzed.

“I feel sorry for those wolves…” Siyeon said as they watched the paralyzed wolves drive away.

“why?” Bora asked as Siyeon shook her head.

“the government doesn’t provide a lot of prisons for our kind, as you know. Instead, they take many and force them to work for them. Wolves are good for hunting and tracking whoever they are sent after…” Siyeon said as she sighed and looked at the last truck driving away.

“their poor decisions ended up giving their lives over to the government. It will take them several years to work off what they did…” Siyeon said as Bora looked at the trucks driving off.

“vampires are just locked up in regular prisons. But in solitary confinement. No contact for years. Even blood would be delivered through a way that there would be no human contact. I have heard it can drive a vampire insane.” Bora said as Siyeon shivered.

Wolves were pack animals, and to be separated from her pack would make her go insane. But to be locked in a tiny room for years without anyone sounded like torture.

“Why do they always treat anyone that isn’t human like we are their pets?” Bora asked as Siyeon sighed. It was because the government was afraid of them. They knew this, but it didn’t make it easier to handle.

“We have picked up all of the bodies, and Seulgi went with your father to get the ones locked in that base. For now, why don’t we just wait for Seulgi to get back and then head home?” Bora asked as Siyeon nodded.

As Siyeon and Bora walked back, though, they noticed someone that was missing. The sun was just starting to rise, and as they looked around, they realized that Gahyeon was missing. Flashbacks of what happened last time they were here caused Siyeon to panic as she ran to find her sister.

It wasn’t long before she found her, though. Gahyeon was standing in the exact place that she had died. The ring of dead plants was all around her. No matter what Gahyeon did, she couldn’t bring them back or help anything grow on the spot. They absolutely refused to grow there.

“why…” Gahyeon asked herself as her heartrate picked up. She was remembering her last moments, and soon she felt the panic attack coming on. She felt lightheaded as she staggered backward.

“Gahyeon!” Siyeon shouted as she ran over to her sister. Her pulse was racing as she started to sweat, and her breathing was rapid. Siyeon called to her, but she couldn’t hear her over the sound of her own heartbeat and breathing.

Dami came running at Siyeon’s shout and rushed over to see her mate having a very dangerous panic attack.

“it doesn’t make sense! She was fine before!” Dami said as she held Gahyeon in her arms.

“yes, but she had things to distract her… I should have looked after her better…” Siyeon said as she felt Gahyeon’s forehead. It was sweaty, but she was cold, and that wasn’t like Gahyeon at all.

“what's wrong?” Jungeun asked as she came over and froze. She could tell something was wrong, and as soon as she stepped inside the ring of dead grass, the memory of what happened here hit her. She was able to see Gahyeon’s death and the plant's sacrifices and finally Gahyeon’s first breath after being brought back.

When the vision faded, Jungeun knew what was wrong. It was too much to handle. They needed to get her away from this place.

“get her away from here! Now! It's not helping! Someplace with plenty of plants, possibly?” Jungeun said as she scanned the area and spotted a place with a lot of vegetation as Dami had her mate in her arms as she ran over to the plants.

The bushes and grass reached for Gahyeon as she was brought over. They were able to share their energy with Gahyeon as her heart rate and breathing slowed. Gahyeon could feel the plants were worried for her, and soon she was feeling a bit better.

“you ok?” Siyeon asked as Gahyeon looked up at her and nodded. She was feeling a bit lightheaded from the panic attack, but other than that, she felt fine. Just a bit exhausted.

“I'm better… sorry… I just wanted to try to help the plants that sacrificed themselves for me…” Gahyeon said as Dami held her to her body. She felt like she almost lost Gahyeon a second time.

“places like that hold a strange power. That sadness is what affected you, Gahyeon. It's not your fault. As soon as I stepped there, I could see the sadness that happened there…” Jungeun said as she looked at her with a worried expression.

“the warehouse itself holds many sad and horrible memories. Hopefully, the people that now live here will be able to replace them with good memories…” Jungeun said as Jinsoul walked over. She had been talking to Yerim and noticed the girls panicked reactions to Gahyeon.

“Everything alright?” Jinsoul asked as Jungeun nodded.

“oh, Jinsoul? Can you use your calming ability on her? I think she needs the rest…” Jungeun asked as Jinsoul looked at Siyeon for permission.

“what does it do?” Siyeon asked as Jinsoul knelt down beside Gahyeon.

“a cool calmness washes over them until they fall asleep. There are no side effects.” Jinsoul said as Gahyeon looked up at her sister and pouted. She didn’t want to be carried back home again.

“Gahyeon, can you even walk right now?” Siyeon asked as her pout got bigger. She knew that the answer was no and finally sighed as Jinsoul let the cooling calm wash over her. Soon Gahyeon was sleeping soundly in Dami’s arms.

“I guess its time to head home…” Siyeon said as she looked up to see Seulgi trotting over.

“do you have a place to go?” Siyeon asked as Jungeun looked over to Hyejoo and the others who had slowly come over to see what was wrong.

“not really… we were sleeping out in the woods. Its fine for me, and Hyejoo didn’t seem to mind, but Jiwoo wasn’t too thrilled…” Hyunjin said as the girl shivered.

“bugs…” Jiwoo said as Sooyoung laughed and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

“well, if it's alright with Minji, then you can stay with us until you figure something out,” Siyeon said as Jiwoo smiled excitedly. She was happy about not having to worry about bugs, and the possibility of a shower sounded amazing.

“it's going to get a bit crowded…” Siyeon said as Bora nodded. How were they going to get everyone to the house? They would figure everything out once Handong and the others gathered Minji and Yoohyeon. Sunmi might have some difficulty feeding everyone at this rate.


	77. Chapter 77

-Heading Home-

Siyeon and the others decided to head home now that Seulgi had rejoined them. It would luckily be a more relaxed walk compared to the last time that they made this walk. Several of the ones that were freed from that base happily walked into town free to do what they wished.

Jungeun Hyejoo Hyunjin and their friends followed Siyeon. Seulgi was carrying Yoohyeon and Minji, who were now feeling fine, but she refused to let them walk. She didn’t want something to happen to them.

Irene was again giving Yerim a ride. Her legs were still a bit unstable at times due to the accident, but her speech had fixed itself rather quickly. She was obviously healing faster than she should. What exactly was she?

Siyeon looked over at the girl. She was smiling happily as she looked around. Everything seemed to interest her, but when you lose your memory, everything must seem new and exciting. Her attitude was happy and bubbly, even though she almost died.

Bora was walking beside Siyeon when she noticed her observing Yerim. She could tell that Siyeon was curious about her. Even Bora felt that there was something strange about her. They just wished that they knew more. They didn’t want any nasty surprises.

 _‘what's wrong?’_ Bora asked as Siyeon looked at her in surprise. She was distracted by her own thoughts.

 _‘oh, I'm just hoping that bringing them back home isn’t a bad idea… I don’t want to put everyone in danger… and we don’t know much about this girl…’_ Siyeon said as Dami walked a bit closer.

 _‘im a bit nervous about it too but that banshee girl should be able to see if something changes. If this Yerim girl suddenly decides to turn on us, Jungeun would probably see something.’_ Dami said as Siyeon thought.

That was one of the things that she worried about. Could she trust Jungeun? It was something that she worried a lot about. Could she be putting too much trust into others? She didn’t want to make a mistake by trusting someone foolishly because of her inexperience as a leader.

 _‘don’t worry. I think we can trust her. She warned us about the ambush, and even Moonbyul thanked her. We will just keep a close eye on them. sound good?’_ Dami asked as Siyeon nodded.

They were starting to gain attention from everywhere, and soon more would come if they couldn’t get these rumors under control. Many things were on Siyeon’s mind, and both Bora and Dami could see it.

 _‘we will be able to face whatever happens. Don’t stress…’_ Bora said as she rubbed against her as she purred. It helped ease Siyeon’s nerves as she relaxed and walked more confidently.

 _‘sorry, I just worry that sometimes I'm making mistakes due to being inexperienced. Most alphas get training when they are young on how to lead, but my family was never interested in that…’_ Siyeon said as Dami smiled.

 _‘I think you are doing an amazing job. Most of those alphas I have seen treat their packmates as if they are expendable. We have seen that several times. But I don’t feel that with you. You value our opinions and treat us as friends. That’s what I liked about you. You didn’t treat me like I was less because I was a hybrid and valued my opinions.’_ Dami said as Siyeon smiled. It was good to know that. She always tried to treat them properly.

Siyeon always disagreed with how alphas treated others. In the beginning, she hated being an alpha and even wished that she wasn’t. When she was young, everyone wanted to challenge her. It was so frustrating.

But now Siyeon was the alpha of a pack, and it was nice to know that her packmates respected her. Her biggest fear was that she would slowly become someone like Jackson. That power would go to her head one day. She had seen it happen before, after all. Just not on as big a scale as Jackson.

Sunmi slowly trotted up to Siyeon as the girls looked at her. There seemed to be something wrong. The fox was looking back at her mate a lot and finally looked at Siyeon. The worry in her eyes made Siyeon and the others tense.

 _‘what's wrong?’_ Siyeon asked as Sunmi sighed.

 _‘I have noticed that Chungha has been talking less and less lately… I was worried that something was wrong. There was. This month is the month that her parents died. Her mood seems to be bad, and she's trying to hide it. I don’t know what to do…’_ Sunmi said as she glanced at her mate once more. The mark that Irene’s ability caused was visible and seemed to glow faintly in the shade of the trees.

 _‘We just need to help her take her mind off of it. Luckily the house will be much busier than before. Hopefully, we will be able to bring her mood up. I was wondering why her teasing had stopped…’_ Elkie said as she joined the conversation.

 _‘we will try to do something to cheer her up once we get home. Hopefully, she will soon return to her normal teasing self.’_ Siyeon said as Sunmi sighed and went back to talk with her mate.

They were getting close when Jungeun flew down to them. She was looking ahead and noticed something odd above the trees.

 _‘that strange bird that dropped off your plant friend seems to be having an issue. It looks like a hawk is trying to attack it…’_ Jungeun said as he flew among the trees and sped towards Seulgi to quickly land on Yoohyeon, causing shrieks of pain as his claws sunk into Yoohyeon’s flesh.

“ouch! Fuck that hurt!” Yoohyeon shouted as Minji smacked her for swearing.

He wasn’t being attacked exactly. The bird that had helped them before seemed to have found her crush and was now snuggling beside him happily as she made adorable noises.

Seulgi just laughed and continued to walk. This was a normal situation. He would flee while she would chase after him. The hawk looked so tiny compared to him, but she was still so cute as she snuggled against him happily.

 _‘aren’t his feathers razor-sharp? How is she not getting cut?’_ Elkie asked. She remembered all the cuts she received when she carried him back as Seulgi just shrugged. She was immune to his feathers too, after all.

Yoohyeon was whining about his preferred perching place but finally gave up when no one seemed to mind. Jungeun quickly shifted back to her human form as she walked beside Seulgi to look at him better.

At first, she thought he was just like an enormous bird of prey. His black feathers were a sign that all wasn’t as it seemed, though. They were not truly feathering but looked more like scales, and when she touched one, it sliced deeply into her finger.

It felt more like a thin and flexible scale instead of a feather. She was sure he was no ordinary bird, and when he looked into her eyes, she was sure of it. They were a reflective silver that caught her attention. It made her wonder if he could see, but as he turned his head and watched the surroundings, she knew his eyesight was perfectly fine.

Now that he was feeling better, he looked a bit more intimidating. The top of his head had a crest of long feathers on his head and held a very regal pose. Even if he had a tiny bird fluffing up beside him happily.

His beak was also rather large and powerful. She didn’t want to accidentally get on the bird's bad side. Whatever he was, he wasn’t normal, and that was the important thing.

Siyeon noticed Jungeun examining him curiously and laughed. She knew the feeling as she watched Jungeun stare at him in confusion. She felt the same way at times.

 _‘We don’t know much about him, just that he shouldn’t be here. Your guess is as good as ours. He's a friend of Seulgi, though, and managed to help us when we needed it. He got sick off of that drug. That’s what led us to that base and freeing you. Without him, we would have never known what that pack was doing…’_ Siyeon said as Jungeun looked at the bird one more time.

He looked at her with a curious expression as he tilted his head slightly. He, too, could tell that there was something unusual with Jungeun. She smelled like both a bird and a person. It was most confusing for the young bird.

They got close when they heard Jiwoo squeal in panic. It seemed that sol had decided to play a prank on her. He carefully extended a thin vine and brushed the bare skin on the back of her neck, causing her to scream, thinking a bug landed on her.

Sol's giggles told Sooyoung what really happened, and she couldn’t help but laugh as her girlfriend pouted cutely before smiling. She had to admit it WAS funny.

 _‘those two seem to be cute together.’_ Siyeon said as Jungeun looked back and smiled.

 _‘they are. Sooyoung was always so cold and distant until Jiwoo came to our school. She pursued Sooyoung relentlessly until she finally gave in and accepted her feelings. She tried to act like she wasn’t interested, but everyone knew that she was just playing hard to get. They really are cute together.’_ Jungeun said with a smile.

 _‘oh, where’s your girlfriend?’_ Siyeon asked as Jungeun laughed and pointed at Yerim. The girl was laughing as she and Jinsoul joked.

 _‘Jinsoul found someone that actually finds her lame jokes funny. She's breaking out everything she has and quite proud of herself…’_ Jungeun said as she tried to sound annoyed. Her smile gave away her real feelings, though.

 _‘Why did you keep your relationship a secret if you don’t mind me asking? I heard it from Hyejoo.’_ Dami asked as Jungeun smiled.

 _‘Jinsoul’s parents don’t like me. They think I'm weird and bring bad luck. She told me not to worry about them and that they don’t matter… but…’_ Jungeun said as her head dropped. The confident girl was now showing her doubts.

 _‘don’t worry. In the beginning, Minji Handong and Bora never let me near Gahyeon. Now we are mates. Things change, and so do people's views and opinions. It just might take a while.’_ Dami said as Jungeun looked to Bora to confirm. The vampire nodded with a sad smile.

 _‘I feel bad about it. Gahyeon’s scent was different, and without knowing it, everyone ostracized her, and I think it was our fault…’_ Bora said as Dami shook her head.

‘she knows you were just overprotective. She doesn’t blame you.’ Dami said as she sighed. She didn’t like being separated from her mate.

Siyeon’s father decided to drive Gahyeon home. He also had some questions on what happened and how it led to this. He offered to take Minji and Yoohyeon, too, but Seulgi refused. She was guarding them like they were babies.

They were finally close to home. They arrived at the mist-covered path and sighed in relief. It wasn’t much longer. The new people, however, were starting to feel nervous.

 _‘what is this mist?’_ Jungeun asked as Sunmi laughed.

 _‘it’s created by Sunmi. It keeps this place protected and hidden.’_ Siyeon said as Jungeun nodded. It didn’t help the creepy feeling she was getting, though.

When the gate came into view, the girls sighed in relief. They were finally home. Sunmi opened the gate to see Hyunwoo jogging up to them.

“I was just about to head your way… is everything alright?” he asked as Sunmi nodded.

“We have a banshee with us. Giant owl. So if you are looking for Wonho…” Sunmi trailed off as he laughed.

“then he's going to be hiding…” Hyunwoo said with a laugh as Sunmi nodded.

When Jungeun and the others saw the house, they gasped in amazement. They had wondered how they would be able to house everyone. This wasn’t a house, but a mansion and they couldn’t help but stare in shock.

“Ok! Were home! can you let us down yet!?” Yoohyeon shouted as Seulgi slowly set them down. Irene trotted over to her mate as Seulgi helped Yerim off of her back and scooped her into her arms happily.

 _‘Seulgi I’m still in cat form… this is a bit uncomfortable… I feel like a little kitten…’_ Irene said as Seulgi held her in her arms.

“Seriously, that girl is insanely strong!” Sooyoung said as she watched Seulgi.

“yes, she is. And to think she was living in the wild until recently…” Siyeon said as Sooyoung looked at Seulgi a bit closer.

Now that Minji was back home, she and Sunmi walked around the house as they planned where everyone would sleep and the meal arrangements. By the end, everything was settled, and everyone was shown to their room.

Siyeon sighed as she flopped onto the couch and flung her head back. They were waiting for her father to get here. He promised to bring food so that Sunmi and the others didn’t have to worry about cooking. It was a relief but explaining everything would be a bit annoying. Sometimes he would go into cop mode when he asked questions.

Siyeon felt the couch shift and looked over to see Bora lounge across her. She still had her ears and tail out, and it was wrapping around her arm cutely.

“Hey, baby,” Siyeon said as she smiled and leaned down to kiss Bora.

The vampire purred happily as Siyeon laughed. It was always funny after Bora shifted out of her cat form. She behaved more like a cat than usual for an hour or two. Right now, Bora nipped Siyeon’s lips playfully.

“you know where that leads… and I don’t think disappearing for several hours would make me look very good…” Siyeon said as Bora pouted and wrapped her arms around her.

“but it’s been so long…” Bora said with a pout as Siyeon laughed.

“Yeah, right! you woke me up acting like a cat in heat this morning!” Siyeon said with a big smile as Bora’s ears flattened. It was adorable to watch.

“but…” Bora said with an adorable pout as Siyeon grunted and frowned. It was tough to deny Bora anything when she gave that expression, and Bora knew that.

“you two go have fun. I will show them around. Elkie filled me in, and you know Bora will be glued to you for days. She doesn’t like the thought of possibly losing you.” Minji said as Bora nodded cutely.

Siyeon let out a growl. She knew that Minji was right, and those ears were killing her. Finally, Siyeon looked at Minji once more as she nodded.

Without saying anything, Siyeon stood and scooped Bora up and walked up to their room as Minji grinned widely. She was happy to see them alive and like that after she heard what happened. She just wished she was of more help.

Minji had no idea that her powers would drain her so quickly. The explosion also seemed to make it more difficult. She had to speed things up so much to make it out in time that she burned through her energy too quickly.

She was able to use it more than when she first tried it. So practice obviously help. So, her only option was to train harder. Her ability could mean life or death for her packmates, and she refused to let her family get hurt because she was unprepared.

If she had to cover all of her pack with her ability in the same situation, they would have been dead right now. She decided that she needed to talk to Sunmi and set up a way for her to practice with her ability often too slowly strengthen it.

-Jungeun and Jinsoul-

Jungeun sighed in relief once the door shut behind them as she turned to look at her girlfriend. The wings of water were still there at the moment. She really looked amazing with it. Like something out of a painting.

Jinsoul looked over at her with a relieved smile but soon frowned as she saw tears appear. She quickly walked over and held her girlfriend as the sobs started.

“I'm so sorry! Oh my god, Jinsoul, I'm so so sorry…” Jungeun said as her girlfriend tried to soothe her.

“relax. You couldn’t have known it would have ended up like that. Ok?” Jinsoul said as Jungeun shook her head violently.

“I had some brief and vague vision that something was happening. You begged me not to get involved, and I didn’t listen. And look at where that got us! Are you sure you are alright?” Jungeun said as Jinsoul held her tightly against her body.

“I'm fine. I was a bit shaken, but I will be alright…” Jinsoul said as Jungeun held her tightly.

“no, you are not… I could hear you… I'm so sorry…” Jungeun said as she sobbed loudly.

The mental torture that they went through was intense. Every night once the wolves left, Jinsoul would cry herself to sleep. She feared something happening to herself, but more than that, she worried that they would do something to Jungeun.

Jungeun was her world, and the thought of them doing anything to hurt her made her boil with rage and want to cry at the same time. And crying when you are angry only makes you more furious.

“it's alright. It's over, and we can just forget what happened…” Jinsoul said, but she knew that it would be impossible to forget what happened there. But she would act like she could if it would ease Jungeun’s mind.

“I still feel horrible…” Jungeun said as Jinsoul sighed and tilted the smaller girls head up and gently kissed her. Jungeun relaxed a bit as they just stood there like that. They missed this so much and have gone through so much.

They slowly pulled apart after a while as Jungeun sighed and rested her head against Jinsoul’s chest. She always did what she could to comfort her. She always made Jungeun feel safe, and this was one of those times.

“come on. Let's go shower. They left us some clothes to wear and said food is on the way.” Jinsoul said as she walked her girlfriend into the bathroom.

Something strange happened, though. As Jinsoul walked Jungeun towards the bathroom, she finally calmed down all the way when suddenly her wings of water disappeared. Or more specifically fell onto the ground leaving a large puddle behind. The girls ran into the bathroom, grabbing towels as they tried to wipe up the water before it damaged the floors when Jungeun paused.

“couldn’t you just pull the water up with your ability and dump it into the tub or something?” Jungeun asked as Jinsoul smacked her forehead and quickly stood. Soon the water was cleared, and they finally were able to shower and soon rushed downstairs.

-Yerim-

Yerim was shown her room and slowly walked around it, admiring everything. The room looked old, and everything in it looked like it was from an old movie. Minji had told her that this side of the house wasn’t used since her parents were alive, so it explained its appearance.

As she walked around, she noticed the clothes that Minji and the others had set out for her. There was a grey hoodie and some shorts. It was meant for comfort, and she smiled.

She quickly showered and went to reach for her clothes and realized that she left them on the bed. Without thinking, she blinked over to the clothes and froze. How could she do that? Before she had seen that mirror but just now, she just thought about the clothes and appeared beside them.

What was worse was that her head throbbed when it happened. She wasn’t sure if it was her head injury or if the ability would always do that, but when she looked into the mirror, she froze.

Inside the mirror was her own reflection, but a faint image was also shown. The girl was blond and smiled happily when she realized that she had been seen, and the more Yerim stared at her, the more visible the girl became.

Yerim looked at her in confusion as she slowly walked closer. The girl smiled and waved happily. She could tell that she was a bit confused and shrugged.

When Yerim approached, the girl's smile grew bigger. No one had been able to see her in forever! Maybe this person could help her get out of wherever she was trapped. She didn’t even know how long she had been trapped here, but the thought of someone finally being able to see her made her happy.

“Who are you?” Yerim asked as she looked at the girl once more.

“I'm Yerim! Can you even hear me?” the girl asked as Yerim nodded nervously. Was the same name a coincidence or no?

“what's your full name?” the purple-haired Yerim asked as the girl in the mirror smiled.

“Kim Yerim. You?” she asked as the purple-haired girl answered automatically.

“Choi Yerim.” She said before pausing. A couple of minutes ago, she couldn’t even remember her last name, but now it just flew out of her mouth without thinking.

Suddenly her head ached horribly as she staggered backward.

 _‘you alright?’_ the blond asked as she struggled to stand. Yerim was getting flashes of images.

_It looked like the night of the accident. She was walking home when suddenly headlights flicked on behind her. She glanced around to see a car flick their high beams on as they revved the engine._

_The road she was on was lined with trees on either side, and not a person was seen. Suddenly she panicked as she tried to run for the trees when the car sped forward at a rapid speed._

_Her heart was pounding, and she just wished she was out of the way when she blinked several feet away. But it was no use. The car was too fast, and soon the blinding lights were upon her, and all she felt was pain and then darkness._

The memory was over as soon as it happened, and when she looked up into the mirror, the girl looked genuinely worried. Her hands pressed onto the mirror as she leaned in. Yerim was suddenly curious as she shook her head and walked over to the mirror.

“don’t move your hands, alright?” Yerim said as the blond nodded. As she touched the mirror where the other Yerim’s hands were, she noticed something right away. It was WARM. This girl was trapped on the other side of the mirror.


	78. Chapter 78

-Mirrors-

Yerim stood there in shock. There was actually someone trapped on the other side of the mirror? Or was this just caused by some head trauma that she suffered from her injury? She wasn’t sure, but how else could she see and hear this girl?

“Are you real?” Yerim asked as the blonde looked at her with a confused expression.

 _‘of course I am! We are talking right now, right?’_ she asked as Yerim nodded.

“This is going to get a bit confusing…” Yerim said as the other Yerim giggled and nodded.

“are you only trapped in that mirror?” Yerim asked as the blonde shook her head.

 _‘no. I can travel from mirror to mirror. It's just that normally people don’t see me… the last person to see me was that adorable girl Minji’s mother… but I think she's gone now…’_ Yerim said sadly as the purple-haired girl sighed sadly.

“How did you get into there?” Yerim asked as the blonde sighed.

 _‘I started to see someone that looked like me. Just glimpses here and there. I didn’t think much of it at first. I thought maybe I just saw my reflection in a mirror as I walked by, but it wasn’t… it was something that looked like me…’_ Yerim said as the purple-haired girl felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She had heard something similar before, but she couldn’t remember where.

“What happened once you realized it?” Yerim asked as the girl in the mirror sighed.

 _‘I started having my friends talk about how much fun they had when we went to this place or that... but it wasn’t me… the person was acting like me. It was like she or it was trying to take over my life… in the end, my friends chose that thing as the real me. As soon as they did, I found myself in here…’_ the blonde said as Yerim shivered.

“you encountered your double, and it took over your life… how are you supposed to get out of there then?” Yerim asked as the blonde scrunched her nose. What she was about to say she clearly didn’t like.

 _‘I’m supposed to do the same thing… but I know how it hurt to see all my friends turn on me and side with that thing… I don’t want to become like it…’_ Yerim said as the purple-haired girl touched the mirror once more. The blonde touched where her hand was and smiled. She, too, could feel the warmth.

 _‘please be careful. The things you see in mirrors can be dangerous. If you see me, you might be able to see them. And you worried me when you entered that battlefield. What made you want to go there?’_ the blonde asked as Yerim looked at her with a confused expression.

“what do you mean?” Yerim asked as the blonde explained.

 _‘Why did you go to Siyeon?’_ the blond asked as Yerim looked at her, still looking lost.

‘ _I was watching through a mirror that someone dropped. I'm so grateful you saved them, but what made you go to them?’_ the blonde asked as Yerim’s eyes widened.

“you did. I saw the mirror and all of a sudden I was there… why were you watching them, though?” Yerim asked as the blonde smiled sweetly.

 _‘I have grown to like these girls. I have watched Minji grow up. I have seen them all growing stronger. I feel like a proud parent even though I may look like a baby…’_ the blond said as Yerim giggled.

“you do look like a baby. You look younger than I do!” Yerim said as the blonde acted offended before laughing.

 _‘I missed talking to people…’_ the blonde Yerim said as sadness washed over her. It had been many years since she had been able to talk to someone. Being trapped like this made a person extremely lonely.

“well, I will talk to you when I can. Hopefully, someone will know how to get you out of here. The ones that live here seem really smart. Is it alright if I ask them?” Yerim asked as the blonde nodded excitedly. Any way out of this mirror that didn’t mean hurting someone else sounded amazing.

The two talked for almost an hour when a knock on the door interrupted them. Minji peeked in, looking slightly confused. She could hear Yerim laughing and talking, but when she opened the door, there was no one there. She was just looking into the old mirror hanging onto the wall.

“Sorry to bother you. The food Is here!” Minji said as Yerim nodded excitedly. She quickly waved to the mirror and nodded as she followed Minji downstairs.

 _‘maybe I should have Gahyeon check her head…’_ Minji thought as she looked back at the happy girl with worry.

-Hyunjin and Heejin-

Hyunjin and Heejin followed Minji, and when they made it to the room, Hyunjin didn’t even say any kind of thanks before the door was shut, and she was upon Heejin. She was purring and snuggling as Heejin laughed.

When Heejin behaved even more like a cat than usual, she would have whiskers, and Heejin could feel them tickling her face as she laughed. At least she wasn’t licking her yet.

“ok! ok! You know your whiskers tickle like crazy!” Heejin said as Hyunjin purred louder.

“I know…” Hyunjin said lowly. She was so happy to have Heejin back, but right now, her thoughts were not the cleanest.

She nipped at Heejin’s neck, making her shiver as she gasped. Hyunjin loved the reaction that Heejin would give whenever she was like this. As she nipped gently along her jawline and down her neck, Heejin could feel her extremely sharp fangs rake against her skin.

It was always so thrilling and attractive at the same time, but she told herself that she needed to stop this if they were going to get downstairs to eat.

“Hyunjin… later… please?” Heejin said as Hyunjin nipped slightly harder. She wasn’t done, and Heejin was going to become a mess if she didn’t stop this.

“Hyunjin, we can continue this later. Right now, let's go downstairs. They might have bread…” Heejin said as Hyunjin paused. She loved bread, and the word caught her attention.

Heejin knew she had Hyunjin’s attention as she watched her ears twitch and slowly lean back to look at her. When she was younger and realized for the first time that she could actually eat food and not just blood, bread was the first thing she wanted to try, and she wasn’t disappointed.

“What kinds?” Hyunjin asked as Heejin shrugged.

“I'm not sure. This is an expensive-looking house… probably many kinds…” Heejin said as Hyunjin looked at her one last time and pouted cutely.

“I don’t want to stop, but I know you must be hungry…” Hyunjin said as she sighed and ran her hands through her hair. Her ears showed her frustration, but she slowly walked to the door with a pout. Her fangs catching on her lip cutely.

“let's go…” Hyunjin said. She sounded like a little kitten. Heejin laughed as she took one last look at the room and walked downstairs after her girlfriend.

-Hyejoo and Chaewon-

The two young wolves were shown their room and looked around in amazement. It was like they were transported back in time, and the two seemed excited to look around.

“We tried to set you out some clothes, but I don’t know how they will fit thought…” Minji said as Chaewon smiled gratefully. Minji quickly left the room to show the rest of the girls their rooms as the two looked around a bit.

After several minutes Chaewon felt arms around her waist as Hyejoo rested her head against her cutely. She had been so worried that she had lost her best friend. Or were they more now? They hadn’t really talked about it, but when Chaewon went missing, Hyejoo felt like a piece of her was ripped away. She didn’t know what it meant, but she didn’t want to be separated like that again.

“I missed you…” Hyejoo said softly as Chaewon smiled happily. The girl could always make her feel butterflies in her stomach, and this moment was no different.

Carefully she turned around to see the upset expression and the frown on those lips that she loved. She hugged Hyejoo as she held her happily. They truly missed each other. Chaewon felt the same. Until they threw Yerim into her cell, she had thought about Hyejoo the entire time.

“did you think about me?” Hyejoo asked as Chaewon nodded silently. Her emotions were getting the better of her, and she knew if she cried, then so would Hyejoo. She tried to act tough but was a complete softy and nerd.

“of course I missed you. I missed you like crazy. The only thing that took my mind off of the loneliness was that girl Yerim.” Chaewon said as Hyejoo stiffened. She was worried that because they had never talked about what they were to each other, that someone could take Chaewon away from her, and hearing her talk about another girl made her panic.

“what all happened in that cell? How did she help you take your mind off of me?” Hyejoo asked nervously. Had she lost Chaewon to a girl that was unconscious the entire time they were locked together?

“I was driving myself crazy worrying about you. I worried you would do something reckless when you realized that I went missing… I was right, but luckily it ended up alright.” Chaewon said as Hyejoo winced. She was expecting to get scolded by her, but instead, it didn’t come.

“when they threw her into my cell, they actually THREW her. Blood was everywhere, and once they left, I quickly tried to do what I could. I don’t know what they did to her, but no one deserves to be treated like that…” Chaewon said as Hyejoo frowned.

“what's wrong?” Chaewon asked as Hyejoo pulled out of her embrace with a sigh.

“I don’t know… I just don’t like hearing you talk about other girls like that…” Hyejoo said in a sulky tone as Chaewon giggled.

“Are you jealous?” Chaewon asked with a surprised smile as Hyejoo flinched and blushed.

“no!” Hyejoo said. She was now back to her stubborn and silent self. Chaewon giggled as she wrapped her arms around the sulky wolf.

“I felt the need to help her. I don’t like seeing someone hurting. But It doesn’t mean that I like them… I like you…” Chaewon said as she hugged Hyejoo as she hid her face. She could feel Hyejoo’s whole body relax at her words and soon felt the sulky wolf's arms around her.

“I like you too. I was so worried I lost you…” Hyejoo said when the door flew open. Minji walked in with an expression that reminded the two of a parent.

“no fooling around, please! You two are babies!” Minji said as the two laughed.

“We haven’t even kissed yet! How could we go that far?” Chaewon said as Hyejoo went silent and hid behind Chaewon in embarrassment.

“I didn’t need to know that!” Minji said. She was still in parent mode.

“no fooling around!” Minji said as Chaewon laughed.

“but what if we are mates?” Chaewon asked as Hyejoo froze behind her.

“I still see you as babies! No!” Minji shouted as she fled the room.

“mates?” Hyejoo asked once the door was closed as Chaewon turned around to face her.

“yes, mates. I think that’s what we are. We haven’t tested it yet, but when I was away from you, it truly hurt. I didn’t like it, and you were all I thought of… I think we might be…” Chaewon said as Hyejoo stared at her silently.

“Does that bother you?” Chaewon asked as Hyejoo still remained silent. Her eyes were focused on the blonde's lips, but she didn’t notice it until the quiet girl leaned in and gently kissed her. Both of them felt like everything froze. This felt different. Special. And when they pulled back, Hyejoo knew that Chaewon was correct.

Hyejoo smiled happily. She was hers. Chaewon was truly her mate, and she couldn’t be happier. The blonde seemed to still be slightly dazed when Hyejoo leaned in once more. This time there was a different feeling to it. It just felt right. And both of them held it for as long as possible.

“What did I say! Babies!” Minji shouted as she separated the two and rushed them out of the door and downstairs to eat. Maybe they should have separate rooms Minji wondered as she led the two grinning idiots down the stairs.

-Sooyoung and Jiwoo-

Once the two were shown to their room, Jiwoo ran and leapt into Sooyoung’s arms. She had been so worried about her. Hyunjin had threatened to gag her several times until she finally asked if they thought everyone was alright.

“I missed you so much…” Jiwoo said as she started to sniffle. All her emotions were coming up at once. She was happy to be in her arms again but mad at her for allowing herself to be taken just to protect her. But at least she was safe.

“I missed you too… I was so worried that what that idiot said was true…” Sooyoung said as she petted her hair gently. It always made Jiwoo relax when she did that. It was just so soothing and was taking away her anger and anxiety.

“Promise me you will never give yourself up to protect me ever again!” Jiwoo said cutely as she snuggled against her girlfriend.

“I promise. For now, do you want to get a shower? If you had to sleep outside, I bet you really are wanting one right now…” Sooyoung said as Jiwoo nodded.

“but please join me? I feel like you will disappear if I lose sight of you…” Jiwoo said as her girlfriend nodded and carried her into the bathroom. She refused to join her because she knew that they would miss the food if she did, so she leaned against the doorway as she talked to Jiwoo.

Once she was done with her shower, Sooyoung dried her hair as she smiled. She had missed this cute ball of energy so much that she just wanted to lock the door and stay in the room all night, but that wouldn’t be fair to their hosts.

“you are so beautiful…” Sooyoung said as she watched her girlfriend blush and go shy. It was always so cute to watch, and she loved making her blush.

“says the hottest girl in school…” Jiwoo joked back as her cheeks still held a hint of pink. Sooyoung laughed as she leaned in and kissed the shorter girl.

“This girl is only yours, though.” She said with a smile that only Jiwoo could bring out. That girl that pursued her and slowly wore her down and finally made her admit the feeling was mutual.

“I was so worried…” Sooyoung said as she leaned in and kissed her jaw and led to just under her ear. She knew it was the girl's weak spot and laughed when she started to squirm.

“sorry. I will stop. Let's go downstairs and get something to eat. Shall we?” Sooyoung asked as she held out her hand.

“you are not going to shower?” Jiwoo asked as she shook her head.

“no, I want you to join me later when we have some alone time…” Sooyoung said with a wink as she walked out the door and held it open for her very red girlfriend.

“um… ok…” Jiwoo said as she rushed out the door. She could hear Sooyoung’s amused giggle behind her and smiled. She loved being able to hear that giggle again.

Everyone walked downstairs. Hyejoo and Chaewon were rushed down first. Minji was in parent mode and was watching them like a hawk. Next came Hyunjin and Heejin, followed by Jinsoul and Jungeun and Sooyoung and Jiwoo. When Yerim didn’t come down, Minji ended up going to check on her, but when she came back with the girl, she had an odd expression.

 _‘Gahyeon? Can you subtly use your powers to check Yerim? I caught her having a conversation with the mirror… I'm worried she has some permanent damage…’_ Minji said as Gahyeon let her powers flow off of her and coat the happy girl from head to toe.

 _‘she’s fine. She’s even healing better than I could have hoped. I don’t know how to explain it…’_ Gahyeon said as Dami stood and walked out of the room towards her library. She was gone for several minutes and came back with three thick leather-bound books that looked very old.

She sat at the table and quickly flipped through them. She had an odd feeling that the whole situation sounded familiar. Like she had read about it before. Finally, Handong spoke.

“not that book. The next one. Near the back.” Handong said as she stood behind her as they quickly read through the books. Yerim stared at them with a happy yet confused smile as the two read quickly through the book until they suddenly paused.

Everyone went quiet as the two read the pages silently and then looked up at Yerim with a worried expression.

“Yerim? Do you see someone other than you in the mirror?” Dami asked as Yerim looked at them with a surprised expression.

“yes! How did you know? I was going to ask you about it later.” Yerim said as she looked over to the mirror across the room and waved.

“What did this person say? Did they look like you?” Dami asked as Yerim shook her head.

“no. We have the same name, but other than that, she looks completely different. She said she was trapped inside the mirror for so long. Some creature took over her life, and now she's trapped.” Yerim said as Dami and Handong looked at each other with a worried expression.

“what’s going on?” Siyeon asked as she walked in with her father and several bags of food.

“I don’t know, but Dami and Handong are worrying me…” Gahyeon said as she went to stand and grab some of the bags as Siyeon shook her head.

“nope! I don’t think so! Stay seated! You were drained after what happened at the warehouse. Rest and eat.” Siyeon said as Gahyeon pouted and sat back down.

“So, what's wrong?” Siyeon asked as Dami slowly walked around and showed an old page.

“doppelganger? What's that?” Siyeon asked as Dami explained it.

“they are creatures that take on the form of someone and try to take over their life. They usually can read the thoughts of people that try to figure out who is the real one and who is the doppelganger. You cant ask them to prove it is really them by asking about a memory because they can read your thoughts. You have to trick them to banish them back into the mirror from where they came, or the victim becomes trapped and is now one of them.” Dami read as she looked at Yerim.

“yes! That’s what she said! She said that she could probably get out of the mirror if she became like that, but she didn’t want to hurt anyone. She asked if there was a way out of the mirror without becoming like that creature.” Yerim said as everyone looked at her with varied expressions.

“I don’t want to seem insulting, but could it possibly be a hallucination? You had some serious head trauma and even had difficulty speaking for a while.” Sooyoung said as Yerim looked to the mirror like someone said something.

“Yerim says to ask her something. She watched Minji grow up so she can prove she is real. Oh, she said walk away from any mirrors, or she can hear you.” Yerim said as Siyeon looked at Minji.

“she watched me grow up?” Minji asked as Yerim nodded.

“yes, she said the only person that could see her beside me was your mother,” Yerim said as Minji’s eyes went wide and looked at Sunmi.

“the ghost!” Minji shouted as Sunmi nodded.

“This would make sense. Your mother did always feel like this place was haunted. I never believed it because I didn’t feel a spirit, but a doppelganger is a bit different.” Sunmi said as Yerim frowned.

“but she's not an actual doppelganger. She was trapped in there by one…” Yerim said as Sunmi looked at her sympathetically.

“yes, but once you are tricked by one or replaced by one, then you become one too. I don’t know if getting her out of the mirror is the best idea…” Sunmi said as Yerim looked shocked.

“but if you can see her like I can, you would know that she is harmless. I'm sure that if she wanted to, she could have tried to replace me, but she didn’t.” Yerim said as Siyeon walked over to her. She didn’t want to judge this other girl without seeing her.

“Yerim? I have an idea. Seulgi, do you mind helping me for a second?” Siyeon asked as Seulgi stood and walked over.

“can you create a bond with Yerim and see if you can see the girl in the mirror too?” Siyeon asked as Seulgi nodded.

Once that was completed, Seulgi used her sight and looked at the mirror and froze. There really was someone there. Quickly she shared what she saw as Siyeon thought of what to do.

She wanted to use Seulgi’s ability instead of just teaching her how to show her memory because if it was a hallucination from an injury or a trick, then it might go unnoticed, but this was proof that a young girl was trapped inside the mirror.

“well, she isn’t lying. There really is a girl trapped in the mirror…” Siyeon said as she looked to Dami.

“What did she look like?” Dami asked. She was curious if the girl had picked up any traits of this Yerim.

“blonde. Red eyes. So she was a vampire before she was trapped…” Siyeon said as Dami thought carefully. There was a way to get someone out that was trapped.

It was written in one of her books. A parent failed to choose the right child, and once it was too late, she looked into the mirror, calling her lost child when she broke the mirror. The barrier between wherever the child was trapped broke and the child was able to return. But the child still had abilities like the creature as the creature lived on normally in the child's place.

With this girl being a vampire before she was trapped, Dami had no idea what she would become once she was free. Would she be dangerous?

Seulgi looked at the mirror and smiled. Her ability allowed her to see more than most, and she was sure that this girl wasn’t evil. She was just lost and trapped.

Seulgi looked at Siyeon and then Dami. Her speech wasn’t great yet, and she didn’t want to embarrass herself, so she quickly pulled them aside as she tried to explain as best she could.

“so, you think that she isn’t dangerous?” Siyeon asked as Seulgi nodded.

“so young. Or was.” Seulgi said as Siyeon nodded. She looked to be a teen when she was trapped. If she was freed, would she continue to grow, or would she be trapped at that age? Siyeon wasn’t sure, but she wanted everyone's opinion before they decided to do anything with this girl.

 _‘pack meeting. Dad, can you start dishing out the food for the others while we talk?’_ Siyeon asked as her gather agreed. They met outside and quickly talked.

The only one that was missing was Chungha. She seemed to use too much energy today and wanted to rest. Her pack stood in front of her and thought quietly.

“I think we should free her. I know you probably think I'm being reckless but thinking of someone trapped in there for so long. She had to have been trapped for so many years if she saw you growing up. I feel bad for her. Locked away where no one could see or hear her…” Yoohyeon said as Gahyeon nodded. She agreed with the goofy wolf.

“if Yerim can talk to her and she told her about what happened, I think we should trust her. Think about it. If she really wanted to take over Yerim’s life, wouldn’t it be better for her to have Yerim keep her a secret? Maybe we should look up her name? see how long she has been in there?” Gahyeon said as Dami pulled out her cellphone.

“Gahyeon, can you go ask Yerim what her full name is?” Dami asked as she started searching for old records.

“Kim Yerim. She was supposedly part of Minji’s family. Like a great aunt or something…” Gahyeon said as Minji looked at her in surprise.

“she’s what now?” Minji asked as she looked at Gahyeon in surprise. She didn’t know what to think, having a great aunt all of a sudden. Especially when she looked much younger than Minji.

“hmm…” Dami said as she typed away on her phone.

“she seems to be telling the truth. There was a Kim Yerim… she was your grandmother's sister, and they mentioned that she used to be bubbly and happy and later changed to a quiet and stoic person… the change sounds odd. I think this girl really was the real Yerim…” Dami said as Minji looked at the article. It was from the local newspaper, and obviously, she had won some award at a school competition in high school. The change does sound about right…” Dami said as she sighed.

“luckily, the library scanned all of the old documents and newspapers a couple of years ago, or we wouldn’t have this info…” Dami said as she showed them the article and the picture of the girl in it.

“Siyeon, can you share what you saw? I want to see what she looked like…” Minji asked as Siyeon complied. She was absolutely stunned. It was true. This was someone she had seen in very old pictures. All this time, she was trapped here watching over her?

“well, I guess I'm not the last of my family… huh…” Minji said as Sunmi hugged her.

“let's go try to free her. I think its way overdue…” Siyeon said as everyone nodded, including Minji.

They slowly walked inside as Yerim, and the others ate happily. They had made sure to save some food for Siyeon and her pack, but the ones that were held captive were clearly starved. It was also interesting to see Jungeun chowing down on fried chicken.

“what? Chickens are annoying…” Jungeun said when she noticed as they laughed.

“don’t worry. I ordered more chicken.” Siyeon’s father said with a laugh as Siyeon nodded.

“well… we decided to free that girl. Jungeun, do you get any bad visions or anything?” Siyeon asked as the owl shook her head.

“nope. Usually, I get a bad feeling when something is a bad idea, but I'm not feeling anything right now…” Jungeun said as Siyeon sighed in relief.

“alright. Yerim? Let's go to the mirror you first found her in. it’s a full size one, so if she has to come out of it, then it will be a bit easier.” Siyeon said as Yerim jumped up excitedly and followed the alpha.

 _‘please don’t let this be a bad idea…’_ Siyeon thought as she walked up the stairs to Yerim’s room. She was feeling anxious but not as anxious as Minji was. She was going to meet a long-lost family member who had been lost for a very long time. What would she even call her?

Dami still had her doubts. She wondered if this was all the trick of that girl. She worried that she was really a doppelganger and was lying to be freed. Maybe she had failed to take over her targets life and was forever trapped there? What was the truth? All Dami knew was that she was starting to get a headache now.


	79. Chapter 79

-freed-

Siyeon and the others walked up the stairs to Yerim’s room and stood in front of the mirror as Handong and Dami went to gather more books. They wanted to make sure that they did this right.

“ok, I have one book that has instructions on it, but it varies from the first one. Handong? Any other info?” Dami asked as she observed the vampire turning the brittle pages of an ancient book.

“yes… it says we need something that belonged to the person and call their name. Use the item to break the mirror, and it will create a temporary bridge between where they are trapped and our world. But it doesn’t last long. If they don’t move fast, then it's over…” Handong said as everyone looked at Yerim.

“what?” Yerim asked as everyone stared at her.

“can you ask her if she knows where any of her belongings are?” Dami asked as she looked into the mirror and nodded.

“she says this used to be her room. Everything is untouched since she was trapped. The creature didn’t like staring at her in the mirror. It was before she learned how to travel from mirror to mirror.” Yerim said as Dami looked around the items in the room and froze.

Sitting on a desk was a very old looking hand mirror. It looked well used, and when Dami looked over at it, Yerim spoke.

“she says that was given to her by her mother. It was passed down through the family until she disappeared.” Yerim said as Dami carefully picked it up. The mirror was shattered. The girl told them that the creature broke it to upset her when it had first taken over her life.

If anything had a connection to her, this would. Even the creature broke it to hurt her. This would be the item they used. It had a tie to Yerim and her family. Minji’s family so it should be perfect.

“Handong, have you found out anything else?” Dami asked as Handong nodded.

“once we do this and she is freed, she will still have abilities of a doppelganger. Some have multiple abilities from them, and some only a few. It depends on how long they were trapped. It will be interesting to see what side effects she will have when freed…” Handong said as she walked over and showed Dami what it said to do to free the girl.

“I think you should do it. Your demon blood might come in handy. The connection is only briefly open, but maybe you could help hold it open long enough for her to free herself if it's needed?” Handong asked as Dami shrugged.

“I don’t know if I could do anything, but I will try,” Dami said as she faced the mirror.

“is she ready?” Dami asked as Yerim nodded.

The blonde in the mirror was so excited. To be able to walk around again. To see the green plants again and feel the sunlight on her skin. She knew that there was a chance for this to fail, but she prayed that it would succeed.

Dami quickly shouted Yerim’s name and smashed the mirror with Yerim’s hand mirror, and suddenly everything in the mirror shifted as she felt dizzy.

The mirror shattered on impact, and suddenly, Siyeon and the others could see the girl standing in the mirror that glowed an odd yellow glow. She looked like she was feeling sick and staggered for a second as she looked at the gateway with a confused expression.

“Yerim! Come on! Quickly!” the girls shouted in unison as they tried to get her attention, but it didn’t seem to work. The portal was closing, and she couldn’t move.

Dami’s powers couldn’t hold it open for long. She used her shadows to stop the portal from closing rapidly, but she was draining herself quickly.

The purple-haired girl sighed in frustration as she blinked away. Gahyeon looked over in time to see the girl disappear as she shouted in surprise.

Everyone looked over to see the spot where she was just standing empty and heard Dami shout. Yerim had blinked into the mirror and grabbed the other girl as the portal broke free of Dami’s grasp. Her focus was broken when she saw Yerim teleport inside the mirror, and now the portal was only the size of a coin.

“Yerim! We are going to lose both of them!” Minji shouted as the portal closed, but just as it was about the size of a pin, Yerim appeared in her old spot as she held the other girl to her.

“Yerim!” Minji shouted as both girls looked up in confusion.

“yes?” the purple-haired girl asked as everyone ran over to her to see if she was alright.

“why would you do that? It was so dangerous!” Dami shouted as the girl shrugged.

“if I didn’t do anything, then she would be trapped in there forever. I couldn’t just sit here…” Yerim said as she looked over at the girl in her arms. She still looked sick.

She was still a part vampire, and when the mirror broke, her need for blood returned, causing her to be dizzy and sick. Minji recognized the signs and ran downstairs to the old supplies of blood and quickly ran back upstairs to the girl and offered her the bag.

Yerim was still too dizzy to recognize much, though, and quickly Minji ripped it open and tilted her head back gently as she emptied the blood bag into her mouth.

As soon as the blood hit her tongue, Yerim automatically swallowed as she slowly drank the blood, and her dizziness faded, and her thoughts became clearer. But it was just too much at once, and soon the girl blacked out in the other girl's arms.

“get her onto the bed!” Minji shouted as she helped get the unconscious girl onto the bed as Gahyeon walked over and probed her with her powers.

“she feels weird… I think she was trapped in that mirror for too long…” Gahyeon said as she felt her energy being pulled from her and into Yerim. It wasn’t a drastic amount. Just enough to replenish what she lost, and soon the girl's body relaxed as she slept.

“well, will she be alright?” Minji asked as Gahyeon shrugged.

“I'm not sure. As I said, she feels weird. She was so drained that even with the blood you gave her, she absorbed some of my power. I didn’t even know that was possible…” Gahyeon said as Handong looked to Dami.

“maybe its because she was a vampire before she was trapped?” Handong asked as Gahyeon shrugged.

“if that’s why then it must have changed the longer she was trapped. Whatever she is now, it’s not a normal vampire…” Siyeon said as she sat at the edge of the bed and rested her hand on the girl's forehead.

Yerim was burning up. This wasn’t mentioned in any of the books, but they were all for humans that were trapped. A vampire was never written about, so they didn’t know if this was normal or if something was going wrong.

“Gahyeon? She's burning up…” Siyeon said as Gahyeon touched her forehead.

“you are right, but nothing is physically wrong with her… there will be if she keeps getting warmer. Take her to the bathroom… we need to get her temperature to drop rapidly… Sunmi, can you bring us ice?” Gahyeon asked as Sunmi disappeared out of the door and down the stairs.

Sunmi quickly returned with two buckets full of ice as the others placed the girl in the tub and ran cold water. Yerim was already shivering, and so was the purple-haired girl. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt cold as well.

“dump the ice in! quickly!” Gahyeon shouted as she complied, and slowly the blondes temperature was starting to go down.

Yerim’s shivering was starting to increase as she looked at the girl in the tub. When she entered the mirror, she felt an odd feeling like the two became connected briefly and wondered if this would last.

Yerim decided to keep it a secret for the moment, but Siyeon was a bit more observant than Yerim realized.

“Yerim? What's wrong? You are shivering…” Siyeon said as she reached out and touched the girl's arm only to yank it back in shock. She felt like she had been dunked in ice water.

Siyeon quickly looked at the girl in the tub and then Yerim with a suspicious expression before calling for Dami. The two looked at Yerim and felt her cold body and asked what was happening.

“I don’t know… when I entered the mirror, I felt like we were suddenly connected… it's not as strong now, but I still feel c, cold…” Yerim said as she shivered. Bora walked over and summoned some of her fire near the girl so that she could warm up.

Yerim sighed happily with the warmth and watched the blonde in the tub. Whatever side effects they were feeling from breaking her out of the mirror, it seemed like they were easing. The blonde's temperature was finally down, and soon she awoke shivering in ice-cold water as Siyeon and the others stared down at her.

“Oh… It must not have worked… am I still in the mirror?” Yerim asked with a confused expression when Siyeon leaned forward so that Yerim could see her better and shook her head.

“no, you are not in the mirror. You are free.” Siyeon said as Yerim looked up at her in shock and then looked around the room before looking down at herself. Was she truly free of the mirror?

“Why am I so c, cold?” she asked as she shivered. Gahyeon quickly got a thick robe as the others helped her stand and quickly wrapped her in the warm cloth.

Siyeon didn’t notice it before, but the clothing she was wearing definitely showed that this girl was from a different time. Even the way her hair was styled showed it, but now she was free, and the question was, would she adapt?

“am I really free? Or is this just some sick joke my mind is playing on me?” Yerim asked as the other Yerim smiled at her.

“no, it's not a dream. You really are free.” The purple-haired girl said with a huge smile on her face. The blonde quickly returned it as she launched at her and hugged her tightly. She was free? Free from that mirror after so many years?

“I wonder if my copy is still wandering around…” the blonde asked herself as Minji shook her head.

“no, she was supposedly killed around the time my mother had me. At least that’s the family rumors…” Minji said as Yerim looked at her and smiled proudly.

“you really do look like your mother… you have grown up so well!” Yerim said as Minji blushed and stood there. She didn’t know what to say or do. She was standing in front of her great aunt that looked to be around 16 or 17 years old. How should she act around her?

“um, thank you?” Minji said as Yerim laughed at her.

“I know this must be weird right now, huh?” the blonde asked as Minji nodded with a sigh.

“thank you for helping me. You were the one that gave me blood, right?” Yerim asked as Minji nodded.

“I didn’t think you would remember. You seemed very disoriented…” Minji said as Yerim grimaced.

“I was. Everything was spinning, and I felt like I couldn’t stand. It was like all my energy left me when I left that mirror…” Yerim said as Gahyeon observed her and whispered to Siyeon.

“I think she's drawing our energy to her… it looks almost like she is an energy vampire while her energy is depleted… I don’t even think she knows she's doing it either…” Gahyeon said as Siyeon looked to Seulgi.

The bear was using her sight and watched the fluttery tendrils of everyone's powers gently being pulled into the girl. It was only a small amount that was pulled from them. So small that they wouldn’t miss it if they couldn’t see it themselves, but Gahyeon could feel it, and Seulgi could see it clearly.

The girl's body was quickly trying to strengthen itself instinctively. She had no idea. All she knew was that she was slowly starting to feel better.

 _‘I wonder if her fever was because she used all of her energy to leave then?’_ Gahyeon asked as Siyeon watched carefully. Whatever the reason, they needed to watch her carefully just in case there were any more side effects.

“come on. Let's get you something to eat!” Minji said as Yerim nodded, but the purple-haired girl stopped them.

“First, let's get her out of those wet clothes. I can still feel how cold she is…” Yerim said as the blonde looked at her with a confused expression.

“How can you feel that? I didn’t even say anything?” the blonde said as Yerim smiled.

“Yerim?” Minji asked as both girls responded. This needed to change, or it was going to get even more confusing than it already was.

“ok, we need nicknames for you…” Minji said as the two Yerim’s looked at each other.

“what if I go by Yeri? Or is it too close to Yerim?” the blonde asked as Jungeun entered. She started to get some strange visions and walked upstairs to tell the others what she saw when she heard the comments about their names.

“so this must be the girl… you are making me quite confused…” Jungeun said as the blonde looked at her with a confused expression.

“what do you mean?” Yerim asked as she looked at the banshee with curiosity and confusion.

“you can change your appearance… it makes figuring out who is who quite difficult…” Jungeun said as both Yerim’s looked at her in confusion.

“I can what?” the blonde asked as Jungeun nodded.

“look at Minji’s hair. Isn’t it pretty?” Jungeun asked as the blonde looked at it and nodded. Minji’s hair was a vivid red that was beautiful as she looked at it Yerim’s hair slowly shifted colors until it was red, just like Minji’s as everyone gasped.

“What?” the blonde asked as Minji pointed at the mirror. Yerim looked over to see vivid red hair in the mirror and just stood there in shock.

“did I do this?” she asked softly as she touched her new hair color. Jungeun just nodded as she smiled.

“it seems she will come in handy in the future…” Jungeun said as Siyeon looked at her in confusion.

“how?” Siyeon asked as Jungeun smiled.

“as a spy… she can take on the appearance of someone and sneak into places we wouldn’t be able to get to ourselves. She will actually be useful very soon if my sight is right. Might I suggest you keep some small difference so that I can tell who is real and who is fake? A ring or necklace even earring or something… it's giving me a headache…” Jungeun said as Jinsoul stood behind her rubbing her neck soothingly.

“Sorry, I will try to think of something then…” Yerim said as she looked at Minji nervously. She wanted to hug her so badly. She had watched her when she was a tiny baby to now and wanted to tell her how proud she was, but how could she when she looked so young?

 _‘go ahead. She will be surprised but like it. You are her last living close family…’_ Jungeun said to only Yerim as she looked at her in surprise. She wasn’t used to talking like this. But she wouldn’t waste this opportunity.

Yerim quickly hugged Minji as she whispered in her ear. She froze as Yerim whispered but slowly returned the hug as she hid her face in the smaller girl's hair.

“I'm so proud of you. And I know your parents would be too.” Yerim had whispered as everyone watched Minji slowly return the hug. Even though Yerim was soaking wet and was chilled to the bone, the hug felt warm. Minji had missed this. Yerim reminded her so much of her mother for some reason.

“I, um…” Minji was speechless, but Yerim just smiled. She didn’t need her to say anything. She just wanted her to know how proud she was. Even if she had made the mistake of entering the wrong mirror a couple of times and walked in on Minji and Yoohyeon together.

The sight was a bit traumatizing, but other than that, she was still proud of her. She would keep that a secret, though. No need for her to suddenly feel self-conscious.

Minji helped her find some clothes that were from this century, and Yerim had to admit they were extremely comfortable. She had always wanted to try on a hoodie, and now she was snuggled up in one as Minji laughed.

“you sure you don’t want anything else to wear?” Minji asked as the girl shook her head. She was quite content at the moment.

“Alright, we will try to find more clothes, but I think we will just have to go shopping soon with so many people living here now…” Minji said as both Yerim’s perked up. The word ‘shopping’ had caught their attention.

 _‘uh oh’_ Yoohyeon thought as she looked from her girlfriend to the two Yerim’s.

 _‘she has finally found someone who loves shopping as she does… I'm doomed…’_ Yoohyeon thought as she remembered Minji using her like a living doll every time they went shopping and gulped.

But right now, Minji wanted the two to go eat. They could all decide what to call the two once everyone sat down to eat.

The table was full, so Wonho and Hyunwoo went into the basement to fetch another table and chairs while Jungeun was upstairs, and once the girls came down, the tables were prepared.

Siyeon’s mother had brought extra chicken and set out everything as everyone sat down. Sunmi went to go wake Chungha as well. She didn’t want her to sleep without eating.

Once Sunmi came back with Chungha, they sat down and started eating. Matthew had finally recovered though scars were showing all over his body. His pack was taking care of him, making sure he was eating, and everyone could clearly see that they were worried.

“I'm fine, guys, seriously! Eat! All you have been doing is feeding me!” Matthew said as Taehyung popped another bite of chicken into his mouth.

Matthew pouted cutely as he chewed the chicken and sulked. He didn’t like feeling weak, and he didn’t want the others to go without eating. They were thin enough as it is. They were finally starting to fill back out, but they still weren't back to where they should be.

Siyeon looked around and noticed Chungha spot the new girl. The blonde sat beside the other Yerim as they talked and laughed happily. They really seemed to get along well, but Chungha just sat there and rubbed her eyes sleepily. Was there really someone that she didn’t notice before?

“Chungha? This is um… Yerim 2? She is Minji’s great aunt that was trapped in a mirror. We just freed her.” Siyeon said as Yerim number 2 waved at her happily. Chungha stood and walked to her room when Sunmi asked what was wrong.

“I think I'm still asleep… I think I just heard you say that teenager is Minji’s great aunt who lived in a mirror…” Chungha said as Sunmi snorted and hugged her as she led her back to the table.

“yes, that’s basically what we said, but it's all true,” Sunmi said as she rubbed her shoulder and sat her back down.

“it's too early for dropping bombs like this…” Chungha said as she yawned sleepily and leaned against Sunmi cutely. She really seemed drained and started to fall asleep rather quickly.

“eat baby… you are completely drained…” Sunmi said as Chungha opened her mouth cutely. Her eyes were still shut as Sunmi fed her as she giggled. Several bites later, Chungha was resting comfortably on her shoulder.

“you really are tired, aren’t you?” Siyeon asked as Chungha nodded sleepily. Her energy was draining quicker than usual, and oddly enough, it seemed like her energy was being drained by her previous injury from Irene. Whatever happened when she got injured appeared to be changing something inside her. She could feel it but didn’t want to worry anyone, so she remained silent.

Chungha even used the excuse of the death of her parents as an excuse. It was true that she had been down the last week or two, but her energy was being sucked into the scar as its glow started to get stronger.

She even started wearing longer shirts to hide it, but when she looked down, she could see the faint glow underneath the fabric. Whatever this scar was, it was about to do something. She could feel it.

Chungha looked at Sunmi with a sad smile. She had only met her recently, but already she loved her so much. Would she die? And leave Sunmi all alone again and heartbroken? She hoped and prayed not. She didn’t want to leave anyone. They all meant so much to her.

Seulgi watched Chungha carefully. The changes she was going through wasn’t missed by the bear. But Seulgi remained silent. She didn’t want to say anything in front of Sunmi or Irene, but she needed to say something.

Gahyeon’s energy that was infused with Solar’s was still in the scar as it pulsed stronger. Whatever the injury was, it was storing up energy, but what happens when it stores too much? And could Chungha use that power that was stored within it?

Seulgi wasn’t the only one that was thinking, though. Siyeon was carefully observing the two girls as they chatted. She was studying the way both girls would move their hands and any other mannerisms just in case the blonde was truly trying to take over Yerim.

But both girls were complete opposites on the way they would move their hands or their facial expressions even if they were both cheerful.

The purple-haired girl talked more with her hands and seemed slightly bubblier. The blonde, on the other hand, was somewhat more reserved in her hand movements and expressions. It probably had to do with the time she was born in, but at the moment, the differences were easy to spot.

“so, what can we call you? I'm starting to get confused?” Sooyoung said as she looked at the two Yerim’s.

“um… you can call me Yeri, I guess?” the blonde said worriedly as she looked at the other Yerim.

“oh! How about we call you both nicknames? Yeri and Yerim are close… Choerry?” Jiwoo said as Siyeon snorted.

“Jiwoo, there is a second Jiwoo here too…” Siyeon said as she pointed at the girl snuggled beside Somin looking content.

“well, call her Chuu then, I do, and so do most of us when we are by ourselves. You saved us after all, so it should be alright. Right, Chuu?” Sooyoung asked as she nodded happily.

The new names were decided quickly, but when Siyeon looked around the table, her eyes froze on Seulgi’s. She was using her sight ability and staring at Chungha with a worried expression before locking eyes with Siyeon. The serious expression said it all. Just when Siyeon went to ask what was wrong, Seulgi stood abruptly as Sunmi started shouting.

Chungha had just collapsed when she went to stand. Sunmi held her in her arms as she called her name, but the fox wasn’t responding to anything.

Siyeon and Seulgi quickly walked out of the room as Seulgi shared what she saw. The scar quickly surged and knocked Chungha unconscious. What was it doing? It was pulsing erratically as the girl went limp in Sunmi’s arms. Siyeon could still hear Sunmi’s worried cries as Gahyeon, and the others rushed around, but one person was missing. Jungeun.

Siyeon looked around until she spotted the girl jogging down the stairs and back to Siyeon. She looked out of breath and took a second to catch her breath.

“Chungha has issues with her energy flow, doesn’t she? Blackouts or something like that?” Jungeun asked as Siyeon nodded. For the longest time, Chungha thought she had narcolepsy until she found out the exact cause.

“that thing on her arm can store power to be used later, but the flow of her energy got fucked up! It's only draining her energy but can't release it! We need to forcefully remove the energy, or it will burn her up!” Jungeun said as she held out her hand. In the palm of her hand was a stray feather that had fallen off of the black bird that came to their rescue. But why the feather?


	80. Chapter 80

-A Near Miss-

Jungeun stood there with the black feather as everyone looked in confusion. But she had a plan on how to fix Chungha’s issues permanently, but it was a bit risky. Or very risky.

“everyone's energy flows in paths inside your body. With Chungha, there was a bridge created between the two paths that reroute it improperly. That bridge needs to be severed, and once that happens, her body will easily handle the energy flow.” Jungeun said as everyone nodded but still wondered what the feather was for.

“not many things can sever the energy flow within someone's body. One of them is the feather or scale off of a creature that is a mix of a bird and a dragon. If I'm right, then this creature is one of them, and this feather can do it. Add Seulgi’s sight, and we will be able to see the flow of energy within and where to cut. But it's deep within the body… we will actually have to pierce her with the feather…” Jungeun said as everyone stiffened.

Chungha had gone through so much lately, and now this? How did it always end like this? But they didn’t have much of a choice either way.

“no!” Sunmi shouted when Jungeun described her plan. She didn’t want to hurt Chungha in the process. There had to be another way, right?

“Sunmi… she will die if we don’t…” Siyeon said as tears came to Sunmi’s eyes. She shook her head as she wrapped her arms around herself.

“no… she's just tired… right? its nothing serious… right?” Sunmi said, sounding so vulnerable that it caught them off guard.

Minji walked over and hugged her friend as she started to sob. Chungha is her mate. It took so long to find her. She couldn’t lose her so quickly. It just wasn’t fair.

“it's alright… trust us. Please?” Minji asked as Sunmi stared at her. The vampire could see her struggling and led her out of the room.

“I don’t think we have long. We need to do this fast before we trigger Sunmi’s protective instincts..” Siyeon said at the others nodded and walked into the room that Wonho carried the fox. She was burning up with energy, and Irene stood there with tears in her eyes. She could tell that the scar she caused was the issue and blamed herself.

“Irene, its not your fault. This is due to an issue with Chungha’s energy flow. Don’t blame yourself…” Siyeon said as she rested her hand on the vampire's shoulder. All Irene could do is nod, or she risked breaking down.

“Alright, let's do this… Seulgi? We need your help…” Siyeon said as she stepped forward. With Jungeun’s help, she was able to see the energy flow and carefully examined each path when she finally paused. She had found it.

There was a small link formed between two strong flows. It was causing it to change the flow and created a loop that redirected the flow and needed to be severed.

Seulgi pointed at the connection as Jungeun nodded, but when they looked at the location on the fox's body, everyone grimaced. It was right beside her heart, deep in her chest. To get to it, they would have to stab her in the chest a slight twitch of the fingers or hand, and they could damage her heart. Suddenly this became more dangerous than they had initially planned.

“Jungeun? Do you see everything working out?” Irene asked weakly as Gahyeon held her tightly for support.

“I'm not going to lie… I see two outcomes. One successful and one… not.” Jungeun said as everyone tensed.

“and what happened when it failed?” Dami asked, but the banshee just shook her head. They didn’t want to know. It was a painful sight.

“Seulgi, I don’t want to put pressure on you, but you have to be as accurate as possible…” Siyeon said as the bear nodded. She wouldn’t let her friend die of this.

“Gahyeon, once the energy bridge is severed, you will need to heal her immediately. Even if it doesn’t pierce her heart, it will still bleed severely.” Jungeun said as Gahyeon nodded.

Everyone else stood around watching nervously as Seulgi took the feather from Jungeun. It looked like a dagger in her hand, and she noted the slight curve of it. That slight curve could be the difference between Chungha living and dying.

Everyone held their breath as Seulgi held her arm above her head and soon plunged the feather into the girl's chest. Chungha cried out in pain. Her cry made everyone tense as Seulgi looked at Gahyeon. As soon as she pulled the feather out, the bleeding would begin.

“did it work?” Irene asked, but Jungeun just shook her head.

“We won't know until the feather is removed…” Jungeun said as Seulgi looked at Gahyeon, who nodded. They were ready.

Seulgi quickly ripped the feather out as Gahyeon forced her healing powers into the wound. It didn’t stop the bleeding at first, but that quickly changed as the wound sealed, and Chungha’s breathing slowed down.

Her breathing was now steady instead of erratic, and when Seulgi looked, she could tell just how close she had come to the fox’s heart. But the connection was severed completely. Now they had to figure out how to get Chungha to release some of her power.

“ah!” Gahyeon shouted as she ran out of the room and came back with Yeri. The girl looked confused, but when she was dragged over to Chungha, Seulgi was able to watch the excess power built up in Chungha slowly draining towards the girl as she absorbed it unknowingly.

Seulgi watched this and shared it with Siyeon. The energy was looking for a path, and when Yeri came close, it surged towards her causing her to feel dizzy. She didn’t know she was drawing powers to her. Only that she suddenly felt lightheaded from the surge of energy within her.

“I don’t feel too good…” Yeri said as she plopped down onto the floor.

The girl drained off the perfect amount. It filled what she lost and left the perfect amount in Chungha, all without Yeri even knowing what she was doing.

Chungha started to relax now that the excess energy was drained off, but she looked like a bloody mess. The blood from the stab wound was everywhere. If Sunmi walked in now, she would faint.

“let's get her cleaned up before we bring Sunmi back…” Minji said as they quickly worked to clean Chungha up. She was starting to wake up slightly, and the first person she called for was Sunmi.

“we will bring her to you, alright?” Siyeon said as Chungha smiled weakly and nodded. She looked worn out.

“Can I see her?” they heard Sunmi ask at the door. When Siyeon looked back, she could see that Sunmi wasn’t looking into the room just in case it had failed.

“Sunmi?” Chungha whispered softly as the fox looked at her quickly. Within seconds she was at Chungha’s side and sobbing as she wrapped her arms around the smaller girl.

“Why didn’t you tell me? We could have tried to find a solution before it got this bad!” Sunmi sobbed as Chungha apologized softly.

“I didn’t want to worry you. I tried to do some research on my own, and everything mentioned the person dying… I thought that was going to happen to me. I just wanted to enjoy what time I thought I had left without you worrying about me constantly…” Chungha said as she sleepily snuggled up to the girl. She was slowly losing consciousness again.

“Is she alright?” Sunmi asked when Chungha fell asleep. Jungeun nodded with a smile.

“Seulgi did it and managed to sever the link that was causing issues while Yeri was able to drain off the excess power,” Jungeun said as Yeri looked at her in confusion.

“I did?” she asked as Jungeun and Gahyeon nodded. Without her ability to drain her energy, they would have had to try to force Chungha to use her ability in that state. It could have been very dangerous.

“now we need to be careful around Chungha for a while. Her powers will flow more easily now, so she might use more power than she means to until she gets used to it.” Jungeun said as everyone nodded.

Once that was over, and Chungha was resting soundly, Siyeon and the others sat down to finish eating. They explained everything that had happened to her father as he listened intently. There was a lot to take in.

He couldn’t believe that this was all happening right under his nose. Even Jinyoung was tricked by them. He knew that he would have to go to Jinyoung later, he probably wasn’t handling the betrayal well.

“I will see Jinyoung after I leave. I'm worried about him.” Mr. Lee said as Siyeon nodded. She, too, was worried.

“alright. Just be careful. You arrested a lot of the young wolves in town. Their parents and families won't be happy…” Siyeon said as he nodded. It would be difficult for a while, but he had dealt with it before.

“now, about all of these new people… what are you going to do with them?” he asked as Siyeon looked at him in confusion.

“the ones you saved. Are you going to have them join your pack?” her father asked as she thought about it carefully.

“well… I'm not sure. If this Yeri girl seems alright, I will probably offer her. She’s Minji’s family, after all.” Siyeon said as he nodded.

“as for the others? You already have two of them following you around like little puppies.” He said as Siyeon laughed.

Hyejoo and Chaewon had been like her shadow ever since the fight. It seemed she picked up some admirers and could tell her father found it hilarious.

“well… they are not from this town. Their families are not here. I don’t think they would choose to be away from their family and friends. I feel it would be pointless to offer…” Siyeon said as he shook his head.

“Sometimes people like a fresh start. You never know until you offer. What could be the worst they could do refuse?” he asked as Siyeon thought it over.

Jungeun’s ability would be useful, but she didn’t want to become like the people Jungeun’s kind feared. The ones that became greedy to know the future. Everyone was interesting and seemed to get along with everyone fine, but she worried that they would feel obligated to join just because she saved them.

“what are you thinking about?” Bora asked as she watched her mate stress. Every time she started to stress, Bora could feel it. She gently let a calmness wash over Siyeon as she sighed and leaned against the vampire.

“what if we start to rely on Jungeun’s ability? Plus, I don’t want her to think we are using her for her ability…” Siyeon said as Bora nodded.

“but do you really think she would feel like we are using her? I highly doubt you would become like that. You hate seeing someone treated like they are lesser than someone else, and this is a great example. Right now, you are worried about her feelings and what she would think. Do you really think you could use her like that?” Bora asked as Siyeon sighed.

“I don’t know… I don’t THINK I would, but did Jackson and all the others think they would turn out like that either?” Siyeon said as everyone went quiet around her before Dami finally spoke.

“The fact that you are worrying so much about that shows that you won't become like that. You care too much. You would never be able to throw away others like them. remember, there is a reason Moonbyul chose you.” Dami said as Siyeon sighed and nodded. She still didn’t feel too sure, but she didn’t want to worry everyone.

“so will you offer them to join?” Gahyeon asked as she looked at her sister, curiously.

“not yet. I don’t want to force them into anything. Let's let them decide for themselves…” Siyeon said as everyone nodded.

“right now, we need to talk to Yeri and Choerry. I was thinking of offering for Choerry to stay with us as well. At least until she remembers who she is.” Siyeon said as everyone agreed and walked out to find the two leaned against each other sound asleep.

Choerry had come up to Yeri after she drained off some of Chungha’s power and helped her over to the couch, and soon the two fell asleep. It had been a busy day.

“what are we going to do about their room situation? We gave Choerry that room, but it belonged to Yeri, to begin with…” Handong asked as Elkie walked up shaking her head.

“you are never going to believe what Sol is doing…” she said as Gahyeon and Dami looked at each other with worry.

“what's wrong?” Dami asked as Elkie shook her head.

“nothings wrong. He's just playing with Seulgi’s bird friends. The bird I saved will pick him up and fly him above a target when he shouts the bird releases him as he ropes up Seulgi. It was their idea of making Irene feel better. It's working and very interesting to watch.” Elkie said as they walked away from the sleeping girls and peeked out the window as they smiled. It was rather cute.

“good thing Seulgi is immune to sol…” Handong said as she watched sol drop on the bear like a net and bound her legs together.

“yes, and Irene seems to finally be feeling better. You know she blames herself. We need to observe her carefully, alright?” Siyeon said as she turned around to face Matthew.

“Hey, um… I think we are going to be leaving soon. I want to look into those files that were left in the base and then see if my father knows anything. We might find out something about Dami and Yoohyeon’s parents.” Matthew said as Siyeon frowned.

“are you sure you should be moving around and leaving so soon?” Siyeon asked as he nodded.

“your sister is an amazing healer. I might be a bit tired, but my body is completely healed. We have each other's number, so make sure to save mine. I will call you if I find anything.” Matthew said as Siyeon sighed and nodded.

“When are you leaving?” Siyeon asked as Matthew smiled. I want to head to the base as soon as possible, and we will leave as soon as we finish searching the place. I want to start searching as soon as possible. You saved not only my pack but me as well. I know I wouldn’t be alive right now without you and your pack. It’s the least I can do.” Matthew said as he turned around and walked off before Siyeon could say anything.

“But we didn’t save you just because of that. Don’t get yourself hurt!” Siyeon shouted as he waved and walked to the door where his pack was waiting for him. They were all ready to go, and Siyeon couldn’t help but feel sad seeing them go.

“bye everyone!” Somin said as she and Jiwoo waved and walked out the door. Taehyung waved as well as they closed the door behind them and were gone.

“I think I will miss them…” Elkie said as everyone nodded around them.

“well, let's go sort out Yeri and Choerry. We need to get them to their rooms too.” Siyeon said as they walked back into the living room and gently woke the two up.

When Yeri first opened her eyes, her red eyes had a reflective ring around them before it faded away quickly. At first, Siyeon thought she imagined it, but when she looked at Dami, she could tell that she had seen it too.

‘It must be the effects of whatever happened when she got trapped in that mirror…’ Dami said as Siyeon looked at the sleepy girl. She looked a bit confused before she recognized her surroundings and looked up to see Siyeon and the others.

“Choerry… wake up…” Yeri said sleepily as she woke up the other girl, and soon the two were looking up at them with a slightly worried look. With all of them standing around the two, they could be a little intimidating.

“Is everything alright?” Yeri asked as she automatically grabbed Choerry’s hand for comfort.

“yes, everything's fine. We just need to talk to you. Yeri, do you know any other family other than Minji?” Siyeon asked as Yeri shook her head. She had tried to watch her family, but her parents died during one of the human wars. And her sister ended up giving birth to Minji’s mother, and then when they passed, all she had left was Minji.

“no… my family slowly got smaller until all that was left is Minji.” Yeri said as Minji sighed. It was true. Her family has been slowly getting smaller until she was sure she was probably the only one left except for very distant relatives.

“well, we were wondering if you would want to stay here with us?” Siyeon asked as they waited for the girl to answer.

“but wouldn’t I get in the way?” Yeri asked as Siyeon shook her head.

“but what if I end up being dangerous? I didn’t even know I was draining Chungha’s energy… what if I hurt you?” Yeri asked as Siyeon smiled.

“We are going to ask someone for some advice on how to help with that. If anyone would know, they will.” Siyeon said as she nodded but looked at Choerry nervously.

“But what about Choerry?” Yeri asked as Siyeon smiled.

“she also has the offer to stay,” Siyeon said as Yeri looked at her new friend excitedly.

“really?” Choerry asked as Siyeon nodded.

“you are welcome to stay here for as long as you want. I don’t know how long it will take for your memories to come back or if they will come back at all, but either way, you can always stay here if you want.” Siyeon said as Minji nodded in agreement.

“thank you!” Choerry said as she hugged Siyeon and then Minji before she paused.

“but what about our rooms?” Choerry asked as Yeri looked at her with a confused expression.

“what about them?” Yeri asked as the purple-haired girl laughed.

“that room was yours originally. So it should be yours. So, where should I sleep?” Choerry asked as Minji smiled.

“the room right across the hall is empty!” Minji said as the two looked at each other excitedly.

Yeri might have been hundreds of years older than Minji, but she was also a teen at times. Her youthful goofiness locked in time due to when she was locked inside that mirror.

“let's get you two to your rooms. You are falling asleep again.” Siyeon said as the two stood and slowly made it up the steps and into their rooms.

But there was an issue. Yeri couldn't sleep. She would just fall asleep when her dreams were flooded with the nightmare creatures of the mirror realm, and soon she was knocking gently on Choerry’s door.

Choerry opened the door to see Yeri standing there nervously. She was clearly nervous, and soon Choerry opened the door wider and let her in.

“I know this will sound childish, but… can I sleep with you? I keep having nightmares…” Yeri asked as the other girl smiled and nodded.

“sure. Just don’t hog the covers, alright?” Choerry said as Yeri nodded excitedly and hopped into the bed alongside the other girl and sighed happily. The warmth Choerry put off was so soothing, and soon the two were able to fall asleep peacefully.

-Siyeon-

It had been a busy day, and after she saw her parents off, she and the others decided to sleep after they checked on Chungha. She was sleeping comfortably with Sunmi to their relief, and everyone felt that it was time to crash.

Siyeon walked into the room to find Bora waiting for her. Clearly, they weren’t done earlier, and Bora stood there in a red outfit with an alluring smile. Siyeon raised a brow as she leaned against the doorframe.

“well…” Siyeon said as she looked at Bora’s taunting expression.

“I believe we weren't done…” Bora said as Siyeon gulped nervously. She looked perfect in that outfit. It hugged her curves perfectly, and she knew it.

“Bora…” Siyeon said as she slowly sauntered closer.

“yes?” she asked with a wicked smile.

“w, we have guests in the house…” Siyeon said as Bora laughed and leaned closer.

“that has never stopped you before…” Bora said as she leaned closer. Siyeon tried to hold herself back when she paused.

“fuck it…” Siyeon said as she slammed the door and scooped Bora into her arms as she carried her to the bed as Bora giggled excitedly.

-Sunmi and Chungha-

Sunmi was sleeping with her arms around Chungha protectively when she felt the girl stir. Quickly she leaned back and could see Chungha’s eyes slowly open as she sighed in relief and kissed her on the cheek happily.

“thank god you woke up… I was starting to worry…” Sunmi said as Chungha smiled apologetically as she rolled over to snuggle against her mate.

Pain shot through her as she did, but she was able to hide it without making a sound. The physical wound was healed, but it didn’t stop the pain. She could still feel the wound like it was fresh and casually touched it, expecting to see blood, but there was none.

“sorry…” Chungha whispered once her voice was under control as tears flowed down Sunmi’s face.

“Please promise me if anything like this happens again, you will tell me?” Sunmi pleaded. She sounded absolutely hurt that she didn’t tell her. Suddenly Chungha felt guilty as she felt tears coming.

“I'm so sorry… I just didn’t want you to be sad… I'm so stupid…” Chungha said as she cried in Sunmi’s arms.

“you are not stupid. I know you were just trying to protect me, but not knowing and being able to do nothing hurts worse. I wouldn’t have been able to say goodbye…” Sunmi whispered as she held Chungha tighter.

“please? Promise me…” Sunmi begged as Chungha nodded as she hid her face. She felt horrible for making Sunmi upset, but it felt wonderful to be able to hold her right now. To know that she was alright and could stay with her longer.

Once the two calmed down, and their tears finally stopped, they stayed there in each other's arms. Sunmi was trying to think of the best way to tell her the bad news that Jungeun had told her.

“Chungha? I have something to tell you…” Sunmi said as Chungha felt a chill across her body. She could feel that it wasn’t good news.


	81. Chapter 81

-Learning-

Chungha felt her chest tighten as she listened to Sunmi. Was it something terrible? Her heartrate started to climb as her anxiety rose.

“what is it?” Chungha asked as Sunmi smiled apologetically.

“you shouldn’t use your powers for a while. They were able to sever the connection that was making you sick, but your power will now flow out more easily. You will have to start back at zero and relearn how to use your powers…” Sunmi said as Chungha sighed and snuggled against her.

“That sounds really annoying, but at least I can be here with you like this…” Chungha said as she snuggled closer, only to laugh and look up at the ceiling.

“well, I see they are at it again, huh?” Chungha said as she heard Siyeon and Bora above them.

“When are they not?” Sunmi said with a laugh as she gently squeezed Chungha.

“I would say let's compete to see who’s louder, but I feel so tired…” Chungha said as the two giggled. Sunmi leaned in and kissed Chungha’s forehead as the younger girl smiled happily. She wasn’t looking forward to relearning everything, but it could always be worse.

The younger girl slowly fell asleep in her arms as Sunmi watched her sleep. She was worried that Chungha would stop breathing, or something worse would happen. Her fears got the better of her, but the warmth that Chungha emitted slowly lulled the older girl to sleep.

Chungha was the first to wake up and groaned. Her chest hurt severely at the slightest movement. It was a sharp and burning pain that would take her breath away. Though the wound was healed, she was obviously feeling the side effects from it.

The ache was severe, but she didn’t want to worry Sunmi. She just didn’t know that Sunmi was awake and was watching her carefully as Chungha clutched at her chest in pain.

“what's wrong?” Sunmi asked as she sat up carefully.

“it just… hurts…” Chungha said as Sunmi rushed out of bed and opened the door to see Jungeun standing there.

“I saw that you were going to come to me, so I saved you some time. What's wrong?” Jungeun asked as she looked over at Chungha, who was grimacing in pain.

“Oh… the feather’s wound is healed, but it doesn’t mean that the pain has stopped. And her body is having to get used to the new way her energy flows through it. It might be a bit uncomfortable for a while.” Jungeun said as she walked over and sat beside the fox.

“if it gets worse, tell someone, though,” Jungeun said as she gently touched Chungha’s forehead.

“no fever, luckily. You are a bit cold, but it could be from the pain or the scar on your arm. Believe it or not, I think the scar will be useful to you. You can store energy into it and save it for later. Even if you exhaust all of your energy, you can pull from the scar. It could be a lifesaver.” Jungeun said in a hinting tone as the fox nodded. Jungeun was clearly sending her a message that she should remember, and she made sure she wouldn’t forget it.

“do you want someone else to cook this morning?” Jungeun asked as she looked at the fox, but Sunmi just shook her head.

“no, I think I need a bit of distraction, or Chungha will probably yell at me for hovering…” Sunmi said as the younger fox nodded.

“Alright, but I can help if you need it,” Jungeun said as Sunmi smiled. She had only met them recently, but due to her constant visions of Siyeon and her pack, she felt like she knew them for such a long time, and it was starting to show.

“thank you,” Sunmi said with a smile as she looked at Chungha, who just waved her off. She wanted to sleep more and asked to be woken up when the food was done.

“Are you sure she is alright?” Sunmi asked as Jungeun nodded.

“yes, it will hurt like the wound is still there for quite a while. The pain is supposedly intense, but in a week or two, it will fade. Until then, we just need to make sure she doesn’t do too much to aggravate it. Or she will be in serious pain.” Jungeun said as they walked into the kitchen.

Jungeun wasn’t much help, but she tried. Her girlfriend, on the other hand, ended up being a great help to Sunmi. Jinsoul was able to stir the dishes without getting close as she helped with other small tasks.

“I think its almost done. Can one of you go let everyone know? Many are still asleep.” Sunmi said as Jungeun nodded and walked off to spread the news.

It wasn’t long before several sleepy-eyed people flopped down in their chairs. The day before was very exhausting, and clearly, several people needed more rest.

“Why are we up so early…” Handong grumbled as Elkie smiled at her grumpy mate.

“for food,” Elkie said as Handong nodded and rested her head on her mate's shoulder as she dozed for a few more minutes.

“what do we have planned for today?” Gahyeon asked as she sat down beside Dami.

“I don’t know. Our leader still won't wake up. It seems that they really tired themselves out the night before.” Dami said as Sunmi laughed.

“believe me, I could hear it. They will probably sleep all day.” Sunmi said as the others sighed in relief. That meant today was a lazy day, and they really needed it about now.

“The food is ready,” Sunmi said as she Jungeun and Jinsoul started setting plates of food on the table.

“How are you able to make so much food every day?” Heejin asked as she looked at all the plates as Hyunjin rubbed against her while purring. Sunmi just laughed as she set a plate on the table beside her.

“I would hate to see the food bill…” Chuu said as Sunmi laughed again.

“it’s rather high, but everyone has to eat and eat well to keep themselves going,” Sunmi said with a smile.

“Everything is so amazing. Like I would pay a lot to eat this at a restaurant!” Heejin said as many nodded or in Hyunjin’s case purred in agreement.

“well, I'm glad everyone is enjoying it. I suggest you catch up on sleep if you can. With the way things go around here, you need to take what sleep you can get!” Sunmi said as everyone started eating. It was nice to see everyone eating happily, and now it was time to take Chungha’s food to her.

Sunmi had decided to bring her food to her in bed so that Chungha wouldn’t have to move as much. She hoped it would help and didn’t want her walking around too much if she didn’t need to.

When Sunmi entered the room though she could feel that something was off. The room was frigid, and the closer to Chungha she got, the colder it got. Her powers were leaking out in her sleep, causing the room to be covered in a chilly frost.

Sunmi set the tray down on her desk and walked over to notice Chungha mumbling in her sleep. Clearly, she was having a nightmare. Was this causing her powers to leak in her sleep? Or would this be an everyday thing?

“Chungha? Baby, wake up…” Sunmi said as she gently touched her mate's cheek as she gasped and startled awake. A blast of cold air rushed past Sunmi as Chungha looked around in confusion. She was slowly waking up and finally spotted Sunmi in the darkness.

“what happened?” Chungha asked as she looked around the room. Frost was gathering on various objects, and suddenly she felt extremely guilty.

“I'm sorry. I didn’t know I was doing it…” Chungha said as Sunmi shook her head and sat beside her.

“This is completely new. Your body is also adjusting to the change. Don’t worry, alright? Here. I brought you some food.” Sunmi said as she set the tray beside her mate.

Chungha felt so discouraged. She knew she would have to avoid using her powers, but she didn’t think she would have power bleed out like a child. It was so embarrassing. Sunmi could tell that she was feeling down and hugged her gently.

“relax. It's not your fault, and this will resolve itself soon. So don’t stress about it.” Sunmi said as Chungha shook her head.

“but what if I hurt you?” she asked as Sunmi smiled.

“you forget that because we are part of Siyeon’s pack, I'm a bit immune to your powers,” Sunmi said as she wrapped her arms around her mate and pulled her into her lap as she rocked back and forth.

“relax. I will be here for you. And you already have learned how to use your powers before, so it will be easier than when you were younger.” Sunmi said as Chungha sighed.

“you just have to learn the amount of power to release, and that’s all. Relax and eat. Alright?” Sunmi pleaded as she nodded and took a bite of food from the plate beside her. Sunmi smiled as she snuggled against Chungha’s back as she ate slowly.

-Siyeon and Bora-

Siyeon finally woke up with a groan. Her entire body was sore, and she could feel the bite marks all over her body. Bora went really wild the night before. They both did.

Siyeon looked to her side and saw Bora resting soundly. Her hair was messy and covering her face as she breathed softly. Siyeon smiled as she looked at her. Every time she looked at Bora, her heart ached happily.

She leaned over and gently brushed the hair from Bora’s face and stroked her cheek as she smiled happily. The remains of her red outfit were strewn about the room, and Siyeon couldn’t help but sigh as she picked up a shred of the fabric delicately. It looked perfect on Bora, and now it was in shreds.

“morning…” Bora said sleepily as she kissed Siyeon’s palm. The wolf smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her as they both giggled. They were always like new lovers when they were alone. They found every little thing the other would do adorable or attractive.

“Morning, baby. Ahh!” Siyeon whined as Bora nipped at her hand. She had to be quick around Bora.

“no!” Siyeon whined cutely as Bora grinned. She only used that adorable voice when they were alone. That voice, together with the adorable pout, would always drive Bora crazy, and Siyeon knew it.

“you know what that voice does to me…” Bora said as she leaned up and slowly kissed Siyeon as she gently pushed the taller girl backward until her back touched the bed.

“maybe…?” Siyeon said with a smirk as Bora looked down at her with a grin.

“aww… my marks are already healing… maybe it’s time to make more…” Bora said with a purr as she leaned down. Siyeon instantly felt excited as Bora got closer only for the vampire to peck her on the lips and climb off of her and look for something to wear.

“but not just now. You shredded my outfit… I wanted to get a couple more uses out of that…” Bora said teasingly as Siyeon pouted cutely, but it was no use against Bora’s stubbornness. Finally, Siyeon groaned and rolled off of the bed to get dressed.

She was still pouting as Bora laughed. She really looked adorable when they were alone. She could relax and let her worry about the pack go and just focus on the two of them.

“how about this… if you are good all day, I will give you a present tonight…” Bora whispered seductively as Siyeon felt her firm grip on her ass and gulped nervously.

Siyeon knew what Bora was doing. She wanted to toy with her and fluster her all day, and it was working already. Siyeon growled happily, but Bora danced away and out the door in search of food.

“damn…” Siyeon mumbled as she sulked and stomped downstairs. She knew she was in for an interesting day.

  
“well, look who it is!” Minji teased as she watched Bora and Siyeon come down the stairs. They had slept an entire day, allowing the others to relax and recover, but now they had to plan on what to do with so many people living in the same house at the moment.

“We heard you were rather loud last night…” Yoohyeon teased as both shrugged.

“is that different than any other night?” Bora asked calmly as Minji snorted. She wasn’t lying.

“Is there any food?” Siyeon asked as Minji nodded.

“Sunmi knew you would be hungry and left some food for the two of you in the fridge. Your names are on each of them.” Minji said as Siyeon smiled and trotted to the fridge and found their plates as she walked back to the table happily.

“you are not going to warm it up?” Minji asked as Siyeon shook her head.

“she doesn’t really mind when she's starving,” Bora said as she sat beside Siyeon, who nodded and started scarfing down her food.

“wolves…” Minji teased as Yoohyeon went to laugh.

“Hey, wait!” Yoohyeon shouted as Minji giggled and hugged her sulking girlfriend.

“Sorry, baby,” Minji said as she smiled and kissed Yoohyeon’s nose. The younger girl smiled right away as Minji hugged her tightly.

Siyeon listened to the others talking when she felt a hand brush her thigh. She looked over to see Bora giving her the most innocent look, But her hand was far from innocent.

Siyeon went to move Bora’s hand when the vampire raised a brow. She mentally reminded Siyeon of the promise they made when they left the room and smirked when Siyeon released her hand as Bora smiled triumphantly.

The wolf jumped at what Bora did next and looked at the vampire in shock as she winked back teasingly and leaned in as she whispered into her mate’s ear.

“be good and don’t make a sound.” Bora teased as Siyeon’s face went red as Bora’s hand started to move. Just how far did Bora plan to go this morning?

“it's so cute to see everyone acting like this. I thought that you would be as serious at home as you were in that place.” Sooyoung said as she and Chuu walked into the room happily. They hadn’t noticed what was going on under the table.

The two were all smiles now that they were reunited, and everyone couldn’t help but feel the drawing effect the two had. When they looked at Chuu, they immediately felt happy and comfortable, while when everyone looked at Sooyoung, they could feel confidence and strength radiate from her that they could feel deeply.

Siyeon could see why people would be drawn to them, and it looked like they weren't even trying. Sooyoung seemed so relaxed as she wandered in and sat down beside the others opposite of Siyeon and Bora.

Chuu smiled as she walked over, and instead of choosing the open seat, she chose Sooyoung’s lap as she giggled happily.

Sooyoung wrapped her arms around her waist to stabilize her as the two sat there happily and chatted. Both girls seemed to feed off of the energy of the other, and it had Dami thinking. She had heard of something that reminded her of the two, but she just couldn’t place it.

Handong also felt that she had spotted something before in a book somewhere, and soon the two wandered off to their libraries to find the books that they were looking for.

As the two walked off, Yeri and Choerry walked in. Yeri seemed to be feeling much better after sleeping in Choerry’s room. But when she woke, she thought of something. If she was draining people's energy, would it be draining Choerry? What Yeri feared most was hurting the girl that saved her.

Yeri went to look for Jungeun to ask her for her opinion, but she was nowhere to be seen. When she asked around, she found out that Jungeun and Irene were with Seulgi and Sol, helping them with their words.

Yeri went looking for the four and finally found them in the bear's room. Sol was excitedly listening as Seulgi read through a book. She was proving to be an extremely quick learner, and it made it even easier that Jungeun could see what she would struggle on before it happened.

Irene sat there, helping the two as Jungeun went over the papers that Dami had prepped, and when Yeri walked in, the three looked at her while Sol waited patiently for something else to learn. Jungeun set down her pen down and smiled. She knew what Yeri was here for.

“come on in. I told them that you would be coming.” Jungeun said as she patted the empty seat beside her.

Yeri walked in and nodded with a smile as Irene looked at her, but Seulgi was still focusing on what she was reading.

“Sorry to bother everyone…” Yeri apologized as both Jungeun and Irene shook their heads.

“you are not bothering us. What's wrong?” Irene asked with a calm smile as Yeri relaxed slightly.

“Well, yesterday, I somehow drew energy from Chungha without knowing it… what if I hurt someone? Yesterday I couldn’t sleep, so Choerry let me sleep with her, but when I woke up, I worried about if I could have hurt her…” Yeri said as both Irene and Jungeun smiled. She might be older than everyone but Sunmi, but she was trapped at a young age, and it seemed to show at times.

“when Choerry entered the mirror to get you, something happened to the two of you. There is a bit of a connection. Now whatever ability you have, it seems to not affect her. Basically, she is immune. Right Seulgi?” Jungeun asked, startling the bear from her reading.

“hm?” she asked as Jungeun repeated the question.

“didn’t see…” she was stopped by Jungeun.

“I know you have already learned to speak properly. I know you have been faking like you don’t understand to avoid talking. I understand that you are just worried that the others will judge you. But I can promise you that they won't. Speak with confidence.” Jungeun said sternly before smiling.

“I didn’t see her energy draining when she was beside you. You pull at the tiny… strings? Fibers? Anyway, you pull at them from each of us except Choerry. She seems to be the safest around you…” Seulgi said as she looked at Irene with a worried expression. She didn’t want her to be disappointed if she said something wrong or sounded stupid, but instead, Irene was smiling proudly as she wrapped her arms around the taller girl in excitement.

“see? I told you that it was fine. Dami said she thought you were holding back, and she was right. you don’t sound like someone who just learned to speak, so feel confident, alright?” Jungeun asked as Seulgi smiled happily. Her chubby cheeks showing as both Irene and Jungeun smiled at the cuteness.

Yeri watched with a smile before she remembered that she wasn’t just observing anymore. She was no longer hidden where others couldn’t see and blushed. This would take some getting used to.

“Yeri? You have seen the inside of the house, but have you ever seen the outside after being trapped?” Jungeun asked as Yeri shook her head. There was nothing outside that was remotely like a mirror.

“The girls’ practice to learn about their powers and gain control of them. they will start again tomorrow morning, and if you join them, you will slowly learn what you can do and how to control it.” Jungeun said as Yeri looked to Irene to see if she was telling the truth. Irene nodded as relief washed over the blonde.

“come on, let's go get something to eat. Seulgi was looking a bit distracted.” Jungeun said as she stood and led everyone to the kitchen where Siyeon finished eating and was putting her plate away.

“It's so weird to see vampires eating food… doesn’t it make you feel sick?” Yeri asked as Bora went to put up her plate two and laughed.

“no. It turns out that our drinking blood was a side effect. We can still drink it to heal rapidly, but we don’t have that annoying thirst, and food is actually delicious.” Bora said as Yeri grimaced. She hadn’t thought about eating food before but felt envious of the ones that could.

“you will find out later tonight if you agree,” Siyeon said casually as she flopped down on the couch as Bora followed.

“find out?” Yeri asked as Siyeon nodded. She had been watching the girl and didn’t seem to see anything threatening about her, but Jungeun had warned her that it would take a while for her to learn to control her energy draining ability.

She said it would be an issue in the future. But if she was a part of her pack, then she and the others would be protected from her draining off too much energy until she learned to control it.

“well… I said you could stay here, right?” Siyeon asked as Yeri nodded.

“what if I offered you to join our pack? You wouldn’t have to worry about hurting us by draining us and can learn what your new abilities are.” Siyeon said as Yeri stood there speechless. From the beginning, Yeri felt the waves of suspicion radiating off of Siyeon, and she couldn’t blame her for it. She would have a hard time trusting her if she was in the same situation, but why the sudden change?

“will you?” Choerry asked as she looked over at Yeri excitedly. Seeing her bright smile snapped Yeri out of her thoughts and had her agreeing before she even realized it.

“yay! She invited me too!” Choerry said as Yeri smiled excitedly for her friend. She smiled happily, but when she glanced into a nearby mirror, she froze. Inside it was one of the creatures of the mirror realm. Distorted and twisted into odd and evil creatures. She couldn’t help but shudder as Choerry looked at her with worry.

“what's wrong?” Choerry asked as Yeri’s eyes never left the mirror.

“Remember when I said for you to be careful? If you could see me in the mirror, then you might see the creatures of the mirror realm?” Yeri asked as Siyeon and the others looked at her with a startled expression. They had never heard Yeri mention this before.

“yes. Why?” Choerry asked as Yeri pointed towards the mirror.

“because, for some reason, one of them is watching us…” Yeri said as Choerry looked over and jumped.

The creature was a pale grey and slimy looking. Its face twisted and distorted, and only two black holes were where its eyes should be. As it watched, Choerry would see a hint of silver in the depths like how a cat's eyes could reflect light.

Its mouth was twisted and misshapen, but you could see large slimy teeth peeking out, causing Choerry and Yeri both so shudder as they clung to each other.

“Is this why you couldn’t sleep alone?” Choerry asked as Yeri nodded nervously.

“why is it watching us?” Siyeon asked as Yeri shook her head.

“I, I don’t know. I have seen them watching people before, but it's so rare. I try to avoid them, so I don’t know what they do after they watch someone…” Yeri said as Choerry clung to her arm tightly.

“I think we know what Sooyoung and Chuu are!” Dami said as she came down the stairs with Handong only to be shushed. Siyeon didn’t like the thought of some strange creature watching them and didn’t want it to know any knowledge that they didn’t need to.

“what?” Dami asked as everyone looked at the mirror in question.

“outside. Now.” Siyeon said as everyone stood and filed outside, leaving Handong and Dami to stand there with a confused expression before following everyone else outside.

“what’s going on?” Dami asked as Handong frowned.

“whatever it is, it doesn’t feel good, does it?” Handong asked as Dami shook her head and walked out the door to see everyone surrounding Yeri and Choerry. What now?


	82. Chapter 82

-Twisted Creatures-

Dami and Handong walked outside to see everyone surrounding Yeri and Choerry as the two glanced nervously at the house.

“what was it? What did you see?” Siyeon asked. Yeri tried to describe it as the others felt their skin crawl. The creature sounded horrible, and Yeri was trapped in that world where those things were running around freely?

“Can you show us?” Minji asked as Yeri looked at her with a confused expression. Minji wanted to know what was scaring Yeri so badly. It was an odd feeling. She felt both like protecting her like a child and wanting to act respectfully to her elder.

“show you?” Yeri asked as Siyeon explained how.

“I don’t know if I can…” Yeri said as Siyeon frowned while thinking.

“Siyeon? She's not part of the pack yet. Maybe it doesn’t come as easily to her due to that?” Minji said as Siyeon nodded.

“well, I wanted it to be in a better situation, Yeri? Do you want to join our pack right now? You don’t have to if you don’t want to. You will still be welcome to live here whether you join or not.” Siyeon said, but Yeri was already nodding in agreement.

“what do I have to do?” Yeri asked, and soon it was explained.

“you ready?” Siyeon asked as Yeri nodded. But when Siyeon bit Yeri the two felt a weird surge within themselves. It made them feel like the world around them was spinning, and soon Siyeon and Yeri staggered.

Yeri completed the ritual, but as soon as she finished, her eyes rolled back into her head as she fainted. Siyeon caught her just in time, but when she glanced over to Choerry, she too was unconscious in Gahyeon’s arms. She had just managed to catch her in time before she hit the ground.

“What happened to them?” Handong asked as she walked over to see if the two were alright.

“there was a weird dizzy feeling I got when I bit her. Maybe she felt it too, but I don’t know why it affected Choerry too.” Siyeon said as she looked over at the purple-haired girl.

“it looks like they both are both coming around…” Dami said as the two started to groan.

“Yeri? Are you alright?” Siyeon asked as the girl nodded slowly.

“sorry… I suddenly felt dizzy…” she said as Choerry sat up, looking confused as to why she was suddenly in Gahyeon’s arms.

“well, I don’t want to push you, but do you think you can try to show me what you saw now?” Siyeon asked as Yeri shook her head to clear her thoughts and nodded.

It took several tries, but soon Yeri’s memory flashed before Siyeon’s eyes. The wolf stood there in shock as she looked at the twisted creature in the mirror. She could feel Yeri’s fear in the memory and understood the panic in the two girls.

“well?” Dami asked as Siyeon shared the memory with her pack. Everyone grew silent before they looked at the house nervously. That thing had been lurking in their home? For how long?

“what the fuck is that?!” Dami shouted as she looked at the house in shock.

“do you know what that thing is?” Elkie asked as she walked over to Handong. She was nervous to know that thing was in the house watching them and snuggled up to her mate worriedly.

“I don’t know for sure… but I have a theory…” Yeri said as everyone looked at her nervously.

“what do you think it is?” Choerry asked as she grabbed Yeri’s hand to comfort her.

“humans,” Yeri said as everyone stared at her with varied looks of confusion.

“humans?” Dami asked in shock as Yeri nodded.

“I think they are humans that became trapped in the mirror. The longer you are in there, you become twisted. I think that the only reason I didn’t become like them is that I am a vampire.” Yeri said as Siyeon and the others looked to Dami and Handong. They hoped that the two had read something similar, but the two shook their heads.

“what made you think that they are humans?” Siyeon asked softly as she observed the girl. Yeri was trying to hide it, but she was trembling when she remembered the creature.

“I think that they are humans that were trapped. The more they watched the creature take over their lives and realized that no one noticed, it drove them mad, twisting them more and more until they are like that thing…” Yeri said as she looked at Siyeon nervously.

“I'm not sure if it's true, but that’s what I think,” Yeri said nervously as Siyeon nodded. It did make some sense.

“So why would it be here if it was a human originally? This house has been a vampire house for generations, right?” Jungeun asked as Yeri nodded and then shrugged.

“because you escaped?” Choerry said randomly as everyone looked at her.

“what do you mean?” Yeri asked as Choerry looked at her.

“well, if they were trapped for years and found out that someone escaped, wouldn’t you think that they would be curious? Maybe they are hoping to find a way out too.” Choerry said as Siyeon felt chills run down her spine.

The thought of that thing escaping the mirror was terrifying. If Yeri was able to drain people's energy, what would something as twisted as that creature be able to do? She didn’t even want to imagine it.

“what exactly did you see?” Sooyoung asked as she looked at Siyeon and the others. Siyeon had shared the image with her pack but not the others.

“are you sure you want to know?” Siyeon asked hesitantly as Sooyoung nodded. Siyeon shared the image as everyone, but Hyunjin cringed back in shock.

“what the hell is that thing? A human could turn into that?” Sooyoung asked as Chuu clung to her nervously.

“the inside of the mirror twists things, but it also messes with your mind. You can’t be seen. You can’t be heard. You can only watch. You can observe someone living your life and are helpless to stop them. You watch your friends joking around with them. you watch your lover with them at night… it's sometimes too much for humans to handle. For anyone honestly. I think the only reason I didn’t become mentally twisted like them is watching Minji and her mother grow up.” Yeri said as Minji walked over to her and held her tightly.

To hear everything Yeri had gone through at such a young age, it must have been difficult. She didn’t deserve this life. It must have been torture to watch someone else living your life while you could only watch from afar. Minji wondered just how much Yeri struggled.

Yeri didn’t know what to do. Minji’s hug was warm, and she immediately relaxed, but she felt guilty. She didn’t share that information to be comforted and wasn’t sure she deserved it. It had been so long since someone had held her that she didn’t feel like she deserved the warmth and comfort.

“is there a way for that thing to escape?” Heejin asked as she clung to her purring girlfriend. The gentle purrs calmed her girlfriend slightly, but she was still startled about what she had been shown.

“I don’t THINK so? But I do know that when one person escaped, they burned the broken pieces of the mirror… should we do that, or do you think it is pointless?” Yeri asked as Dami thought carefully.

“that mirror became a portal between wherever you were trapped and here. That might mean that there is still a faint bridge between the two or even a weak spot. If that thing finds it, maybe it could possibly escape. Better safe than sorry. Let's gather the pieces of the mirror and burn it.” Dami said as everyone nodded.

They quickly filed inside and gathered the pieces of the mirror and its frame as they walked outside to burn it, but they made one small mistake. They missed a tiny shard of mirror that had slid underneath the bed. It was so tiny that even if they pieced the mirror together, they might not notice it, but it was still under the bed, hidden from view.

Everyone set the pieces that they found on the ground as Dami carried the large frame. With a snap, she had it in pieces as she tossed them onto the pile. The mirror went up in flames with a roar as Yoohyeon’s black flames engulfed them completely, leaving nothing behind but molten glass and ash.

Everyone but Yeri felt relieved, yet she couldn’t figure out why she still felt anxious. The mirror was in ashes. She should feel better, but she didn’t. Choerry felt her nervousness and held her hand, trying to comfort her.

Yeri smiled at her in thanks as she looked at the others. They noticed how close the two had become but acted like they didn’t notice as everyone chatted about random things.

“Yeri? I know that thing creeps you out, but can you see if it is still inside?” Dami asked as Yeri nodded, but when she went to take a step towards the house, she froze and looked around. It was the first time she was outside in hundreds of years.

“Yeri? Is everything alright?” Siyeon asked as she walked over to the girl, but Yeri just nodded silently. After several minutes she finally spoke.

“it’s the first time I have been outside in so many years…” Yeri said softly as she gently ran her fingers in the tall grass and giggled in surprise as the plants hugged her back before returning to their original position.

“what was that?” Yeri asked with a happy giggle as Gahyeon laughed.

“sorry. The plants around here are a bit more active than you probably remember.” Gahyeon said as Yeri nodded, but she wasn’t scared of them. She had watched Sol after all.

“it's so interesting. I knew plants were alive, but I never thought of them like this…” Yeri said with a smile as she watched the plants around her.

“ah, sorry. I will go check the mirrors.” Yeri said as she said goodbye to the plants and walked inside.

Once inside, Yeri could feel her anxiety return as she looked from mirror to mirror in the house but couldn’t find the creature anywhere. She even silently went into the rooms of some that were still sleeping peacefully. Blissfully unaware of what was going on before going up into the attic to check, yet the creature was nowhere to be seen. It had just vanished.

It was a bit of a relief, but she couldn’t help but wonder where it had gone to. She had to convince herself that it wasn’t her problem now that it was gone and slowly walked outside to tell the others

Siyeon and the others sighed in relief at the news as they slowly filed into the house. It wasn’t long before the experience was forgotten, and everyone was back to their normal behaviors, but Yeri still couldn’t shake the odd feeling she felt.

“Is something wrong?” Choerry asked as Yeri just shook her head and smiled.

“I guess I'm just feeling a bit nervous. Those things scared me when I was trapped in the mirror. I guess I still am afraid of them. I just feel nervous. Like something bad is going to happen. I know it's just in my head, but…” Yeri said as Choerry hugged her tightly.

Yeri still wasn’t used to the warmth and comfort the purple-haired girl could give her. Minji’s hugs felt nice, but something about Choerry was different. Choerry smiled as she felt the blonde relax in her hold and stood there like that for a while before finally releasing her.

“you see what I'm seeing, right?” Irene asked as she watched with a smirk as Jungeun nodded.

“it looks a bit wrong, though. Yeri looks like a teen still.” Gahyeon said as Jungeun nodded.

“yes, but Yeri is older than most of us. She just looks young. Its not her fault her growth was stopped by getting trapped in the mirror.” Jungeun said as the others watched silently.

“besides. Now that she is free, her age will catch up. We should enjoy her cuteness while it lasts.” Jungeun said with a smile.

Jungeun was standing beside Jinsoul when she suddenly got another vision. This one was strong even though there was no sound. Like before, it showed Yeri shifting her appearance before infiltrating some building.

_It didn’t even look like the building was in this town, so why was she there? Jungeun spotted Bora and Minji talking to Yeri, but she couldn’t hear what they said._

_Yeri nodded as she listened to the two and walked into the building like she belonged there. Jungeun could see that Minji and Bora looked worried. Whatever they had planned, it must be dangerous._

_It took several minutes before Yeri walked out of the building and towards the girls. Once they were out of sight, she shifted back to normal and held out what looked like a key card and some papers as she smiled proudly._

_Whatever was on them seemed very important. When Minji took the papers, she read through them with a smile as they quickly left the scene before they got spotted._

This vision looked to be important but off in the distant future. Yeri looked the same age as the girls and seemed a bit more mischievous than she does now. She also seemed more confident. But where were Siyeon and the others? Something didn’t seem right.

Jungeun thought carefully and wondered why Siyeon’s mate would be there, but she wouldn’t? Did something happen to her? But though Bora looked worried, she didn’t seem upset or distraught. So, what was going on?

What she did know is that Yeri needed to practice and find out the extent of her abilities if she was to get to that point later on. The blonde looked hesitant and fearful right now. She seemed worried to try, and that needed to change.

But before Jungeun could say anything, Siyeon stepped forward. She stood there and quickly got everyone's attention. That creature made her nervous, and she wanted to be prepared just in case they would need to face something like that in the future.

“in the morning, we will start training again. Whatever that thing was doesn’t matter. What matters is that it was watching us, and that makes me nervous.” Siyeon said as she paused and looked around the room.

“We don’t even know what that thing can do. We learned in that base that we are getting stronger with our fighting skills. But we have been slacking on our abilities.” Siyeon said as Minji nodded.

“I almost couldn’t hold my ability long enough to get Yoohyeon and I to safety. If I had to cover all of you in my ability, we wouldn’t have made it.” Minji said as everyone grew quiet.

“what I'm interested in is how will our powers be effected with Yeri joining? She was a vampire, but now she’s something more. Half doppelganger and half vampire. Our strength will also magnify her powers, so I'm interested in what she can do as well.” Dami said as she looked at Yeri with a curious expression.

“magnify my powers? I have powers?” Yeri asked as Dami and Siyeon nodded together.

“yes. Sunmi and Chungha are nine-tailed foxes. With that comes elemental abilities. Chungha’s is ice while Sunmi’s is lightning. We developed different abilities that don’t only link to the elements.” Siyeon said as Dami took over.

“Elkie can force people away from her. It's useful because when we are getting overwhelmed, we can create some space and breathe for a second. Minji can affect time, and Seulgi can see things that others can't. And of course, whatever Irene is…” Dami said as the vampire's eyes flashed.

“oh! Jungeun? You said you would explain about that child of winter thing!” Irene said as the banshee laughed and nodded.

“yes, I did, but are you sure you want me to tell you now? In front of everyone?” Jungeun asked as Irene nodded. She didn’t want to keep secrets from anyone.

“your ability is winter itself. The cold and harsh winds. You see, for every season, there is a person that represents it. They are almost as powerful as the representatives of the sun and moon. Irene, your father, is the personification of winter.” Jungeun said as Irene stood there speechless.

“so, my real father is winter itself…” Irene said as Jungeun nodded.

“If you look up the records around the time you were born, there will probably be articles mentioning harsh winters and odd cold snaps that year. Your mother might not have even known what he was. I have even met him once, and I could see the resemblance right away.” Jungeun said as Irene looked at her in shock.

“What is he like?” Irene asked as Jungeun smiled.

“dark black hair tall with a very handsome face. He exudes power and gives off that rich vibe. He seems cold but helped one of the girls in town when one of their pets got hurt. don’t let his cold exterior fool you if you ever meet him.” Jungeun said, but Irene shook her head.

“I doubt I will ever meet him. He either doesn’t know I exist or does and has chosen not to know me.” Irene said calmly. She didn’t want to sound cold, but she didn’t know if she ever wanted to meet him. Why would he leave her mother with that man?

“oh, he has a bit of a temper too. That might be genetic to try not to make Irene mad. Her powers might bleed if you do. I know his does.” Jungeun said as she looked at Siyeon, who nodded. It was useful information to know.

If Irene’s powers started to leak out, it could cause serious issues. They were not immune to her ability, unlike the others. It could lead to a very dangerous situation.

“noted. But wait, if her ability comes from her father, then she’s half vampire and half whatever. Is that counted as her elemental ability, or could she develop something else later on?” Siyeon asked as everyone looked to Dami.

“don’t look at me! I don’t know all the answers! We just need to watch and see if anything stands out while we train our powers, alright?” Dami said as Siyeon smirked.

“um, guys?” Choerry asked as she looked at them in surprise. Yeri was standing there staring at the mirror intently as her eyes reflected a faint silver glow. Whatever was happening to her, she was completely unaware of what was going on around her.

“Yeri? What's wrong?” Siyeon asked as Hyunjin walked over to her and leaned in so close their noses almost touched as she stared into her eyes.

“the way her eyes are moving, she's watching something…” Hyunjin said as she leaned back just in time for the silver to fade as Yeri blinked repeatedly and looked around to realize all eyes were on her.

“what just happened?” Minji asked worriedly as Yeri blushed and stammered. She didn’t know how to describe it.

“well… I was thinking about something, and suddenly I could see like I was observing from the mirror again…” Yeri said as Dami slowly walked closer and looked at her with an expression of interest.

“what did you want to see?” Dami asked as Yeri looked at her with a guilty expression.

“I was looking at Irene’s father…” Yeri said as everyone went silent and looked at her in shock.

“y, you what?” Yoohyeon asked as Yeri started to feel nervous.

“well, judging from his description that Jungeun gave, he might be the one that would always visit my parents. So I wondered if it was the same person when suddenly I could see and hear him like I was observing him through a mirror…” Yeri said as she looked around nervously.

“so, you know him?” Irene asked as she took a cautious step closer. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know more.

“yes. I don’t remember his name because he was a friend of my parents and I was ‘too young’ to join them. The hint was the temper. One time he and my father got in an argument, and the room suddenly got extremely cold. It fits the description, right?” Yeri asked as everyone thought quietly.

“wait, you are a part of the pack now, can you show us what you saw?” Bora asked as Yeri looked nervously at Irene. She wanted to make sure that Irene was alright with it before she did.

The vampire swallowed hard as she nodded at Yeri, and soon the image of the man showed before them. Siyeon shared it with Jungeun, who nodded.

“yes, that’s who I was talking about. He is winter itself.” Jungeun said as Irene stood there completely stunned.

“what's wrong?” Seulgi asked her girlfriend, who still looked completely stunned.

“that’s my godfather… he would visit us every year and was always extremely kind to me…” Irene said as Jungeun smirked. She figured that he wouldn’t be far from Irene. She was his daughter, after all.


	83. Chapter 83

-There All Along-

Irene was completely baffled by what was going on. Her real father that she had thought didn’t know she existed had been beside her all along? It was hard to believe that the man she had wished was her real father for several years turned out to really be her father.

“that’s really him?” Irene asked as she looked at Jungeun, who nodded.

“why would he hide it and stay friends with my father? It doesn’t make sense… he doesn’t even seem to really like my father.” Irene said as Dami thought carefully.

“maybe to stay close to you? You are his daughter, after all. And because of that friendship, he was made your godfather. But my question is, why not just be happy with your mother and you. Why let her go to someone else?” Dami asked as the realization hit Irene.

“my mother's family… they are very power-hungry. They probably wouldn’t let her do what she wanted. Every time they would visit, they would criticize me telling me I needed to be better to marry better…” Irene said as Dami nodded.

“so that might explain it. The pressure from her family was just too much. For some, it is very difficult to go against their family.” Handong said as Irene frowned.

“I know that very well… but I still don’t understand how she could look at my father while my REAL father was there. How could she keep so calm?” Irene asked as everyone went silent. They didn’t know the answer to that.

“well, this just proves that we need to start practicing as soon as possible. If Irene is truly the daughter of winter, it explains why she is so strong and why we are not immune to her ability. And we need to help Yeri learn what she can do.” Siyeon said as everyone nodded.

“what about us?” Sooyoung asked as she looked at her friends and then back to Siyeon.

“you are more than welcome to join us if you want, but we won't make you do something if you don’t want to,” Siyeon said as Sooyoung nodded.

“oh!” Dami shouted as she went to go grab a book and quickly returned.

“Chuu? I think I know what you are.” Dami said as the cute girl perked up excitedly.

“you do?” Chuu asked as Dami nodded and opened her book and carefully turned the pages to rest on the one she needed. I think you are a muse. Or I should say someone in your family was one.” Dami said as she showed the book to her.

“so, I inspire people?” Chuu asked as everyone nodded around her. But what all could a muse do? It didn’t really say.

“a muse?” Sooyoung asked curiously as Dami nodded.

“according to this, history says that they can inspire people, and many were able to accomplish their goals thanks to muses. I think you have someone that was a muse in your family, and because of that, you have the ability that you have.” Dami said as Chuu thought carefully.

“so what does that mean? I can't fight like the others. I just have to stand there and smile?” Chuu asked with a pout as Dami and Sooyoung laughed.

“you can affect the will of people. You can get their attention and make them do what you want. That’s not a weak ability. You just don’t know how to use it yet.” Dami said as Chuu pouted and hugged Sooyoung.

“so does that thing say anything about what I am?” Sooyoung asked as Dami carefully turned the pages.

“Some things fit you, but others don’t. You were incredibly strong when fighting and are extremely fast. You also hold an effect over people, but there isn’t one thing that specifically describes what you might be.” Dami said as she started pointing out things that matched and things that didn’t.

“like Chuu, your ability might be a mix of whatever beings crossed your family tree. You don’t seem to fit a succubus, though I wouldn’t be surprised if you have one in your family tree.” Dami said as Sooyoung laughed. She had heard that before.

“We could try different things while training if you want to join us to see what you can do, but it's up to you.” Dami offered as Sooyoung nodded while thinking.

“so, what about me?” Choerry asked as Dami looked at her with a thoughtful smile.

“I don’t know what you are yet. I'm still looking, but you may be something new or so old that it has been forgotten.” Dami said as Choerry nodded and looked at Yeri.

Before anyone could say anything else, they heard sol laughing as he ran out from the woods with the fox friend of Seulgi. He was clearly playing with the fox as they ran around the yard.

“I was wondering where he has been going…” Dami said as she looked out the window and laughed while she watched the two play.

“Not just them,” Seulgi said as she looked up and saw the large black bird as he dove at sol at lightning speed with his talons ready.

In seconds he held sol in his talons and carried him into the air as sol cheered happily. He loved being able to play like this. Seeing him like this reminded them that in plant terms, he was still a child. He was growing rapidly due to Gahyeon’s ability, but he was still a child at heart for now.

“well, let's let them play,” Gahyeon said as everyone sat back down at the table and chatted.

“so in the morning, let's start practicing. Alright?” Siyeon said when her phone went off.

“who is it?” Yoohyeon asked as she noticed Siyeon’s confused expression.

“its Matthew...” Siyeon said as she answered and listened carefully.

“alright. Thank you. I will let them know.” Siyeon said as she hung up and looked at Dami and Yoohyeon.

“Matthew said that they just finished going through the papers in that building. Most were junk, but a couple looked promising. He said he and his pack are heading home to talk to his father. He will hopefully have some information in a week or two. He says it depends on how fast his father's friends work.” Siyeon said as Yoohyeon and Dami shared excited looks.

“See, baby? I told you not to stress!” Minji said as she hugged her mate happily. Yoohyeon relaxed slightly as she leaned into her mate happily. The idea of finding something out about her real parents was exciting.

“well, let's get something to eat. Sunmi has been sticking to Chungha while she heals. I vote for chicken!” Minji shouted as everyone cheered.

It didn’t take long for the food to get there, and soon they all were sitting and eating happily while chatting.

Siyeon had gone upstairs and woken up the two sleepy wolves. It seemed that Dami had lent them a switch that they had played all night. Siyeon walked in to see the two passed out on the bed with the joy cons still in their hands and chuckled.

They were truly teens, even if they fought like adults. How they learned to fight like that Siyeon had no idea, but the young wolves were truly a help before.

“Hyejoo? Chaewon? Wake up… food is here.” Siyeon said softly as she woke up the two and laughed. They groaned as they looked up only to be startled as they spotted Siyeon’s vivid green eyes.

“oh, sorry… we must have fallen asleep…” Hyejoo said as she rubbed her eyes and looked up at Siyeon, looking slightly embarrassed.

“no problem. Come on. Let's go get something to eat.” Siyeon said as she patted the two on the shoulder and led them out of the room. Chaewon clung to Hyejoo as they went down the stairs, and soon everyone but Sunmi and Chungha was at the table. Siyeon had brought the two some food to their room before she went to wake up Hyejoo and Chaewon.

While everyone was eating, Bora took this opportunity and carefully slid her hand along Siyeon’s leg, making her choke on her bite of chicken as she stared at her mate with wide eyes.

 _‘Bora… please?’_ Siyeon begged as Bora’s hand moved slowly up her leg. Judging from Bora’s smirk, the pleading was the wrong way to attempt to make her stop.

Siyeon sat rigid in her chair as she clenched her teeth and tried to act like nothing was happening, but when her hand started to get too close, Siyeon started coughing as she nervously picked up her drink and took a couple of sips.

Bora smiled. She loved flustering Siyeon, and this was just too fun. She wouldn’t do anything too inappropriate while Hyejoo and Chaewon were in the house, but Siyeon didn’t know that. All she knew was the mischievous smirk that Bora was giving her.

Bora finally stopped when it looked like Siyeon was going to have a panic attack. Siyeon sighed in relief when Bora removed her hand, but she was still feeling the adrenaline from the whole situation. When she reached for the next piece of chicken, Siyeon noticed her hands trembling to her embarrassment.

It went unnoticed, though, as everyone ate happily and chatted. Hyejoo was more awake now and seemed to be getting along with Yeri and Choerry well. The two were trying to explain video games to Yeri, and it wasn’t going well.

“so you have little people trapped in the game, and you control them?” Yeri asked as Hyejoo snorted and tried to explain it better. She wasn’t sure if Yeri was messing with her or serious.

“oh! So, humans made this thing called a video game? I thought humans were stupid? At least that’s what my father always said. Yeri said as Heejin laughed.

“well, as a part-human, I have to agree with you on that one. I know from experience… my human cousins make me sometimes wonder with the stupid things they do.” Heejin said as Minji laughed.

“you should ask Yoohyeon about her idiot cousins one day. I think you would enjoy the conversation…” Minji said as Yoohyeon shook her head.

“complete idiots. I think that it's just a cousin thing…” Yoohyeon said as she started explaining the stupid things that her cousins had done.

It turned into a competition of who had the stupidest cousin, and they were almost even until Heejin pulled out her secret weapon and defeated Yoohyeon causing the others to laugh.

“wait, your cousins really did that?” Elkie asked as Heejin nodded.

“maybe it is just a cousin thing,” Heejin said as she laughed and shared more funny stories about her human relatives.

Once all that was left of the chicken was left was bones, the girls stood and decided on what to do. Hyejoo decided to teach Yeri more about games, and soon everyone was watching as the young wolf struggled to teach her.

“oh! I think I'm getting the hang of it!” Yeri said about an hour later when she was destroying Hyejoo in a game.

“understatement…” Jinsoul whispered as Hyejoo glared at her out of the corner of her eye. It was known that Hyejoo was competitive when it came to gaming. This was going to be an interesting thing to watch.

“This is not over…” Hyejoo grumbled as she looked at the screen. She had lost several matches in a row and was completely confused. How was Yeri learning so quickly? It was like she knew her moves before she could even do them.

Suddenly things clicked as the wolf looked at her with suspicion. She quickly asked Yeri to look at her without using mind speech. The vampire looked at her with a smile as she waited for the wolf to speak.

“I knew it!” Hyejoo said as she stood and looked at Yeri, who was completely confused.

“Yeri, you can read minds! That’s how you beat me!” Hyejoo shouted as Jinsoul snorted.

“Hyejoo, stop being a sore loser…” Sooyoung said, but the young wolf shook her head.

“no, I'm not being a sore loser. Some of the moves she pulled off are ones that I didn’t show her because they are extremely complicated. But after I used it once she could suddenly do it too. I think it's her doppelganger powers coming out!” Hyejoo said as Yeri looked at her in shock.

“I can? If I am, I don’t know how I'm doing it…” Yeri said as Hyejoo nodded.

“I'm not accusing you of using it to cheat. I thought of calling your name, and you looked at me like I did. I wasn’t using mind speech, so it seems you don’t realize when you are doing it. I really need to enter her into some competitions…” Hyejoo said as Jungeun rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around her mate.

“yes, Yeri, you can. It will be very useful later on, but you need to learn to control it. You have many mated pares in this household. If you are not careful, you might hear something you don't want to…” Jungeun said as Yeri, and everyone else suddenly looked nervous.

They didn’t like the idea of their private moments being heard easily, but they knew that this was all new to Yeri and comforted her as they joked it off. It didn’t stop them from being nervous, though.

“let's watch a movie!” Chuu suggested as everyone thought it over. They soon were deciding on a movie while some were dragging out mattresses and setting them up on the floor with piles of pillows and blankets.

“I will go invite Chungha and Sunmi. We are going to be lying down after all.” Siyeon said as she walked to the door and knocked softly.

“yes?” Sunmi said as Siyeon opened the door. The two were snuggled up in bed as they watched something on their phones.

“want to join us for a movie? Dami is setting up a projector, and we set out some mattresses. Think of it as a sleepover.” Siyeon said with a smile as Chungha looked up at Sunmi with an excited expression.

“Alright, but you are not walking in there yourself. You almost collapsed just walking to the bathroom!” Sunmi said as Chungha rolled her eyes.

“I tripped. That’s not collapsing. That’s just me being accident-prone…” Chungha said as Sunmi pouted.

“fine…” Chungha said with a smile as the older fox stood and scooped her up in her arms and carried her into the living room.

Everyone greeted the two happily as Jinsoul walked out of the kitchen with snacks for everyone. Once Sunmi carefully set her mate down, she went into the kitchen to help the tall blonde make more food.

“How is she doing?” Jinsoul asked as Sunmi sighed.

“she hurts. The wound is healed, but the pain hasn’t gone away. i had to carry her in here. She acts like she's fine, but it hurts just walking to the bathroom and back.” Sunmi said as Jinsoul frowned. The fact that Chungha was still hurting worried the blonde.

“I will make some popcorn. Can you keep Chungha company?” Sunmi asked as Jinsoul nodded and walked out of the kitchen.

When Sunmi returned, she found an unusual sight. Choerry and Jinsoul were in a battle of the cheesy jokes and seemed tied. They were trying to make Hyejoo laugh, but it was easier than expected. Their target soon turned to Hyunjin as they tried their hardest to make the feline laugh.

“that all you got?” Hyunjin asked once they both lost, but Heejin could tell from the angle of her ears and the slight swishing of her tail that the vampire was struggling not to laugh.

When the contest was done, everyone settled down as the movie started. Everyone snuggled down and enjoyed the snacks and movie, but by the end, everyone was sleeping peacefully. The snacks filled them up, and when morning came, they slowly woke up one by one.

Groans and complaints were heard throughout the room as everyone woke and started getting ready in the morning. Of the couples, the last to wake was Siyeon and Bora, as well as Yoohyeon and Minji.

The two couples were snuggled together as they rested soundly. The two were so cute together as they clung to each other. But Siyeon slowly started to wake up to the feeling of being watched. She lifted her head to see Sooyoung looking at her with a smirk.

“do all wolves strip in their sleep? Or just your pack?” Sooyoung teased as Siyeon glanced at herself. She was in only her underwear. She looked at Sooyoung, who pointed at the other couple as well. Both Yoohyeon and Minji were in the same situation. Yoohyeon just yawned as she stretched and laughed.

“Wolves have a tendency to get hotter easily, so it is kind of normal. Minji is a vampire, though. She just liked being naked.” Yoohyeon said as she felt her mate smack her shoulder hard.

“ouch!” Yoohyeon yelped as she jumped up and glared at her mate as she rubbed her stinging arm. Minji glared at her mate as she wrapped the blanket around herself and stood to go get dressed. Yoohyeon pouted as she stood as well.

“damn…” Sooyoung said as she scanned Yoohyeon’s body carefully. This time she was the one that got smacked as Chuu glared at her girlfriend.

“Sooyoung…” Chuu threatened softly as she glared at her girlfriend.

“what? She has a nice body. It's not like I'm going to do anything!” Sooyoung said with a smirk. Chuu knew what she was doing. She liked messing with her, but she still suddenly felt jealous.

“breakfast is ready!” Jinsoul called as everyone turned. Instead of Sunmi, Jinsoul made breakfast this morning. She wanted the fox to relax a bit. She was stressing about Chungha, and after several minutes of convincing, she finally agreed and let the blonde into the kitchen once she promised no fast food.

“what are we doing today?” Gahyeon asked as Siyeon smirked. Clearly, she had something planned.

“Today, I want to see if Yeri can read minds in a pinch. Plus, I'm curious about what ability she might have.” Siyeon said as all eyes were on the girl.

“me? Should I be worried?” Yeri asked as Yoohyeon nodded vigorously.

“yes. Definitely.” Yoohyeon said as Minji smacked her arm again.

“ouch! What?” Yoohyeon asked as she pouted at Minji.

“no scaring my niece! wait… aunt? Either way, no scaring her!” Minji said as Yoohyeon smirked.

“wait… that’s right! Yeri is older! Minji, remember to obey her. Be nice to your elders!” Yoohyeon teased as Yeri and the others giggled. Everyone found Minji’s confusion amusing.

“Anyway, let's eat and then go outside,” Siyeon said as everyone dug into the food. It was not as good as Sunmi’s, but it was still amazing.

“This is amazing, Jinsoul!” Siyeon said as the blonde blushed shyly. She liked the compliments but wasn’t used to them.

They ate happily, and once the plates were empty, the table was cleaned, and it was time for them to train.

“ready?” Siyeon asked Yeri as the blonde gulped and nodded. She was nervous but at the same time, excited. She wanted to know what she could do and hoped that she could be of use to the others later on. She didn’t want to be someone who was weak and relied on others to protect her.

“I think I'm ready…” Yeri said softly as she looked up into the sky with a smile. It was nice to feel the sun on her face again and feel the breeze through her hair. The air in the mirror was stagnant and unmoving and made her feel suffocated. It was the complete opposite of how she felt now as she breathed in the fresh air happily.

She slowly walked into the center of the field to where the others were when a thin vine stretched up and twined itself around her fingers. Yeri looked down to see a tiny plant. It seemed fairly young and was acting like it wanted to say something.

“Gahyeon? Is this plant wanting to say something?” Yeri asked as the wolf looked over to spot the friendly plant and smiled.

“it’s a little girl, and she says, please be careful,” Gahyeon said as Yeri smiled and nodded as the plant slowly untwined itself from her fingers and went back into its original position.

“how you live is so amazing to me. Things like this didn’t happen back then…” Yeri said as she smiled at the young plant once more and then looked at Siyeon and waited for her orders.

“alright. Sunmi is obviously busy, so I will be running with Dami. First, let's try to have you attempt to draw on your ability. Sound good?” Siyeon asked as Yeri nodded and went into the center of the field and waited for her instructions.

 _‘I will be talking to you like this for now. Alright?’ Siyeon_ asked as Yeri nodded and closed her eyes as she breathed nervously.

 _‘think of strong emotions or memories. They can usually fuel or draw out your powers.’_ Siyeon said as Yeri nodded and thought back.

She tried memories of her parents, but they were all tainted with the memories of her getting trapped, and no one noticing that she was replaced, so she decided to switch memories.

Yeri decided to think of Minji. She remembered looking at her as baby Minji rested in her crib happily. She was so tiny and cute. Yeri instantly felt the need to protect the tiny baby. Without knowing it, that was what kept her sane after things started to become too much.

Her memories took a dark turn when a memory of smoke filled her vision. The house was burning, and she could hear Minji crying. Yeri panicked and went from mirror to mirror until she finally found the young girl crying in a room covered in flames.

_Yeri panicked at the sight of the thick black clouds of smoke and called Minji’s name as she threw herself at the mirror, but the barrier was just too strong._

_“Minji? MINJI! RUN! GET OUT OF THERE!” Yeri screamed as she watched the flames growing closer to the young girl. She felt completely helpless as she watched in horror as she listened to Minji cough due to the smoke. Just as things looked grave, voices were heard as Yeri looked at the door._

_Three people were shouting Minji’s name as they searched the house. Suddenly one of them heard Minji’s cries and ran through the flames and into the room. She recognized them immediately because these three are with the girls even now. Hyunwoo ran over to Minji and knelt down as he tried to soothe her fears and carefully picked her up as he looked at Wonho and Sunmi._

_“We need to get her out of here! I will take her outside. You two search for her parents!” Hyunwoo shouted as he quickly opened a window and launched himself out of the window with Minji securely in his arms._

_Yeri felt completely helpless. She couldn’t protect Minji or her parents that night. She felt truly useless, and it still made her anger rise. How could they do that to not only her parents but Minji as well? She was so young! Yeri’s protectiveness flared as the image of a terrified little Minji flashed into her mind._

Suddenly Yeri felt almost like her body was buzzing or vibrating like a bell as something forced itself from her body. Slowly Yeri opened her eyes to see something shimmering in front of her. It was a faint silver that would occasionally reflect the light as power rippled across it.

“um, Siyeon? What is this?” Yeri asked as Siyeon walked over and touched the silver-hued barrier. It was cold to the touch and almost reminded Siyeon of glass or maybe a mirror. She suddenly realized what this must be and stood back.

 _‘Yeri? I think I know what this is. I'm going to launch some of my ability at it. Don’t panic, alright? It can't hurt you.’_ Siyeon said as the vampire nodded.

Yeri watched as Siyeon drew on her lightning. The tiny bolts flickered across her body until she drew them together. Without warning, Siyeon launched the lightning at the barrier.

When the lightning struck it, a loud crash echoed throughout the field, and as quickly as the bolt was launched, it was quickly reflected back at the alpha.

Siyeon looked at the barrier. It had deflected the bolt easily, but now it seemed to be rippling and flickering like it was losing its energy.

 _‘im going to launch one more. You ready?’_ Siyeon asked as the vampire nodded. But when Siyeon launched the next bolt, something strange happened. Only half of the bolt was launched back at her. The other half was absorbed into the barrier and strengthened it significantly.

Yeri was startled with the impact and shrieked as she flinched away from the bolt and to Siyeon’s surprise the barrier suddenly changed and now looked like a mirror. Siyeon was staring at her reflection.

As Siyeon touched the barrier, she could feel the tingling buzz of her lightning lingering within. This barrier could absorb or reflect. But what emotion triggered this Siyeon wondered.

 _‘what did you think about? What brought this out?’_ Siyeon asked as she watched the cheerful girl's expression darken.

“the night Minji lost her parents… I was watching her crying, and I felt hopeless. The house was in flames, and I couldn’t help her…” Yeri said softly as everyone went silent. The barrier now made sense. It manifested from Yeri’s need to protect Minji. The need to protect the last of her family from harm.

Minji looked at the barrier in shock. Did she hear correctly? Was this barrier here because of her? How strong were Yeri’s emotions that night that it gave her this ability?

“I don’t want to just stand there and watch the ones I care about get hurt anymore…” Yeri said softly as she looked at Minji. She wouldn’t fail to protect her next time. Even if it took intense training, she would be able to protect them next time.

As that thought crossed her mind, the shimmer of the barrier changed slightly as Siyeon stood back. She could feel that something was coming.


	84. Chapter 84

-Rivals-

Siyeon stood back quickly as she felt a change in the barrier. Something was changing in it, and she was unsure what was about to happen just that the barrier was slowly changing.

Yeri’s memories and emotions were affecting it. Suddenly the barrier shimmered ad Yeri became visible again, but something was wrong with her eyes. They shone a silver that reminded Siyeon of the mirror-like barrier before she became hidden again. But this time, Siyeon didn’t just see her own reflection, she saw the memory playing out in front of her.

Everyone could see Yeri in the mirror on the wall screaming and trying to make herself seen as the tiny girl cried. Yoohyeon quickly looked over to Minji with a worried expression.

The vampire slowly walked up to the barrier as she watched the look of pure panic as Yeri tried to call to her. Minji could see the genuine worry and watched her smash her hands against the mirror until her hands bled.

All along, Minji was never alone, but it was one thing to hear it and another to see it. She could see everything, and soon she could see Hyunwoo and Wonho as they entered the room with Sunmi. The relief on Yeri’s face was unmistakable. Just how much did Yeri care for Minji?

Minji reached out and gently rested her hand on the barrier. With all the fire and smoke, she expected it to feel warm to the touch or even hot, but instead, it was cool like running water under her fingertips.

Before Minji could even say anything, the memory changed, and Minji felt her voice catch in her throat. She was looking at her parents. They were staring down at a tiny baby that she knew had to be her. But when she looked up, she spotted Yeri looking down at the crib with a happy smile. Yeri was remembering Minji growing up.

Quickly the memory changed to where Minji was slightly bigger. She was crawling around, and Minji had to laugh at the worried expression Yeri had. She could tell that the blonde was worried that Minji would get hurt while exploring.

Minji watched herself grow up and even saw when Bora first came to her and even Handong. When Dami was brought home, she could see that Yeri was proud of how the three girls worked together to raise the younger girl.

Minji could see the pride on Yeri’s face and suddenly felt a funny feeling in her chest. It was like she was looking at her parents once more. The pride they showed for her shone in Yeri as well, and she could feel herself getting emotional.

Yeri truly was there for her since the beginning. She was always watching over her with worry, and that was when it finally set in. Yeri was her last family remaining.

The barrier shimmered before finally fading away. Yeri was suddenly visible as she stood in the center. Her energy looked drained as her knees gave out, but before she could even blink or her knees touched the ground, she felt warm arms wrapped around her.

Minji used her ability to catch the smaller girl and held her tightly as she hid her face against Yeri’s neck and sobbed softly. The blonde looked at her in shock before slowly smiling as she rubbed Minji’s back soothingly.

Yoohyeon looked on with a smile. Yeri looked so young, but the gentle look she gave Minji was that of a parent looking at her child. That proud look as she comforted Minji made Yoohyeon smile.

No matter what Minji said, she missed her parents greatly. Every day she thought about them, and Yoohyeon hoped that Yeri could help fill that void that their deaths had left behind. Already it was looking promising.

“that was like looking into a chaotic snow globe…” Siyeon said as Yoohyeon giggled.

“but baby Minji was so adorable…” Yoohyeon said with a smile as Siyeon nodded.

“it looks like Minji really needed Yeri…” Siyeon said softly as Yoohyeon nodded.

“When I first came, she would have moments where she would grow silent and withdraw within herself for a bit. When I finally asked her what she thought about in those moments, she said that she was thinking about her parents and apologized. She didn’t want to look weak in front of us…” Bora said as she leaned into Siyeon.

“it's good that she has someone now,” Handong said as she held Elkie tightly to herself. She had to admit that watching that made her miss her parents too.

“We all are here for her, but it's different than family. It's nice to know that she has someone with her, even if she does look like she could be her little sister.” Siyeon said as the others smiled and nodded.

“are things like this normal?” Sooyoung asked as she walked up. Siyeon nodded.

“well, the crying no, but the unusual abilities? Yes,” Siyeon said as the other girl nodded.

Minji held Yeri in her arms and helped her stand after her tears stopped. Yeri looked up into Minji’s eyes and smiled as she wiped away the taller girl's tears.

“everything is ok, alright?” Yeri said softly as Minji nodded and was led away from the field by the smaller girl.

“oh, Choerry? I wanted to offer you to join the pack, but I wanted you to see a bit more of it before you decided. But the offer is there.” Siyeon said as the purple-haired girl nodded excitedly.

“I do want to join if you will let me!” Choerry said as she looked to Yeri, who was still comforting Minji. She didn’t know why but she wanted to stay near her.

“alright. Do you want to do it later or now?” Siyeon asked as Choerry decided.

“umm… now? Something might happen again if we wait…” Choerry said as the others laughed.

Just like with Yeri, when Siyeon bit her, there was a strange sensation that she couldn’t place, and just like last time, both girls went down complaining of dizziness.

“they still seem to be connected…” Dami said as she watched the two slowly waking up.

“yes. I don’t know what it means, but it will probably be interesting with the two of them staying here.” Gahyeon said as she hugged her mate sweetly.

“does anyone else want to try?” Siyeon asked as Irene held her hand up nervously.

“um, can I?” Irene asked as Siyeon nodded, but she hesitated once more.

“could you stand back a bit farther than normal? I want to try something.” Irene said as everyone nodded and stepped back

Irene walked into the center of the field and took a deep breath. From the beginning, she had held back, but now she wanted to let her powers break loose for once.

Irene was barefoot and felt the soft damp soil underneath her feet, but as she drew on her powers, the ground froze and became firm and unmoving. The grass and plants instantly froze and went to sleep unhurt from the flash freeze.

Siyeon watched the ring of frost around Irene slowly increasing, but when the vampire took a quick inhale, Siyeon knew she was about to try something.

Irene exhaled quickly as she imagined arctic winds. Fierce and unforgiving. On her exhale, the winds became harsh and whipped around as frost crystals hovered in the air.

Once more, Irene drew on her powers of winter, and soon the radius of her ability grew and soon was creating a deadly winter storm in a large radius around her.

“I can feel the cold from here…” Sooyoung said as Hyunjin watched curiously.

“and her powers will only grow. Do you see why I say we need to keep her calm? Losing her temper can kill one of us easily… less likely with you and your pack, but what happened to Chungha can easily happen to you.” Jungeun said as Jinsoul walked up. She was curious about her water ability and what she could do as well.

“What is that?” Heejin asked as they looked at Irene to see a creature walking towards her inside the frost ring.

“it’s Seulgi,” Siyeon said as the girls squinted and soon realized that the large white creature was just Seulgi in her bear form. Her fur was covered in frost and snow. It was making her look like a strange creature until she shook it off like it was nothing. She was utterly unaffected by the frost and snow.

“I have to say your pack is made up of the strangest people… and I mean that in a good way.” Sooyoung said as Siyeon laughed.

“I can't deny that. But I wouldn’t change it. We are all a family.” Siyeon said as she watched Seulgi pounce Irene as she slowly retracted her powers.

Giggles were heard from inside as Seulgi held the vampire in her strong bear arms. Soon Seulgi was laughing too as she held her mate happily. Even naked in her human form Seulgi was immune.

“um… can I try next?” Jinsoul asked as Siyeon looked at her and nodded.

“I was never trained to use my powers. I only learned what I could by myself. I could use some advice…” Jinsoul said softly as Siyeon and the others nodded in agreement. Bora let her purple fire wash over the field, melting all of the frost while leaving the plants unharmed as Jinsoul walked forward.

“ready?” Siyeon asked as the tall blonde nodded.

Jinsoul walked into the now thawed field and was walked through the steps by Siyeon. Carefully she breathed in and out as she tried to search through her memories and emotions.

Slowly Jinsoul cycled through them until she found something. It was the memory of how they were captured. She had felt so helpless. So useless. She couldn’t help Jungeun at all, and it made her growl in annoyance

“Woah… you know I was joking about the dragon thing…” Hyunjin said as she watched Jinsoul’s eyes pop open. The vivid blue eyes were blazing, and her pupils were slits like a cat or reptiles as long fangs protruded from her lips.

Soon the water wings slowly returned as Jinsoul’s anger rose. Atop her head, strong yet beautiful horns of water formed as she let out another growl. She did indeed look like a descendent of a dragon but not the line that Hyunjin had initially thought.

From the look of it, Jinsoul had an ancient line of dragon somewhere in her family tree, but her wings looked strong, and occasionally the light would catch them just right, and the girls could see the beautiful multicolored blue scales.

Jinsoul’s protective nature was pulled forth as she summoned water to herself. It spun around her at a deadly speed as it grew taller. Finally, Jinsoul snapped out of her rage, though when she realized what she was creating.

The water gently flowed back down to the ground as Jinsoul sighed. She didn’t like letting her emotions get the better of her, and soon she disappeared from sight. Her embarrassment was getting to her.

“Baby, it's alright. You did fine. Come here.” Jungeun said as she held out her arms. It didn’t take long until she felt her girlfriend’s arms gently wrap around her as she held her tiny waist tightly and snuggled closer.

Jungeun could feel something wrapping around her and knew it must be her girlfriend's wings. She smiled as she held Jinsoul until her embarrassment subsided, and she slowly became visible again.

“that was a mini hurricane… it reminds me of Yoohyeon’s cyclones but way larger…” Siyeon said as Jinsoul blushed.

“It was very impressive. I doubt anyone would want to go against you if they saw that.” Dami said as Jinsoul looked up in shock.

“really?” Jinsoul asked as Dami nodded.

“you summoned a hurricane. Who in their right minds would go up against that to get to you?” Handong said as Dami and the others nodded.

“I just remembered how helpless I felt when we were captured…” Jinsoul said as Jungeun held her tighter.

“What happened that night?” Siyeon asked as Jungeun sighed.

“I was an idiot. I had a bad feeling, but I still followed a vision and got us captured…” Jungeun said as Jinsoul shook her head.

“she had a vision that someone was going to be kidnapped and rushed there to help, but they gassed us with something. I tried to get to her, but I couldn’t move. I felt helpless… I watched them grab Jungeun, and I couldn’t even lift a finger to stop them…” Jinsoul said as her girlfriend tried to soothe her a bit.

“I know how you feel. Matthew's brother took over his pack when he was away. He was cruel and gassed us because we were rumored to be strong. I couldn’t lift my head and struggled so much to move, but it was of no use. I have never felt so helpless. Without Sol, we would have been at his mercy.” Siyeon said as she looked over to sol. He was playing with a butterfly that seemed to have grown fond of him.

“How did he save you?” Jungeun asked as Gahyeon smiled.

“he absorbed the gas. He was a bit loopy for several hours after, but it’s the one thing that saved us. He has saved us so many times now. He truly is our hero. Even if he doesn’t look like one right now.” Siyeon said as she laughed at sol.

The butterfly had brought its friends, and they were perched all over him. He froze, worried that he would hurt one of them if he moved.

“wait, I just thought of something…” Hyunjin said as she smirked and looked at Yeri.

“what?” Minji asked, slightly defensively.

“has Yeri seen you in your cat form?” Hyunjin asked as Minji paled.

“I have seen her with ears and a tail… I don’t know how that happens, though.” Yeri said calmly as Hyunjin smirked.

Minji sighed and slowly stripped as she prayed that she wouldn’t scare Yeri. But once she was undressed and shifted. Yeri’s eyes went wide as she looked at Minji and her fluffiness.

Minji was worried she had frightened her and nervously put her tail in her mouth when Yeri squealed at the cuteness. Minji jumped in shock as her fur puffed up slightly, making Yeri giggle.

“sorry! You are just so cute!” Yeri said as she walked over to the giant snow leopard and petted her head. Minji instantly started purring to Yeri’s amusement.

“so, can all of you do this?” Yeri asked as she scratched behind Minji’s ear, making her huff happily.

“yes. Even you can probably do it depending on how much the mirror has changed you.” Hyunjin said as Yeri’s eyes went wide in shock and excitement.

“you know Minji might be enjoying this right now, but she might be embarrassed later…” Yoohyeon said as she took pictures of what was happening at the moment.

The large snow leopard was on her back and purring loudly as Yeri gave her tummy rubs. The smaller girl pulled her arm back apologetically as Minji sighed and righted herself with a huff.

 _‘I don’t even care if you took pictures. That felt amazing.’_ Minji said as Yoohyeon laughed at her sulky mate.

“you say that now…” Yoohyeon teased as Handong laughed with her.

“but she will definitely panic later.” Handong agreed as Minji started to sulk.

“I can really do this?” Yeri asked as Hyunjin nodded with a smirk.

“Want me to teach you?” Hyunjin asked as Yeri nodded excitedly.

“if anyone could teach you to be a cat, it would be Hyunjin…” Heejin joked as her friends nodded.

“is that alright?” Hyunjin asked as Siyeon nodded. She was curious about how Hyunjin would teach her.

The two walked into the center of the field as Hyunjin smiled genuinely. She seemed excited about this. For the longest time, she was the only vampire that could shift, so she never thought that she would be able to teach others.

“alright. First things first. I know you probably don’t have great fighting skills, right?” Hyunjin asked as Yeri nodded.

“well, the easiest way to trigger it is letting your instincts take over. My first transformation happened when I was young. I fell from a great height, and in my panic, I instinctively righted myself and landed on all four paws. You could guess I was a bit confused. I had never heard or seen my parents being able to do it, so I kept it a secret.” Hyunjin said as Yeri nodded while listening intently.

“you see… my parents thought I was a freak even when I was very young. I showed great strengths, and they thought I would be one of the strongest vampires in our family, but… because I was more in tune with my feline side, they thought I was crazy or that something was just wrong with me. The first time they caught me eating human food without getting sick was… interesting. Nothing like your family calling you a freak…” Hyunjin said softly. Her sadness could be felt as it radiated off of her.

“luckily, you have a pack that will support you. So it will be easier.” Hyunjin said as Yeri nodded once more.

“now. I'm going to attack you. Don’t think. Just let your body react. It might take a couple of tries, so don’t feel bad if it doesn’t happen right away, ok?” Hyunjin said as Yeri gulped nervously and nodded.

Without warning, Hyunjin lunged at Yeri. The girl barely dodged the black leopard just in time. It was a reflex, but it wasn’t what Hyunjin was looking for. Several lunges later, and Yeri was still standing. Her ability to dodge was amazing, and it was rather fun for Hyunjin. Almost like it was a game.

Finally, the feline saw the opening that she was looking for and lunged one last time. Yeri was caught off guard as she fell backward, but when she went to hit the ground, instead, the others heard the loud roars of two large cats as they battled it out.

Yeri was a bit larger than Hyunjin but not as large as Minji. Her fur was a silver hue where the black was more like a steel blue color. She truly looked metallic, and her eyes reflected the silver that they did when she was in the barrier.

There was snarling, and fur flying as the two instinctively battled it out. It wasn’t Yeri versus Hyunjin but instead a snow leopard versus a black leopard. Hyunjin had the most experience, but it seemed that Yeri was a natural. Finally, Yeri latched onto Hyunjin’s throat and held her in place as she waited for her to give up.

Finally, Hyunjin stilled as Yeri released her and stood. She looked up to see everyone looking at her in surprise.

Suddenly Yeri felt guilty. Was she too rough? Did she do something wrong? All sorts of worries crossed her mind, but to her surprise, Sooyoung started to clap and cheer as others joined in.

No one had ever beat Hyunjin like that, and though she felt a bit sulky, she had to admit she had some fun. There were several deep scratches on both of them that bled sluggishly, but Gahyeon quickly walked over and healed them immediately.

Yeri stood there in shock as she looked at her paws and flexed them, digging her claws into the soft soil as she felt them and found it oddly satisfying. She could understand why cats like scratching things.

The entire time Yeri and Hyunjin were fighting, Choerry hid her face behind Minji as she clung to her worriedly. She was terrified that Yeri would get hurt, and the ferocious snarls weren’t helping any.

Once the fighting was over, and Yeri’s wounds were healed, Choerry was amazed at what she saw. Yeri’s silver fur shone brightly in the sunlight, and the bluish silver spots stood out beautifully. The mirror had clearly affected her, but she still looked beautiful to Choerry.

The purple-haired girl walked slowly over to Yeri and gently touched her hand to the large felines head. Yeri closed her eyes happily at the touch and purred softly as Choerry gently petted her head and scratched her behind the ears.

“Why are they so cute?” Minji asked as Bora laughed.

“no idea, but I suddenly want to go up against my cousin…” Bora said challengingly as Hyunjin scoffed and dared her to try with a glare.

“oh god…” Siyeon said as she rolled her eyes. Why Bora was so competitive with her cousin, Siyeon had no idea, but it was going to be an interesting fight…


	85. Chapter 85

-Losing Control-

“you do realize that I have been able to shift into my cat form for years compared to you, right?” Hyunjin asked as Bora smirked.

“and yet, Yeri almost kicked your ass!” Bora teased as Hyunjin frowned. Her ears and tail were still showing after their fight, and it clearly showed Hyunjin’s annoyance at the comment. Her tail swished side to side as her ears flattened in annoyance, creating a very cute but annoyed expression.

“Yeri is a natural… I doubt you would be with how stiff you used to be as a child…” Hyunjin said as Bora laughed.

“that’s not what Siyeon says…” Bora said with a smirk as Hyunjin rolled her eyes and looked at the alpha.

“how do you put up with her?” Hyunjin asked as Siyeon smirked.

“well, she IS amazingly flexible…” Siyeon said with a smile as she fought back her laughter.

“you all are a bunch of dorks. You know that, right?” Hyunjin said as she rolled her eyes while everyone laughed.

“We pride ourselves on it!” Yoohyeon said with a smirk as Hyunjin shook her head and walked to the center of the field.

“ready queen dork?” Hyunjin asked as Bora smiled and followed her.

“aww! You think I'm a queen?” Bora teased as Hyunjin sighed in frustration. She acted annoyed, but she honestly enjoyed how they teased each other. She wasn’t used to talking normally with people except Heejin, so this was the most interaction she has had with someone outside of her small friend group.

Her trust in most people had been broken long ago when she was treated like a freak by her own family. So having Bora, who was also family joking and teasing instead of treating her with disgust or disdain, was nice even if Hyunjin had a hard time trusting her.

Bora also noticed how Hyunjin’s words lacked force behind them. She might have looked fierce, but she just didn’t know how to interact with her cousin, so Bora decided to help her feel more comfortable. How she decided fighting would help was beyond Siyeon, but she knew what Bora was trying to do. She just hoped that it wouldn’t lead to an actual fight down the line.

“ready?” Bora asked as her cousin nodded. They were standing there, staring at each other, and quickly shifted.

Bora’s cat form somewhat towered over Hyunjin’s. It made her look like a kitten compared to Bora, but she didn’t care. This was about skill, not size.

For once, Bora had the height advantage and the muscle to back it up, but Hyunjin was lean and fast. Her smaller size could actually be at an advantage. The key was how both of them pulled it off.

Siyeon gave the signal as the two charged in. Both roared as they lunged in, and to Hyunjin’s surprise, Bora was much faster than you would suspect from someone that size.

Bora was able to turn at rapid speeds thanks to Sunmi’s footwork training and caught Hyunjin off guard several times. The two danced around each other, dodging claws and fangs, but both had one goal. To win.

They both tested each other as they circled. Their eyes were constantly scanning for some kind of opening or weakness. To Hyunjin’s surprise, Bora was holding her own.

Bora quickly lunged in with a powerful strike that Hyunjin dodged easily, but the smaller feline wasn’t expecting a follow up so quickly and barely danced out of the way of Bora’s strong claws.

The razor-sharp claws gently raked against Hyunjin’s shoulder, and she suddenly felt the sting of her claws and sluggish flow of blood. Bora had managed to actually land a blow on her. It was time to up her game.

Hyunjin lunged in and slashed at the softer flesh of Bora’s side as she ducked underneath her as she went for another soft spot, but before she could land the blow, Bora was safely out of the way. It completely baffled Hyunjin. How could Bora be so comfortable in her feline form after such a short time?

Instead of plotting her next move, she decided to rely on her instincts. When Bora lunged in again, the smaller feline dodged easily as she went for Bora’s legs. The smaller claws of Hyunjin didn’t mean they weren't any less deadly.

Bora could feel Hyunjin cut deeply into her leg as she spun around using her tail to create some space. Hyunjin managed to slice a deep gash close to one of Bora’s tendons. The larger feline tested the leg, and luckily it seemed fine at the moment, so she quickly faced her cousin.

 _‘not bad for a tiny one…’_ Bora teased as Hyunjin snorted.

 _‘you forget everyone is taller than you in your regular form?’_ Hyunjin teased as Bora acted offended.

 _‘not EVERYONE is taller than me, right?’_ Bora asked as Hyunjin laughed and quickly lunged in.

Bora dodged but felt pain in her leg in doing so. It wasn’t unbearable, but it was still extremely painful. She ignored it as she slashed at her cousin, and soon they were back at it. Both were dodging and attacking as they went until something changed in both of them.

The two were getting so into their fight that their normal thoughts were starting to fade away. The only thing they could think about was the next move, and soon their aggression increased. Siyeon watched on with a worried expression.

The two were now acting like wild cats fighting over territory. Roars, growls, and snarls were the only thing heard throughout the field as everyone suddenly felt themselves get tenser. But the fight was about to come to an abrupt end.

Hyunjin made a fatal mistake. She had once again forgotten how well Bora could move, and soon the larger cat was on top of her. Bora made several attempts to bite at the smaller feline as she dodged, but soon her large jaws latched onto Hyunjin’s neck. But before she could do any damage, sol stepped in.

He could feel the shift in the two and knew that if Bora bit down, it could be fatal. He might be young, but he knew that much. As Bora went to bite, sols vines wrapped around her jaws, locking them open as he quickly pulled Hyunjin out of the way.

Bora fought and struggled to free herself from sols grip as well as Hyunjin, but he quickly used a couple of his thorns to stop the two from struggling as their minds cleared, and their thoughts slowly came back. He held both of them down even after using his thorns. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt.

 _‘Sorry, sol… I'm better now. You can let go…’_ Bora said as sol slowly withdrew his vines. The numbing effect was still felt all over her body as she struggled to lift her head and look at her cousin.

 _‘you alright?’_ Bora asked as Hyunjin groaned. She had also experienced sols thorns and was struggling to get her legs underneath her.

 _‘what the hell was that?’_ Hyunjin asked as she tried to look at her cousin.

 _‘I have never lost control that badly…’_ Hyunjin said as she started to feel ashamed.

“it happens. Foxes have the same issues sometimes. When I was younger, my family would practice against each other to keep their skills up. When you are really focused on the fight, sometimes you can slip into a more animalistic state. It happens and seems to be what happened here. You two probably just need to gain a bit more control of your animal side.” Sunmi said as she made a rare appearance.

“Is everything alright with Chungha?” Siyeon asked as Sunmi nodded.

“she threatened to kick me out of the room if I didn’t go out and socialize a bit…” Sunmi said with a pout.

Gahyeon had walked over while Sunmi was talking and started healing their wounds. The slash on Bora’s leg was much more serious than the vampire had originally thought. The wound was open wide, and Gahyeon could see the tendons and ligaments surrounding the joint. But luckily with Gahyeon’s healing powers, she made quick work of it. Soon all that was left of the injury was the cool tingling feeling of Gahyeon’s ability.

Sol's numbing ability was also slowly fading away. Hyunjin was finally able to stand even if it was extremely shaky. Bora was still feeling rather numb, though. He had used more of his thorns on her than Hyunjin, so she was much slower to stand.

“How can they stop this from happening?” Heejin asked as she helped Hyunjin walk off of the field.

“I suggest a longer period in their feline forms together. It might actually be beneficial for everyone, honestly.” Sunmi said as she looked at the other vampires.

“so just walk around the house in our cat forms?” Handong asked skeptically as Sunmi shook her head.

“nope. Outside. Think of it like camping. That includes hunting for your food and even sleeping. You will start to feel closer to your feline side and should have more control if it ever tries to take over again.” Sunmi said as she noticed the displeasure on Handong’s face. That meant spending the night away from her books, her cat, and Elkie. This didn’t sound like fun at all.

“don’t look so displeased…” Sunmi said with a soft laugh as Handong grimaced. Minji, on the other hand, seemed excited about the idea.

“no hunting here, please…” Seulgi asked softly. She wasn’t sure if they would listen to her request, but to her surprise, she didn’t even need to ask.

“we wouldn’t do it near here. We know you are friends with many animals nearby. Don’t worry.” Minji said reassuringly as Seulgi relaxed.

“don’t worry. We wouldn’t do something to make you uncomfortable.” Siyeon said with a smile as Seulgi smiled shyly back. It was nice that they took her feelings into consideration.

“thank you for showing up… I don’t think I'm a very good teacher…” Siyeon said happily as Sunmi laughed.

“you seemed to be doing fine. But I now want to see if Choerry can still teleport or whatever she can do.” Sunmi said as the purple-haired girl looked up in shock. Yeri had started to feel sleepy right after her fight and slowly fell asleep against her shoulder before the next fight began.

“I will take your place,” Minji said as Choerry smiled gratefully.

Minji was now sitting down as Yeri slept peacefully with her head resting in her lap. She gently stroked the sleeping girl's hair as she watched the others carefully. Her gentle touches helping the blonde sleep comfortably and warded off her bad dreams.

-Choerry-

“what do I need to do?” Choerry asked as she stood in the center of the field as Sunmi smiled kindly.

“no need to be nervous. All I want you to do is choose a location and try to go there.” Sunmi said as Choerry nodded.

Choerry chose a place and tried to teleport there but she couldn’t. She couldn’t remember how. Or she was trying too hard to. Before she just did it without thinking, but now that she was purposely trying, she was struggling.

 _‘don’t try so hard. Just think of doing it.’_ Sunmi said calmly after she noticed the girl struggling.

Choerry calmed herself with a deep breath and tried again to no success. She was starting to feel discouraged when the sun glinted off of something nearby. It caught her interest and soon she was there.

Carefully she leaned down and picked up the item. It was something metallic and cold to the touch. She carefully brushed the dirt and debris off of it and stared down at a very old necklace. It looked hand-carved and very delicate. But who did it belong to?

Choerry looked up at the others and held up her hand to show the shining object to the others. They instead looked at her with a curious expression. She truly didn’t control her ability. It just happened when needed, or she focused on wanting to do something.

“Did someone drop this?” Choerry asked as everyone slowly made their way over but Minji and Yeri.

“It looks old…” Dami said as she gently took the necklace from Choerry and looked for some sign of who it belonged to.

“There is no name or initials that I can see, but it is still covered in mud…” Dami said as she watched a slow trickle of water wash over the necklace as it rinsed the soil away. She looked over to see Jinsoul controlling the water.

“how about now?” Jinsoul asked as Dami looked at the necklace closer. She could make out letters faintly on the pendant. As she leaned closer, she read the name inscribed.

“Kim… Yerim?” Dami said as she looked up and glanced at the sleeping girl. Why was her necklace here of all places, and why was Choerry the one to find it?

There were so many questions going through her head right now and clearly for the others as well. Choerry looked at the necklace in shock once she heard the name and frowned.

“it looks like it has been stepped on or something… but it's so beautiful…” Choerry said as Dami looked closely at it. The necklaces pendant was slightly bent and flattened from some kind of force at one point. It really did look like someone had stepped on it. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, they would never know, but it still made them wonder why it was here of all places.

“should we show her?” Gahyeon asked as Jinsoul looked at her girlfriend. She was deathly still as she stared at the pendant intently. Clearly, she was having a vision, so Jinsoul waited patiently for it to finish as she told the others to wait.

“don’t let her see that pendant… not until its fixed…” Jungeun finally said as everyone looked at her in surprise. She sounded so serious that it caught everyone's attention.

“why?” Siyeon asked. She knew for Jungeun to react like that it must be something bad.

“It was her mother's pendant. That creature that replaced her threatened to destroy it like her mirror. If she sees it like that, she will be heartbroken… her mother died not long after the creature got rid of it…” Jungeun said as Siyeon looked at her with curiosity.

“so, you can see the past and future?” Siyeon asked as Jungeun sighed.

“I'm not supposed to. We are either supposed to see one or the other…” Jungeun said as Siyeon nodded and dropped the subject. She could tell it was a sensitive topic.

 _‘she is only supposed to have one ability. The ability to see the future or the past. Not both. She has said that it has been several hundred years since someone could see both, so she hides it carefully. If her parents found out, she might be made to follow what they say and be forced to work for their kind. It scares her…’_ Jinsoul said to Siyeon as the alpha nodded.

To be the only one of her kind with that ability in hundreds of years, it’s not surprising that others would want to use her talents. Even her own kind. It reminded Siyeon of how she is a chosen. Hunted by her own kind for power. She suddenly felt a bit closer to the banshee.

“well, I better put it inside before she wakes up,” Siyeon said as she gently took the necklace from Dami’s hands and walked inside. She would have to look for a jeweler in the morning.

Once Siyeon came back outside, she watched as Sunmi coached Choerry. It seemed that finding the necklace was what she needed to easily tap into her powers. She was now easily able to go where Sunmi told her too.

Whatever bond Yeri and Choerry shared, it was interesting. They knew so little about the purple-haired girl, but oddly she felt that they could trust her. The bubbly girl seemed so innocent, but Siyeon just prayed that if she got her memory back, she would stay her cheerful self.

Once Sunmi was satisfied with Choerry’s training Siyeon walked over to the purple-haired girl. She was curious if the girl had remembered anything but decided on a new tactic. It seemed that Choerry could recall things if asked a question, so she attempted to try that method.

“so, Choerry. Do you have any siblings?” Siyeon asked casually as Choerry shook her head.

“no. as far as I know, I'm an only child. I'm adopted.” Choerry said before freezing and looking at Siyeon.

“How did I know that? I have been trying to remember that for ages!” Choerry asked as Siyeon smiled. Her method worked.

“do you remember anything else?” Siyeon asked as Choerry thought carefully.

“I just remember not fitting in well… I, I think I ran away from home the night I was hit.” Choerry said as Siyeon tried to hide her frown. It didn’t look like Choerry would run away easily. Whatever she had gone through, Siyeon worried that it was pretty severe for her to decide running away was the best option.

But before she could say anything else, Minji started shouting for help. Yeri was having a terrible nightmare and couldn’t be woken up. She was panting and sweating as she tossed side to side and whimpered softly. She was dreaming of the creatures within the mirror and seemed to be trapped inside her own dream.

Without thinking, Choerry ran over and pulled Yeri against her as she held the smaller girl tightly. Slowly Yeri started to relax as her movements stilled as she felt the familiar warmth against her back.

What she needed to wake from that dream was Choerry, and it was clear that the bond that they had wasn’t normal at all. There was something more to it. Siyeon stood there, thinking when an idea came to her. It was a way to test just how connected they really were.


	86. Chapter 86

-Protectiveness-

Siyeon’s idea was a simple one. But it didn’t have to be extremely complicated. It just needed to work. Her plan was to separate the two and put them in ‘danger’ to see if they could feel if the other was in danger.

Siyeon watched as Choerry slowly woke Yeri up from her nightmares and comforted her. The blonde relaxed against her easily as she took ragged breaths. She was close to having a panic attack in her sleep without Choerry’s help.

Once Yeri was more aware and realized what happened, she apologized for making a scene as the others shook their heads. Having a nightmare was nothing to apologize for.

Once Yeri was better, it didn’t take long for Siyeon to quickly separate the two with Sunmi’s help. Everyone was curious to see how this would turn out.

“come on. Let's see your range. We will go a distance away and see if you will be able to teleport back here. Sound good?” Sunmi asked as Choerry nodded and followed her happily.

Yeri was still slightly groggy, but she followed what Siyeon and the others said. The alpha had led them away from where Choerry had last seen them. She wanted to see if Choerry could teleport to a new location she had not seen before in an attempt to rescue Yeri.

Minji wasn’t thrilled with the experiment, but she understood that they needed to know what the two could do. They needed to know because it could be the difference between life and death later on.

“so, what are we doing now?” Yeri asked nervously. She was starting to get a bad feeling.

“We want to test your reaction times. You are able to read minds when you don’t realize, but I wonder if you will be able to do It when you are stressed. If you are feeling like you are fighting for your life, could you tap into that ability and use it to protect yourself?” Siyeon asked as Yeri thought about it.

“that would be helpful if I could use it…” Yeri said as she slowly woke. She was watching the others nervously. From the sound of it, whatever happened next would be intense.

“alright. You ready?” Siyeon asked as Yeri sighed and nodded.

“as ready as I will be…” she said as she stepped forward and waited.

“alright. This will be a test to stress you out and try to force you to use your powers, so be prepared…” Siyeon said as Yeri nodded, but she wasn’t prepared for what would happen next.

Siyeon Yoohyeon and Dami quickly shifted, making Yeri feel slightly nervous. All three of them? She could feel her stress levels rising already.

 _‘alright. We are going to take turns attacking you, but we won't leave you much time in between. Luckily you seem to be able to react quickly. Ready?’_ Siyeon asked as Yeri gulped and nodded.

They started quickly, and already Yeri was having difficulty. Siyeon would lunge in so close that Yeri could feel her fur brush against her skin when she dodged. But as soon as she dodged, Yoohyeon would lunge at her at a new angle as well then shortly after Dami. It was a neverending cycle that kept Yeri in constant motion.

Yeri felt her anxiety rise, and quickly she found herself shifted in her feline form as she tried to stay away from the three. It was getting more and more difficult. She was starting to feel their fangs graze against her fur and started to panic.

Siyeon saw an opening when Yeri started to panic and took it. She quickly lunged in. Her fangs aimed at Yeri’s throat when suddenly Yeri was gone. She had just vanished.

Siyeon smirked as she looked around the field and spotted Choerry holding Yeri tightly. Her arms wrapped around Yeri’s neck as the large snow leopard snuggled her in relief.

Choerry’s eyes were blazing a vivid purple as she breathed heavily. She could feel that something was off when Sunmi led her away, but soon that feeling grew until without knowing why she was starting to panic.

Sunmi had noticed the change and acted like she was unaware. As they grew farther away, the purple-haired girl seemed to become more and more nervous. She would constantly look over her shoulder, and soon she froze.

Sunmi watched her carefully, and when she stopped moving, she gasped and, in a second, blinked away and was gone. The fox quickly told Siyeon what happened, so she wasn’t surprised to see Choerry holding Yeri protectively.

Her eyes still blazed, and she refused to let anyone near Yeri until she slowly calmed down. The vampire had never been in a stressful situation like that, so it took longer than usual.

“Choerry relax. We were trying to push her but wouldn’t hurt her.” Siyeon said as Choerry glared at her. She knew Siyeon was telling the truth, but she couldn’t help but not want them close to Yeri.

When Siyeon stepped closer, Choerry growled, surprising both the purple-haired girl and Siyeon. She just couldn’t help but feel protective of her.

Choerry could feel Yeri’s heart pounding in her chest still and reacted automatically. She didn’t know where it came from, but it was such a natural reaction for her that it was somewhat surprising.

Siyeon froze as she looked at her with interest. The protectiveness Choerry was showing over Yeri was more than just being a bit protective. She was protecting her like her mate was in danger. Siyeon looked to Dami as the younger girl raised a brow in curiosity.

They weren't sure what Choerry was, but she reacted a bit like a wolf. Siyeon carefully backed away as she watched Choerry slowly relax as she held Yeri to her. The vampire was now in her natural form as she clung to her for comfort.

“Yeri? You alright?” Siyeon asked as she looked up into Siyeon’s green eyes and nodded.

“sorry… I kind of panicked…” Yeri said as her face flushed in embarrassment.

“that’s to be expected. You don’t have to apologize. Are you feeling a bit better?” Siyeon asked as Yeri nodded while still holding onto Choerry.

“yes. I feel a bit better. But Choerry, how did you get here? Weren't you with Sunmi?” Yeri asked as Choerry’s eyes snapped open in shock. She had completely forgotten about what she was doing before she came to Yeri’s rescue.

“oh! Sunmi!” Choerry shouted in surprise and jumped when she suddenly heard the fox's voice.

“We were expecting it. No worries.” Sunmi said with a smile.

“expecting it?” Choerry asked as Sunmi nodded.

“We wanted to test what kind of connection you two have as well as Yeri’s mind-reading ability. We got interesting results…” Siyeon said as the two looked at everyone in confusion.

“what were the results?” Yeri asked as Siyeon raised a slender brow as she looked at the vampire clinging to Choerry tightly.

“Choerry was able to teleport to a location that she has never been to due to the bond she has with you. that’s not an easy thing to do for someone just learning their powers…” Sunmi said as Yeri looked at Choerry with curiosity.

“and when we got close, she got extremely protective and growled at us…” Siyeon said as Choerry suddenly felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. She had no idea where that came from, but suddenly the thought of someone coming close to her Yeri made her angry.

 _‘my Yeri?’_ Choerry thought to herself as she slowly realized why she was so protective of the girl in her arms. At first, she thought it was because Yeri looked so young even though she was older than everyone here but Sunmi. But now she realized the real reason.

Choerry had never really thought about relationships as far as she could remember. She was more focused on trying to stay out of her house until her foster parents went to sleep. And those memories were only bits and pieces. But looking at Yeri, she felt something that she hadn’t before.

“what?” Yeri asked as Choerry blinked and looked away nervously.

“nothing. You feel better?” -Choerry asked with a bright smile that made Yeri smile in return as she nodded and snuggled closer.

Choerry was starting to realize her feelings, but clearly, Yeri was going to take a bit longer. She had gone so long without human interaction that she wasn’t sure what was friendly and what was more.

What Choerry did notice was that Yeri’s age was seeming to slowly catch up to her. Her height was slightly taller than it was when she was first freed.

“Yeri? You are taller…” Choerry said as everyone looked at Choerry in confusion.

“she is?” Siyeon asked as Choerry nodded.

“she was slightly smaller when she first was freed. So, I guess her age is catching up now?” Choerry said as she noticed that Yeri’s head was slightly higher than it would usually rest when they would fall asleep.

“her age is just catching up, but don’t forget that she's older than most of us here,” Jungeun said as Choerry and the others nodded.

“so what now? Do we continue to train?” Yeri asked as Sunmi shook her head.

“nope. Right now, we go inside and get lunch. Then we can go back outside and try some new things. But first food. Especially after Yeri was so shaken.” Sunmi said as everyone nodded.

Choerry helped Yeri up as everyone walked into the house to wash up and get ready for lunch. Jinsoul was slowly becoming a regular in the kitchen as she helped Sunmi prepare the food. It was nice that she had help that didn’t risk burning the house down just by trying to boil water.

Shortly after they finished, everyone started coming downstairs and sat at the tables. It was a bit more relaxed than normal. The excitement had tired out some of them.

Some of the few that seemed full of energy were Sooyoung and Chuu. The two were happily chatting as everyone got seated. Their energy quickly passed among the others as they watched the two.

Sooyoung was laughing and joking as Chuu smiled happily. They were talking about the time that they first started dating. Everyone was hanging on every word as the two talked.

“I first transferred to the school and noticed this taller girl that was completely gorgeous yet seemed somewhat standoffish. She looked at me but then looked away quickly. I was instantly drawn to her.” Chuu said happily as everyone listened intently.

“you stalked me for months!” Sooyoung teased as Chuu laughed and shrugged.

“I wanted to know what you liked so that I would give you the right gift, and you didn’t seem to mind…” Chuu said as Jungeun and Jinsoul laughed and agreed with her.

“she always talked about this cute stalker girl that was following her. She was so upset when you didn’t show up one day.” Jungeun said with a laugh as Sooyoung pouted.

“she was always there and then suddenly she vanished! I was worried that something happened to her!” Sooyoung shouted as Jungeun and Jinsoul smirked.

“I thought you said it didn’t bother you before…” Jungeun teased as Sooyoung sighed in frustration.

“fine… we are together now, after all. Yes, I missed her right away. I was worried that something happened to her. She's so cheerful all the time that I worried that she followed some stranger like a child… I was so stressed all day…” Sooyoung said as Jungeun laughed and nodded.

“yes, you were a complete mess.” She said as Sooyoung pouted at her.

“I remember when you saw her the next day. I remembered you hugged her out of worry, and she turned so red I thought she would implode…” Jungeun said as Jinsoul laughed. The whole situation was still so funny to her.

“I remember that. We all stared at them in shock. It was the first time that Sooyoung dropped her tough act at school.” Hyunjin said as Heejin nodded in agreement.

“remember how Chuu ran to us afterward and had that gay panic moment?” Heejin asked as Hyunjin laughed and nodded.

“hey! Go back to Sooyoung’s embarrassment and leave mine out of it, please!” Chuu said as Hyunjin laughed mischievously.

“you followed her with a huge ass camera. That’s already embarrassing.” Hyunjin said as Sooyoung laughed.

“yes, but Sooyoung is just as bad. She was always acting like she never saw her. You know she liked the attention.” Jungeun said as Sooyoung looked at her friend with a look of betrayal.

“How could you…” Sooyoung said, acting hurt as everyone laughed.

“so why did you act like you didn’t like her at first?” Choerry asked as she listened intently.

“well, in the beginning, I had never really been interested in anyone. Guys and girls would constantly hit on me so soon it became so frustrating. I think I was also denying that I liked her at first.” Sooyoung said honestly as Choerry nodded.

“So was that when you finally accepted her? After the hug?” Yeri asked as Jungeun snorted.

“nope. She then went into a denial stage and avoided me for a week…” Chuu said with a pout as Sooyoung snuggled against her as an apology.

“she was just embarrassed. She had this cool image and was seen hugging you asking if you were hurt because she didn’t see you for one day…” Hyunjin said as Sooyoung glared at her again.

“you will be the death of me…” Sooyoung said as Hyunjin laughed.

“no. just your relationship,” Hyunjin said smugly as Chuu laughed.

Sooyoung sighed as she grabbed the piece of bread out of Hyunjin’s hands and shoved it in her mouth to silence her.

Sooyoung was someone that Hyunjin was able to feel comfortable around, and luckily the older girl knew that it was Hyunjin’s way of being friendly, so talk like this was relatively normal. Everyone would usually enjoy listening to the two and add a joke here or there.

“Nothing could separate me from Sooyoung. Unless she cheats on me. Then she's dead to me.” Chuu said flatly as Sooyoung laughed.

“there's no way that would ever happen. You are the only one that I have ever been interested in. I might admire a person's body here or there but you are the one that matters to me.” Sooyoung said as she hugged the cheerful girl once more.

Siyeon watched them talk and paid attention to their interactions. They already seemed like a close group. As she watched, she wondered if the group would end up creating a pack of their own. They were already a close unit, and she wondered if she would interfere with that.

Jungeun watched Siyeon as she observed everyone and smiled. She knew what the alpha was debating. She had seen it before and knew that there were two outcomes. Both depended on her choice. If she chose to invite Sooyoung and the others, more attention would be gained, and they would soon be forced into action, but if she didn’t, they would eventually come back.

Jungeun wondered if it was inevitable, but she only saw possible futures in this situation. Everything could change.

One thing she could see was that she and Jinsoul would inevitably join. Their rarity would draw the wrong kind of attention, and Siyeon was the one that would offer them protection without asking anything in return.

Siyeon felt herself being watched and looked at Jungeun. She looked at the banshee with a questioning expression. She could see that Jungeun knew something and was dying to ask. But whatever it was, she wondered if it wasn’t time yet. If it was, Jungeun would have mentioned it already.

As they ate, Yeri looked at the mirror and froze. That creature was back. It watched them with a curious expression. She instantly tensed, and when she did, Choerry looked over at her. She noticed Yeri’s eyes flash silver as she looked at the mirror and turned to see the creature.

Choerry gasped as she looked at it, and soon everyone was looking at the two. They could guess what they were staring at, but when a second creature appeared, Yeri tensed even more as she grabbed Choerry’s hand nervously. Their eyes were on the two of them as they stared at the girls with interest. What did they want?

“its back, isn’t it?” Siyeon asked as Choerry nodded hesitantly.

“they. There are two of them, and they are watching us. Just Yeri and I…” Choerry said as Siyeon looked at the mirror in shock. Though she could see nothing, she knew it wasn’t the case for those two.

“Are they doing anything odd?” Dami asked as Yeri shook her head without breaking eye contact with the creatures.

“no, they are just watching… they never are this interested in things that are not related to their old life somehow… this isn’t normal…” Yeri said as suddenly they disappeared.

“shit!” Yeri shouted as she jumped up and ran towards her room. They must have missed something. Some piece of that mirror. Why else would they linger? Why else would they be so interested in Yeri and the girl that entered the mirror to rescue her?

“Yeri, what's wrong?” Siyeon shouted as she bounded up the stairs after her. Everyone soon followed as they rushed to see if they could help somehow.

Siyeon ran into the room as she watched Yeri drop to the ground and look under the furniture.

“what's wrong?” Siyeon asked again as Yeri looked at her in a panic.

“We must have missed something! Something small! I think that’s why it's not leaving and why another showed up too! Search everywhere!” Yeri shouted as Siyeon instantly dropped to the floor and started searching as well.

Soon everyone was searching, but no one had checked the bed yet. Choerry quickly decided to clear under the bed just in case when she looked down to see a silver flash. Suddenly her mind was fuzzy as she stared at the glowing silver shard that pulsed erratically.

It was like Choerry was in a daze. She felt her arms slowly moving as she reached for the item against her will. She didn’t know why, but she felt that if she touched the shard, then the barrier between the two worlds would open again.

She struggled against herself. Her hands trembled with the struggle, but it was hopeless. She couldn’t do anything to stop it. She couldn’t shout or scream for help. It was like something had control of her mind or body.

Yeri suddenly felt like something was wrong. Instantly she looked around to spot Choerry but didn’t see her. She could feel deep down that the girl was in danger and quickly shouted her name, gaining the attention of the others.

“she’s under the bed!” Dami shouted as she spotted the girl's legs from underneath the bed.

Yeri quickly grabbed the bed, frame, and all and tugged it up forcefully as it went flying across the room. It revealed Choerry as she struggled against whatever unseen force was controlling her.

“Choerry!” Yeri shouted as she lunged at the purple-haired girl.

Yeri smashed into Choerry as they skidded against the floor to stop several feet away. Yeri’s arms were around Choerry protectively. She could feel Choerry shaking as she clung to her.

“are you alright?” Yeri asked as she held her tightly to her body.

“I, I don’t know. I don’t even know what happened!” Choerry said with a shaky voice as Dami spotted the glowing and pulsing shard and quickly melted it until all that remained was a small scorch mark on the floor.

As soon as the shard was melted both Yeri and Choerry felt better. The bad feeling that Yeri had been feeling since the first time she spotted the creature finally disappeared as she held Choerry to her protectively.

“I don’t know if I touched it! I couldn’t stop myself, and my body was moving on its own… I'm so sorry!” Choerry said shakily as Siyeon knelt down and reassured the shaking girl.

“it's alright. It's not your fault, and if those things did manage to get out, we have the numbers to deal with it. Alright?” Siyeon said as Choerry nodded, but she could still see the guilt on the younger girl's face.

“seriously. It's not something you could control.” Siyeon said as she patted Choerry’s head reassuringly. Yeri tensed at the touch. She didn’t like others touching Choerry right now and slowly started to realize what Choerry had figured out earlier that morning.

Was she developing feelings for Choerry? All she knew is that she didn’t want to be separated from her. That she always thought about her and wondered what she was thinking. But not once did she ever try to read the purple-haired girl's mind.

 _‘ah shit…’_ Yeri thought to herself as she realized her feelings. She was so much older than Choerry even if she didn’t look like it. She started to wonder if it was wrong and looked at Sunmi. She needed to talk to her. If anyone could answer her questions on it, Sunmi could.


	87. Chapter 87

-Feelings-

Yeri sighed to herself. She truly was developing feelings for Choerry. She was the one that rescued her and trusted her when she knew that most wouldn’t. Who would trust someone that was trapped in a mirror for hundreds of years without any suspicion? Only Choerry.

When Yeri had nightmares who let her into her room and held her so she could sleep? Only Choerry. Only that cheerful smiling girl that made everything easier for her. It's not easy trying to catch up on everything you missed, but she was patient and never rushed her as she explained something.

Without knowing it, the two had become extremely close so quickly. Both of them were slowly realizing their feelings, but now Yeri was torn. She was so much older than Choerry that she felt that it would be wrong. She was hundreds of years older than Choerry, even if she looked younger than her to everyone.

Would it be alright to be with Choerry? Yeri wasn't sure of the answer, but when she watched Sunmi with Chungha, she could see that they made it work without any problems that she could see. But what did Sunmi think about it in the beginning? It made her wonder if her feelings were wrong. So, her best option was to talk to the fox.

But right now, her focus was on the trembling girl in her arms. The girl that could make her heart flutter with just her happy smile. But right now, she was terrified and embarrassed by what just happened.

“it's alright…” Yeri said soothingly as she calmed her down.

“Those things get stronger the longer that they are in the mirror. It's hard to fight against them. I know. Even when I was trapped in the mirror, I learned to run from them when I would see them. They are so unpredictable. Usually, they are focused on watching something through the mirror, but sometimes they would focus on me instead. I know how scary it can be…” Yeri said softly as Choerry looked up into her face with worry.

Yeri’s tone in her voice told Choerry that there was more to the story, but clearly, she didn’t want to go into it with everyone standing over them. Choerry nodded and snuggled against Yeri for comfort as her nerves slowly settled. The warmth against her back, helping calm her.

“here,” Siyeon said as she handed Choerry something to drink. The fear and panic had dried out the purple-haired girl's throat, and she accepted it gratefully as she slowly drank from the cup while keeping contact with Yeri. She was like her safety blanket. Just the contact soothed her.

“feeling better?” Yeri asked as she peeked around Choerry’s shoulder. The purple-haired girl nodded as she handed the now empty cup back to Siyeon with still shaking hands. Clearly, she wasn’t as calm as she tried to let on.

Yeri tightened her grip around her as she whispered soothing words into her ear, and slowly the trembling eased until it stopped altogether. Choerry smiled gratefully, and slowly the two stood as Yeri looked at her bed. She had flung it across the room where it had shattered into pieces.

Yeri felt a bit of remorse for her rashness but any later and it could have been extremely dangerous for everyone. She wouldn’t change her decision if it meant saving Choerry, but she was a bit sad to see her old bed lying strewn around the room in pieces.

“what's that?” Choerry asked as she pointed at something sticking out of the mattress. It looked like a piece of paper or a photo. Choerry went to break out of Yeri’s grip to go grab the object, but Yeri didn’t let go. She was still worried about her, so Siyeon walked over instead and picked up an old photo.

The photo was so old that it had yellowed with age, but in the photo was Yeri and her family. Everyone was smiling happily, and it was clear that this was a photo of the real Yeri. Her smile was the proof, and beside her was her sister. The girl looked so much like Minji’s mother that it caught her off guard when the vampire stared at it.

“is that my grandmother?” Minji asked as Yeri nodded.

“wow… she looks just like…” Minji trailed off as Yeri smiled sadly.

“yes, she does. My sister and I were close when I was younger. In this photo, I think I was ten? After that, we started to drift apart. How she didn’t notice I was different, I have no idea. Yes, we had grown apart, but she still knew me better than anyone else… or at least that’s what I thought…” Yeri said softly as Minji looked over at her.

The hurt was visible. The person she thought she was closest to didn’t notice the changes or chose to ignore it. If they had noticed or said something, then maybe she wouldn’t have been trapped like she was. They could have possibly freed her or at least acknowledged that something was wrong.

Minji wrapped her arms around Yeri, who was still holding Choerry. So Minji hugged the two girls. Unlike last time Yeri didn’t feel the protectiveness surge inside her. She knew that Minji was there for her and smiled at her kindness. It was nice to have a family again.

“There are more photos… they were stuffed inside the mattress…” Siyeon said as she struggled to remove the photos. It was like the creature tried to hide all of the photos that showed the real Yeri. Was it afraid of being found out?

“look!” Yoohyeon shouted as she pointed at one of the photos. Beside her parents stood Irene’s real father.

“he's everywhere, isn’t he?” Irene asked as Jungeun laughed.

“he does travel a lot,” Jungeun said as Irene gently took the photo. He really had not changed. How old was he? All she knew of him was the times he would visit her with his happy smile that he only seemed to show to her. It was all now making sense.

“do you want that photo?” Yeri asked as Irene looked up in shock.

“what?” Irene asked as Yeri smiled.

“take that photo. He is your father, after all. From the looks of it, I have many more photos of my family.” Yeri said as Irene looked at the photo silently and nodded gratefully. She didn’t know what to say.

Once Siyeon was finished pulling the photos out of the mattress, she noticed Yeri deflate. It was like she was looking for something but didn’t find it. Siyeon’s mind instantly went to the necklace that was hidden in her room and wondered if that was what Yeri was hoping to find.

“is something missing?” Dami asked as Yeri sighed and shook her head.

“no… I knew it was gone a long time ago… I just got my hopes up…” Yeri said as everyone exchanged a look. It had to be the necklace.

Siyeon looked to Handong, and the vampire nodded as she slipped out the door and went to make a couple of calls. If anyone could get the necklace repaired quickly, it would be Handong.

It didn’t take much time, and soon everyone was slowly filing out of the room, leaving only Yeri and Choerry behind. The two stood there silently as Yeri looked over Choerry’s shoulder to stare at the pictures Siyeon had pulled out of the mattress.

“you look so happy there…” Choerry said softly as she frowned. All of Yeri’s childhood was yanked away from her. She was supposed to enjoy her youth, but instead, she was trapped in a mirror and forced to watch a stranger live her life. But Choerry was torn.

She was a bit grateful because that was how she was able to meet Yeri, and she felt horrible for thinking that way. She felt like she was being selfish, but feeling Yeri hold her made her grateful that they were able to meet.

After several minutes in silence, Yeri finally spoke. It was soft, but Choerry heard it clearly and felt herself blush at the comment. Her mind blanked out for a couple of seconds before she slowly turned around in Yeri’s arms. She stared down into her eyes as Yeri shyly avoided her gaze.

“what?” Choerry asked, even though she heard her clearly. Yeri squirmed under her gaze and went to break her hold when she felt Choerry hug her back.

“I, I said, at least I was able to meet you…” Yeri said softly before suddenly panicking and quickly fled the room.

Choerry stood there, smiling softly as she stared at the door. Did that mean that Yeri might actually like her too? Her mind was racing when she remembered that Yeri was trapped in a mirror for so long. She took a deep breath to calm herself and reminded herself to take it slow. This was very new to Yeri, and from her moment of panic, she didn’t know how to deal with it yet.

Yeri ran downstairs in search of Sunmi. When she went into the kitchen, she sighed in relief when she spotted the fox taking inventory of what they had so that she could plan dinner for everyone later.

“um… Sunmi? Can I ask you something?” Yeri asked as Sunmi nodded and quickly shut the fridge and gave Yeri all of her attention. The vampire quickly grabbed her wrist and led her out back and sighed in a mix of frustration and confusion.

“Is everything alright?” Sunmi asked as Yeri sighed and finally met the fox’s eyes.

“I think I like Choerry…” Yeri said as Sunmi nodded and waited to hear the problem.

“ok, and?” Sunmi asked as Yeri looked at her in shock.

“I know I might look young, but I'm so much older than her. Isn’t it wrong or something?” Yeri asked as Sunmi smiled. She knew exactly what the problem was now.

“you are worried about your age…” Sunmi said as Yeri nodded and looked at the ground in defeat.

“you know that Chungha is only in her twenties, right?” Sunmi asked as Yeri nodded.

“yes, but this is different. First, I look like I'm what? 14? 15? Maybe younger?” Yeri asked as Sunmi smiled.

“and then there's the issue that we don’t know how old Choerry is. She can't remember much…” Yeri said as Sunmi nodded.

“well, from what Gahyeon can guess, she's about twenty according to her powers, but Gahyeon is still learning her ability,” Sunmi said as Yeri shook her head.

“yes, but she mentioned still living with her foster parents to me before. Why would she still be living with them?” Yeri asked as Sunmi sighed.

“it doesn’t look like her family life was a very good one. And it's not easy to move out. It could be the reason. But no one will know until she remembers more.” Sunmi said as Yeri sighed.

“but if she is an adult, there should be nothing holding you back. She is old enough to choose if she likes you and wants to be with you. And look at Chungha and i. we are in a healthy relationship where we love each other. She knows how old I am, and it doesn’t matter like it does with humans. Once we hit our twenties, we don’t grow older after all.” Sunmi said as Yeri nodded, but she still didn’t feel better.

“you two are meant to be together. I can see it. If you two are mates, its fate. Its who you are meant to be with. Everyone can see the feelings growing between you two, you know…” Sunmi said as Yeri blushed. Was it that obvious?

“All I can say is that you shouldn’t overthink it. Many of my kind have hundreds of years of age differences. Or did before we were hunted down. Just don’t ignore your feelings because that means you are ignoring hers too…” Sunmi said as Yeri looked up at her in surprise.

“ignoring hers too?” Yeri asked as Sunmi nodded.

“talking about both of your feelings is one thing. You at least acknowledge the other person's feelings and talk about them. But just ignoring yours also means you are ignoring the feelings that the other person has for you. You dismiss it because you don’t want to deal with it and, in doing so, dismiss them and their feelings. Sometimes it's more painful than getting turned down right away. They keep having hope that one day you will acknowledge it and them.” Sunmi said as Yeri sighed. This meant she had to talk with Choerry.

“thank you. I didn’t think of it like that. It wouldn’t be fair to Choerry if I decide something without talking to her about it, huh?” Yeri asked as Sunmi nodded.

Yeri thanked Sunmi and wandered off to find Choerry. They needed to talk. She went upstairs and found Choerry carefully picking up the debris around the room from the shattered bed and carefully set the pieces in a pile as she checked for any more hidden items in the old mattress.

Yeri smiled at the sight and leaned against the doorframe. She watched Choerry, and suddenly when the purple-haired girl cried out in pain and dropped something. Yeri quickly went over to her and gently grabbed her hand that she was cradling against her chest and looked at it.

There was a small jagged piece of metal in one of the broken fragments of the bedframe that looked like a broken nail that left a deep wound in her hand. Yeri quickly rushed her over to the bathroom and washed the wound under the cold water as she went to find a bandage.

“Thanks…” Choerry said softly as Yeri dried her hand and carefully put the bandage on the wound.

“no problem,” Yeri said with a smile as she looked into Choerry’s eyes and froze. The look she was giving was so tender and loving that it made a lump form in Yeri’s throat as she stared at her.

“um, Choerry? Can we talk?” Yeri asked as the purple-haired girl nodded. Yeri led her across the room and into her room as they sat on the bed.

“what's wrong?” Choerry asked worriedly. She could see something was troubling Yeri.

“well… it's about you and I…” Yeri said, and Choerry felt her heart drop. This didn’t feel like it would be good news.

“about us?” Choerry asked as Yeri nodded.

“I, I think I'm starting to have feelings for you…” Yeri said as she played with her fingers nervously and looked away.

“but I don’t know if I should. We don’t know how old you are. I don’t want to be taking advantage of you or anything. I'm so much older than you…” Yeri said softly, but when Choerry grabbed her hand, she finally looked up to meet her eyes.

“it looks more like I'm taking advantage of you. You look so young at the moment.” Choerry said with a smile as she tried to lighten the mood.

“But I believe I'm 21. I'm not sure, but I remember memories of my foster parents taking my money. No matter where I would hide it, they found it and spent it. I was unable to move out because of them…” Choerry said, but when she went silent, she shut her eyes tightly as her hand went to her head.

Sharp pain in her head made her groan in pain as Yeri looked at her in shock. She called her name, but the purple-haired girl didn’t seem to hear her as she held her head tightly and swayed side to side. The pain was getting intense, and soon tears streaked down her face. Yeri finally panicked and ran out of the room in search of Gahyeon.

She returned shortly after as she dragged Gahyeon into the room. Dami ran into the room right behind them and found Choerry lying on the bed groaning in pain as she held her head tightly. Yeri was crying with worry, and quickly Dami held her as Gahyeon went to check on Choerry.

“it's an intense headache… I can ease it, but I can't get rid of it completely. Whatever is the cause, it's one that I can't get rid of, but it looks like its starting to ease on its own…” Gahyeon said as she let her cooling powers wash over Choerry.

Choerry sighed in relief as her movements stilled, and the sharp pain eased to a dull throbbing. It was much better than before. With the pain eased, she started to drift off to sleep. The pain exhausted her, and when it finally lifted, rest came with it.

Yeri stayed with her for hours until she finally started to wake. It was several hours later, but the vampire refused to leave her side. When Choerry finally opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Yeri looking down at her worriedly.

“hey…” Choerry said groggily as she smiled. Yeri couldn’t help but laugh at the sleepy girl and smile too.

“you feeling alright?” Yeri asked as she gently touched Choerry’s forehead as she checked for a fever and then her cheek as she cupped it gently.

“Yeah… I think my memories are slowly coming back, and I kind of wish they weren't…” Choerry said as very gently hugged her.

“that bad?” Yeri asked as Choerry snuggled closer and nodded silently.

“not the best childhood, but I try not to let it bother me,” Choerry said, trying to sound cheerful. She was clearly distressed, though. Yeri tightened her grip and pulled Choerry even closer. They were now pressed tightly against each other as they held each other until Choerry slowly started to feel better. The contact helped greatly, and soon she was smiling again.

“better?” Yeri asked as she looked at the other girl who nodded happily.

“you always make me feel better,” Choerry said as Yeri’s eyes went wide. It was such a simple thing, but those words made her heart flutter.

“oh, I'm not 21. I'm 22. However, most say that I look younger than my age. I don’t have anything to my name. They took it all. I finally ran away when I found out they took the last stash of money I hid, and that was when I got hit by that car. I wouldn’t be surprised if they never reported me missing either.” Choerry said as Yeri frowned. She said it so casually that Yeri could tell that this was something normal to her even though it shouldn’t be.

Choerry was such an amazing person. No one should go through that and especially not Choerry. Her kindness and smiling could brighten a room. She didn’t deserve to be treated like that.

“what about friends? From school or work?” Yeri asked as Choerry smiled sadly.

“not many want to stay friends when you have foster parents like I do,” Choerry said with sadness as Yeri hugged her again.

“so… you have feelings for me too?” Choerry asked as Yeri looked down in shock. She was so shocked at the change of topic that she almost missed the ‘too.’ But when she realized it, she suddenly felt the need to hide as she hid her face against Choerry’s neck as the younger girl giggled at the cuteness.

“yes…” Yeri said. It came out muffled, but the girl could hear it clearly.

“is that a bad thing?” Choerry asked as Yeri shrugged while still hiding against her neck. Her soft breathing was tickling her neck, but she didn’t mind at all.

“no… yes? I don’t know…” Yeri said with a groan. Choerry smiled as she held her.

“well, is it a yes or a no?” Choerry asked as Yeri finally looked her in the eyes.

“I don’t know. I'm so confused… I’m so much older than you. It's nice to know you are an adult, but… I don’t know…” Yeri said as she sighed and hid her face again. She didn’t know how to do this.

“well, do you like me?” Choerry asked as Yeri nodded.

“do I make you comfortable or happy?” Choerry asked as Yeri nodded again.

“Does the thought of me leaving bother you?” Choerry asked as Yeri looked up at her quickly.

“why? Are you planning on leaving?” Yeri asked with a hurt expression as Choerry tried to hide her smile.

“Does that bother you?” Choerry asked as Yeri found herself at a loss for words. The thought of Choerry leaving and possibly not coming back made her chest hurt, and suddenly she felt like she wanted to cry.

“I…” Yeri couldn’t respond. Her voice caught in her throat as she looked at Choerry with a look of panic. She didn’t want to lose her.

“Please don’t leave me…” Yeri said softly as she quickly hugged her tightly, and she hid her face again. Choerry could only smile at her reaction. It was clear that Yeri was struggling with her emotions. She had not been able to interact with people for many years, after all.

“I'm not going anywhere unless you want me to. Alright?” Choerry said softly as Yeri hugged her tighter and nodded.

“but can you please be open to the idea of us? Admit it. Right now, with us like this feels right. it feels perfect.” Choerry said as the two quietly held each other.

It really did. The amount of comfort that they gave each other was always surprising to either of them. Choerry gently ran her fingers through Yeri’s hair as they just relaxed in bed. She was thinking many things over, and the soothing feeling really helped relax Yeri.

Soon the two fell asleep in each other's arms. But just before Yeri finally slipped into a deep sleep, she realized that maybe she was overthinking things. Nothing could hurt by just trying, right?

-Discussions-

Siyeon and the others had been downstairs all night talking about the events with the mirror fragment. It was not going well. Some swore that they saw Choerry touch the fragment while others said that it was only a matter of perspective and that her fingers never actually touched the mirror fragment.

“I'm telling you I swear it looked like she touched it!” Yoohyeon said as she looked at the others. She was on one side while many were on the other.

“I don’t think she did. At least not from where I was standing…” Minji said as everyone discussed the situation.

“well, it doesn’t matter at the moment. What matters Is preparing like she did. That thing controlled her mind and made her body move against her will. We need to be strong enough to break free of that. Yoohyeon remember when you trapped me in my own mind? I think we need to practice something similar so that we can break free in situations like that.” Dami said as Yoohyeon shook her head violently.

“hell no! I almost lost my sister doing that! I thought I killed you or something!” Yoohyeon said as Dami tried to calm her down.

“not exactly like that. I have a plan. We can try it later. If we can break free of that thing, then we can actually stand a chance. But if it can immobilize us and control our bodies, then we have already lost. We will be completely helpless…” Dami said as Siyeon nodded.

She agreed with Dami. They needed to be able to break out of a situation like that. This meant one thing. More training. They were still not sure if Choerry touched that fragment or what would even happen if she did. But she decided that it was better to be prepared. She didn’t want to be caught off guard again.


	88. Chapter 88

-Mind Games-

The next morning Siyeon woke up with a sigh and headed down the stairs. She wasn’t looking forward to today. She had spent many hours into the night, helping Dami with her illusion and learning to break free of it, and it left her with several nightmares.

“didn’t sleep well?” Bora asked as she wrapped her arms around Siyeon’s bare waist and snuggled closer.

“Yeah… I have a feeling that we will be plagued by nightmares for a while after this…” Siyeon said as Bora sighed.

“that bad?” Bora asked as Siyeon nodded.

“she locks you in your own worst nightmares and can control your body while she does it. I felt so helpless. This isn’t going to be easy…” Siyeon said as Bora sighed and rubbed her back gently.

“what was your worst nightmare?” Bora asked as Siyeon’s expression darkened.

“losing you…” Siyeon said softly as Bora held her tightly to comfort her.

“But I'm here right now. So, no need to worry.” Bora said with a smile as she gently kissed her and slowly dragged the alpha out of bed.

“come on. Staying in bed isn’t going to stop us from training.” Bora said as Siyeon pouted.

“but it will stop ME from practicing…” Siyeon said in a soft voice that always got to Bora.

Siyeon groaned when Bora ignored it, however, and dragged her out of bed with one strong pull. The two quickly showered and finally headed downstairs to the amazing smell of Jinsoul’s breakfast. Her cooking was improving significantly, and soon she would be on the level of Sunmi.

“God, that smells amazing…” Siyeon said as Jinsoul smiled happily and set the last plate on the table.

“thank you,” Jinsoul said happily as she looked up to see the others slowly filing down the stairs and sitting in their seats. Her eyes lit up brighter when she spotted Jungeun, who slid into her seat with a tired sigh.

“night visions again?” Jinsoul asked worriedly as her girlfriend nodded and sighed.

“yes. I keep seeing this same dream that seems too real to be just a dream. It shows the arrival of three people, but I can't see if their arrival is a good thing or a bad thing…” Jungeun said with a frustrated sigh as Jinsoul walked behind her girlfriend and gave her a gentle neck massage while the others started eating.

“oh, you two are up as well? Why do you sleep so much?” Yoohyeon asked as she spotted Hyejoo and Chaewon walking down the stairs with huge dark circles under their eyes.

“they sneak off to train in the middle of the night,” Siyeon said as the two jumped in surprise and looked at Siyeon worriedly.

“I, I'm sorry. It’s a habit we have had for years…” Hyejoo said guiltily as Siyeon shook her head.

“I'm not mad or disappointed with you. I am curious why you would do such things every night, though.” Siyeon said as Hyejoo looked at Chaewon nervously. The blonde nodded as Hyejoo took a deep breath.

“Chaewon’s stepfather is very aggressive. He snaps and will shift and attack her for every little thing she does. When we were younger, she came over in tears with bite marks all over her. After that, we trained every night while they were asleep. He now knows he can't win against her and stopped attacking her…” Hyejoo said as Chaewon slowly rolled up her sleeve to reveal a nasty scar on her forearm that she had managed to hide well.

“Why didn’t it heal right away? Don’t wolves have rapid healing powers, just like vampires?” Sooyoung asked as Hyejoo nodded.

“We do, but for some reason, she just wasn’t healing and had a hard time shifting. And if she did shift, she would have difficulty shifting back as well.” Hyejoo said as Siyeon exchanged a look with the others.

“one second. Wonho and Hyunwoo might be able to explain what happened better than we will.” Siyeon said as she stood, causing the two to look at her in confusion.

When Wonho explained everything, Hyejoo’s anger rose. To know that he poisoned her to stop her healing and shifting meant he wanted the marks to last, and Hyejoo suddenly hated him even more than she did before. He would always apologize after saying he just lost control, but this proved otherwise.

“Why didn’t you just leave?” Siyeon asked as Chaewon looked down in defeat.

“he was planning to have her join his pack. I guess getting kidnapped was a good thing because it stopped him from forcing her to join.” Hyejoo said as Chaewon nodded.

“It sounds like he enjoys control over you. It's truly a good thing you were taken before it was too late. It would have only gotten worse if you joined. You would have no say at all.” Sooyoung said as Siyeon sat there deep in her thoughts.

She truly hated people like that. The ones that manipulated and controlled others with fears and threats. She hated it with every fiber of her being. It just reminded her of Jackson and his sick obsession with control. She wished she could get rid of people like that or at least that mindset.

 _‘and you wondered why I chose you…’_ Moonbyul said as her voice echoed in Siyeon’s head. The alpha jumped and looked around. No one flinched. It meant Moonbyul had said it only to her.

 _‘This is why? What do you mean?’_ Siyeon asked as she heard Moonbyul chuckle.

 _‘Like I said before. You stand up for the ones that are not treated right. So many alpha males spread lies about how their rule is supreme and that their commands should be followed without question, or they are cruel to them with the excuse that they are an alpha, and it's just normal. What did you feel just now?’_ Moonbyul asked as Siyeon thought quietly.

 _‘that I hated it. I hate all of that behavior. All the power trips and mind games…’_ Siyeon said.

 _‘I chose you for many reasons. For one, you were in a dangerous situation, and I knew that you were strong enough to handle it. The other is because I know that you can make a difference. You can change that mindset and challenge alphas that abuse their power. Those alphas will come to you, and if you can defeat them, then their packs can realize that their alpha is only as strong as his pack. Maybe then they will be able to free themselves from their cruelty.’_ Moonbyul said as Siyeon sighed. This didn’t sound easy.

 _‘but for now, you are on the right path. Train your minds as well as your bodies. It will be useful later.’_ Moonbyul said before her voice slowly faded away inside Siyeon’s head.

It was a lot of pressure on her shoulders, but when she looked at the scar on Chaewon’s arm, it made her even more determined than before. The behavior of That alpha needed to be stopped. And if he would do that to his stepdaughter, what was he doing to his packmates?

“so, what's the plan for today?” Handong asked, snapping Siyeon out of her thoughts.

“huh? Oh! Dami and I practiced last night, and we have a way to strengthen our minds. Hopefully, that means that if those creatures did escape the mirror, then we will have a chance against them. But it won't be easy… I had nightmares all night…” Siyeon said as Dami looked at her with worry, but she waved it off with a smile.

“I'm fine, don’t worry. Nothing that a bit of cuddling won't cure.” Siyeon joked as she looked around and spotted two missing.

“Yeri and Choerry are still asleep?” Siyeon asked as Minji nodded.

“they are sound asleep, all snuggled together. I didn’t want to wake them.” Minji said with a smile as Siyeon laughed.

“well, let's make sure we leave some food for them then,” Siyeon said as Jinsoul shook her head.

“Minji already told me. I made food for them already and ran Sunmi and Chungha food. Everyone can enjoy.” Jinsoul said with a smile as Siyeon nodded and took another bite of food.

-Training-

After breakfast was over, Siyeon and the others walked into the living room instead of outside to train. Everyone wondered what the two had in mind, and they were in for a surprise if they thought that it was going to be easy.

Siyeon flopped down in a large armchair. She looked tiny in it and relaxed as she waited for Dami to lead this lesson.

“alright. So Siyeon will be the first. She has the most practice, after all.” Dami said as everyone walked around to watch.

“what will you do exactly?” Gahyeon asked her mate as everyone waited for an answer.

“I will lock her inside her mind. She has to break free. It sounds simple, but it's far from it. You have to go up against your greatest fears.” Dami said as Siyeon gulped and signaled that she was ready.

_Siyeon suddenly found herself in a dark room. There was barely any light as she looked around. Only soft moonlight shined inside the dark room, illuminating a small figure suspended in chains. Siyeon could recognize that girl anywhere. Bora._

_It looked like one of the rooms the government used to contain wolves that they deemed a threat or unruly. Why Bora was here, Siyeon had no idea, but she needed to see if she was alright._

_Siyeon ran over to see Bora was in bad condition. Her brow was split, and Siyeon could see the streak of old and dried blood that trailed down her face. Bruises were all over her face and arms. Just the sight brought tears to her eyes._

_Siyeon gently touched Bora’s cheek only for the unconscious girl to suddenly awaken and flinch back in terror before her look changed into one of hate and disgust. That look stunned Siyeon as she felt her chest tighten._

_“Bora, who did this to you?” Siyeon asked as Bora sneered at her._

_“as if you don’t know… I'm not going to play your little games! I'm not going to beg you to free me! I don’t care if you hit me again. I would rather die!” Bora said as she spat at Siyeon._

_“I trusted you. I opened up to you after all that I had been through, and you turned out worse than that girl! You should have just left me in that cage to die!” Bora screamed as she fought back tears. She didn’t want to cry and show her weakness to Siyeon._

_Before Siyeon could realize what was happening, she noticed her hand pull back, ready to strike as Bora flinched back in preparation for the impact she knew would come. Siyeon struggled and fought with all of her strength to stop her arm. That look of terror on Bora’s face still haunting her._

_This was one of her biggest nightmares. This was Siyeon’s fear that always lingered in the back of her head. The fear of becoming like the alphas she hated most._

_Siyeon felt her body tense as she prepared a powerful strike. Siyeon felt helpless, but she refused to give up. She wouldn’t let whatever was happening hurt Bora. She struggled with all her might as she went to strike._

_Her hand trembled as it fought against the grip of the illusion. She absolutely refused to become like the people she hated. And even more so, she refused to ever hurt Bora._

Just as she was about to make contact Siyeon used all her strength, and suddenly she was sitting in the large chair again as everyone looked at her with worry. She had done it. She had broken out of that nightmare.

“Siyeon… are you alright?” Bora asked as she walked over and brushed away the tears that Siyeon was oblivious to.

“y, yes… this one was different than last night… it was more difficult…” Siyeon said as she pressed her hands together to hide their trembling.

“what was it about?” Bora asked as Siyeon looked up at her with a worried expression as she touched the vampire's cheek. Bora leaned into the touch happily, unlike the look of fear and disgust in that nightmare.

“all that matters is that it is over…” Siyeon said as she looked around. Everyone looked suddenly hesitant to try this new training.

“Anyone want to try next?” Siyeon asked as everyone looked around nervously. To Siyeon’s surprise, the one that stepped forward next was Chuu. Her expression was determined, and quickly she sat in the chair after Siyeon and waited for whatever was about to happen.

“Chuu, are you sure?” Sooyoung asked as Chuu smiled and nodded. She always felt helpless. She was unable to fight and defend herself like the others. She didn’t want to be helpless here too.

_Chuu was suddenly at their school. It looked like it was her first day all over again. As she looked around, her eyes locked on Sooyoung’s, but instead of a look of interest, her look changed to one of hate and disgust as she led her friends away._

_Unlike what really happened, this was completely different. Sooyoung made rude comments and had everyone else avoid talking to Chuu the whole day. She had never felt more alone, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was the expression that Sooyoung would give her._

_She had never seen her look at anyone with that much hate. But what did she do? What did she do to deserve this? Every time she would try to do or say something, it was turned against her by everyone in the class. They all supported Sooyoung and her friends as they bullied Chuu until she finally fled the room._

_She went to one of her favorite hiding places and swore when the door swung again, and there was Sooyoung. She had forgotten that Sooyoung was the one that showed her this place, to begin with. Of course, she would know this place…_

_Sooyoung sneered at Chuu as she looked at her in disgust. The hatred and cruel remarks flying out of her mouth as Chuu just silently took it. She was completely helpless as she cowered and listened to the one she loved saying the cruelest words possible._

_Chuu struggled to stand up for herself. To find her voice and challenge Sooyoung’s harsh words, but they just wouldn’t come. No sound escaped her lips as she felt her heart aching more and more at the cruel words._

_But Chuu was stronger than this. She calmed her nerves with a deep breath as she closed her eyes and slowly stood. She wouldn’t be a victim. She wouldn’t be helpless anymore, and with another deep breath, she opened her mouth and started to speak._

Chuu suddenly opened her eyes as she looked at everyone looking at her with a worried expression. Just like with Siyeon, tears streaked down her face, but when Chuu opened her eyes instead of fear and worry, she seemed more confident and determined as she looked over to spot Sooyoung looking at her with worry.

Once their eyes met, Sooyoung instantly came over and hugged her bubbly girlfriend. She was so worried that something would happen. That Chuu wouldn’t wake up, and she would lose her forever. Dami assured her that she would be fine, but it didn’t make this any easier.

“are you alright?” Sooyoung asked as she looked deeply into Chuu’s eyes. But Chuu just smiled as she nodded. Everything was alright. She was safe, and suddenly she was even more determined than ever. Even if she didn’t have powers like these girls do, she still was determined to train as much as she could so that she wouldn’t be weak or someone that needed protection.

“I didn’t use full strength because I was worried that it would be too much for you, but you handled this one very easily. I'm impressed.” Dami said as Chuu smiled and looked at Sooyoung, who looked at her proudly.

“Alright, who is next?” Siyeon asked after Chuu stood and walked over to the others. To Siyeon’s surprise, the one who spoke next was Yeri.

The sleepy vampire had finally awoken and came downstairs only to find them training in the most bizarre way. She watched Chuu and wanted to try. She wanted to prepare and protect herself from what Choerry went through.

She slowly walked over and sat in the chair as she looked at Dami and gave the signal. It didn’t take long until she felt her vision change.

_Yeri was in a very familiar place. It was the mirror world. She looked around at the many mirrors suspended in the air. The light from the real world was shining in as she looked around. She was starting to feel anxiety rise as she realized that she might be trapped inside the mirror once more._

_Quickly Yeri ran over and pressed her hands against the cold glass. It was unmoving. She panicked as she smashed her fists against it, but it was all in vain. She couldn’t escape. The feeling of panic was rising when she spotted something in the mirror in front of her._

_Choerry was smiling with friends as she looked at different things with her friends. That was fine, but what wasn’t was the person beside her. Her doppelganger. The girl looked over her shoulder at the mirror and smirked at Yeri._

_Not only had the creature taken her life away so many years ago, but now the one thing that mattered most in her life was being taken away too. She pounded on the glass in frustration with all her might as the creature laughed and put her arm around Choerry as the girl smiled happily at the gesture._

_‘no… not again…’ Yeri said softly as she watched them. She traveled from mirror to mirror as she watched the creature spending time with the one that she loved most. But what killed her was the loving expression Choerry gave to the imposter and how she smiled at the creature's touches._

_‘no… please…’ Yeri pleaded as she watched the creature lean in and gently kiss Choerry. The purple-haired girl smiled as she closed her eyes and deepened the kiss. It was complete torture to Yeri. How could she not realize? How could she not realize that she was replaced?_

_But when the kiss ended, Choerry looked over to the mirror. She looked directly into Yeri’s eyes and smirked as she wrapped her arms around the imposter and kissed her once more. She knew. She knew it wasn’t Yeri, and she had willingly chosen that creature over her._

_Yeri sunk to her knees as tears started to fall. How could she after everything they had been through? How could this happen just when she admitted to herself that she loved Choerry?_

“Yeri? YERI!” Choerry shouted as she shook the blonde by her shoulders.

“Yeri, wake up!” Choerry shouted once more as the girl's eyes flew open to see Choerry looking at her with a panicked expression.

“what did you do?” Siyeon asked as Yeri looked at her in confusion.

“what did I do?” Yeri repeated as Siyeon nodded and pointed to the mirror nearby. It was radiating an odd orange glow. As Yeri looked at it, the vivid color slowly faded until there was nothing left.

“what was that?” Yeri asked as she looked at the mirror nervously.

“that’s what we want to ask you. I have never seen that happen before…” Siyeon said as she looked at the mirror. It now looks like it usually did, but she knew now that there was more there than it seemed.

“you shouldn’t have been able to break her out of it… you two share an interesting bond…” Dami said as she looked at the two.

“I think you let your emotions get the better of you this time, but other than that, you did extremely well,” Dami said as Yeri blushed. She didn’t feel like she did anything. She still felt helpless, but right now, the only thing she was focusing on was Choerry. She wrapped her arms around her as the taller girl hugged her back.

“Is there anyone else that wants to try?” Dami asked as Gahyeon stepped forward. The wolf gulped as she watched her mate sit in the chair across from her with a determined expression. She was determined to beat this thing.

“Gahyeon…” Dami said, but Gahyeon silenced her with a head shake as she signaled for Dami to begin.

The wolf sighed as she looked at her mate and prayed that nothing would go wrong. Gahyeon was easily led by her emotions, so this made Dami even more nervous.


	89. Chapter 89

-Life and Death-

Gahyeon sat in the chair with a stubborn look on her face. She wouldn’t take no for an answer, but Dami couldn’t help but feel worried for her mate. Gahyeon had gone through a lot. She had already died once, and when she revisited the place, she ended up having a panic attack. It made Dami stress, but the thought of someone or something forcing Gahyeon to do something against her own will made the wolf hybrid sigh and start the illusion.

_Gahyeon was suddenly standing in the same field as before. She could feel her bindings on her wrists and ankles biting into the flesh. They were tied too tightly, and she was losing feeling in her hands and feet. The feeling of the knife biting into her neck as the boy recklessly put a bit too much pressure was what she was mainly focusing on, though._

_She could feel all of her panic and emotions flooding back as she realized what was about to happen. Suddenly everything was moving in slow motion as she looked up to see Dami and Siyeon meet her eyes. Their looks were of complete shock and panic._

_She wanted to shout and tell them to look away. To not look at what was about to happen to her. She didn’t want them to see this all over again._

_She struggled against her bonds and tried to break free of the guy's hold, but she couldn’t move. It was like all of her strength fled her body. She couldn’t even cry out as she felt the wolf drag the sharp blade across her throat and felt the warm liquid running down her body._

_Gahyeon was utterly helpless as she felt herself fall to the ground. She didn’t even have the strength to blink anymore. She fell onto the soft earth and looked up at Siyeon and Dami’s horrified expressions as she mentally pleaded for them to look away. She prayed for them to forget what they were seeing._

_She could feel her blood and energy slowly draining from her, but the only thing on her mind at the moment was the others. How hurt and devastated they looked. She knew that they would blame themselves, and that made her heart ache as she looked at Siyeon and her family as her vision slowly went black._

_Gahyeon awoke and thought she would be free of the dream, but instead, she stood in a room. Everything was so dark that she couldn’t even see any walls. It was like she was ln a room that never ended. But that couldn’t be possible, right?_

_“Hello?” Gahyeon called out as she looked around. But there was nothing. She took several steps, and the sound of her bare feet echoed on the cold floor as she walked. Whatever this place was, she had a feeling that this wasn’t part of Dami’s illusion. This was something different. Something went wrong._

_‘you are finally here…’ a soft voice whispered as Gahyeon spun around and looked behind her. But no one was there._

_“Hello?” Gahyeon shouted as she turned her head left and right as she scanned her surroundings. But she still saw nothing._

_‘below you…’ the faint voice whispered, and when Gahyeon looked down suddenly, she saw what looked like her reflection as she looked into water. She watched the image ripple near her feet. But when the reflection waved at her, she knew that this truly wasn’t a reflection. This was something else._

_“what are you?” Gahyeon asked as the mirror image of her smiled. The image seemed exhausted. Completely drained and a bit lifeless. Her color was pale, and when Gahyeon took a closer look, she noticed the red stripe across her neck._

_The reflection suddenly touched her throat nervously. She seemed self-conscious of the wound, and suddenly Gahyeon knew that this truly wasn’t part of Dami’s ability._

_‘sorry. I know its shocking to see. So many bad memories…’ the image of Gahyeon said as she knelt down to look at her closer._

_‘What am I? Do you know how they say you lose a bit of yourself when you almost die? I'm the part that is left behind. I'm the part of you that you lost when you died, but I was brought back with you. But… I was separated. The loss you felt when you woke up is me.’ The reflection said as Gahyeon looked at her in confusion._

_“Why am I here?” Gahyeon asked as the reflection smiled weakly._

_‘because you are holding onto me and cant move on. You… have to let me go. Let the side of you that died that day go. It’s the only way for you to move on and no longer be tied down by what happens…’ the reflection said weakly as silence washed over them while Gahyeon let her words sink in._

_“but wouldn’t that kill you in the process?” Gahyeon asked as her reflection nodded._

_‘I was never meant to come back too. you need to do this so that you can be free.’ The reflection said as Gahyeon looked at her in disbelief._

_“you are asking me to kill you? Are you serious?” Gahyeon asked as her reflection nodded sadly._

_“that’s insane! And how do I know that this isn’t a trick or something?” Gahyeon asked as her reflection put her hand over her heart. Gahyeon felt a cold touch and looked at the reflection in shock._

_‘im sure you can feel it too. But I'm not meant to be here. You have to let me go to be truly free from what happened.’ The reflection said with sorrow in her voice._

_“but aren’t you afraid? Afraid of dying?” Gahyeon asked as the reflection hesitated before nodding._

_‘of course. Who isn’t afraid of dying… it's scary, but I shouldn’t exist. The only solution is killing me or absorbing me back inside you, and I don’t think that is possible anymore…’ the reflection said weakly as Gahyeon flopped down onto the ground causing the floor to ripple and distort her reflection temporarily._

_“but there is a chance that you can be saved, right?” Gahyeon asked as the reflection finally cleared and shook her head._

_‘you can't save everyone. It's just not possible. You will lose someone sooner or later. The fact that you are still holding onto me makes me worry about when that time comes…’ the reflection said as Gahyeon felt tears stinging her eyes. This was all just so much right now._

_‘cry. Let out your emotions. Speak to the others. You know that they will listen to you. You are their family, after all. But you must let me go…’ the reflection said as Gahyeon shut her eyes tightly and shook her head._

_‘please… you don’t know how lonely and cold it is here…’ her reflection said softly as Gahyeon slowly met her eyes._

_There was no green glow like she had. Her energy that fueled them was drained completely. It made her reflection look human. She looked normal and fragile. Like she needed protection, and the thought of letting her go was killing Gahyeon inside._

_“But why do I need to do this?” Gahyeon asked weakly as she wiped her tears on her sleeve._

_‘to move on. You hold yourself back even now. Think back to your last two fights. You are a fierce fighter, and you know you held yourself back both times. You were too worried and inside your head to release your inner wolf fully, and it almost cost you. The others can't protect you forever. You have to move on from this. Move on from me…’ the reflection said before she fell to the ground. It was so much for her reflection to say. She barely had any energy, and even speaking was difficult for long periods of time._

_“are you alright?” Gahyeon asked as she watched her reflection pant and struggle to catch her breath. She just shook her head sadly before finally speaking._

_‘living is like torture to me. I'm separated and alone. I can't speak to anyone, and no one knows I'm there because I'm just a tiny part of you trapped in your mind… please let me go. You need to do this to be able to live happily…’ her reflection said as tears streaked down her cheeks to strike the ground and cause ripples of their own._

_It was terrifying to know that she was sacrificing herself for the rest of her to live, but it needed to be done. And to get this chance, she used up the last of what little strength she had to begin with. It was now or nothing. Her reflection had to make Gahyeon move on, or she would never be free._

_“How would I even do it?” Gahyeon asked as her reflection held out her hand as a knife that looked exactly like the one that killed her appeared._

_‘with this. Free me from this. I know that this is probably the hardest thing I can ask of you. I'm sorry. But it's our only choice…’ the reflection said as she took a deep breath, and soon the reflection rippled until she stood in front of Gahyeon._

_Gahyeon stood and looked her reflection in the eye and looked down at the knife that she still held in her outstretched hand._

_‘take it.’ She said as Gahyeon shook her head, but she finally reached for it with trembling fingers._

_She slowly grabbed the knife and felt its weight and coldness in her hand and looked at her reflection once more. She scanned her face for any signs of a trick or any indication that she shouldn’t do this but found none._

_She just saw a scared girl trying to act strong. She noticed that she held the hem of her shirt with shaking hands and tried to act like she was unphased, but Gahyeon could see it all._

_Her reflection held her eyes tightly shut when she heard Gahyeon start to move, but to her surprise, instead of feeling the cold blade, she felt Gahyeon’s warm arms around her. The warmth that she missed for so long._

_Soon the reflection broke down in her arms as she wrapped her shaking arms around Gahyeon and sobbed against her. The warmth was being drawn from Gahyeon, and the reflection could feel it. She slowly pushed back so that Gahyeon’s arms fell to her sides and smiled apologetically._

_‘im so sorry…’ her reflection said as she grabbed Gahyeon’s hand that still held the knife and drove it into herself._

_Gahyeon didn’t even have time to react and stared at her reflection in shock as her look went from apologetic to pained before she slowly sunk to her knees while still clutching Gahyeon’s hand._

_‘I’m… so sorry. Y, you needed to be free of me… please don’t hate me…” the reflection pleaded weakly as Gahyeon released the knife and flung her arms around the reflection that was slowly fading away._

_“I don’t hate you. I'm so sorry. If I were stronger, you would still be a part of me…” Gahyeon said softly as her reflection looked up with a sad smile and weakly reached a hand towards Gahyeon’s face before she slowly faded away into nothingness._

_Gahyeon’s arms were now empty, and the only evidence of what happened was the knife on the ground. The ground rippled around it strangely. Slowly Gahyeon reached for it and carefully picked it up when suddenly everything went black._

“Gahyeon? GAHYEON!? Baby, please wake up!” Dami shouted as she shook the younger girl. Gahyeon slowly opened her eyes to meet Dami’s red and puffy ones. She had been crying.

As Gahyeon looked around, she noticed everyone looking at her with worry. But they silently watched as Dami clutched her to herself when she realized that Gahyeon was finally awake.

“oh my god, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! Something went wrong. Your illusion ended, but you didn’t wake up! I was so scared that I lost you again…” Dami said as Gahyeon went to pat her on the back and tell her she was alright, but in her hand was the knife that was used to kill her reflection. Gahyeon paused, and when Dami felt the girl stiffen in shock, she leaned back and spotted the blade.

“where did you get that?” Dami asked as Gahyeon looked at it in shock.

“you wouldn’t believe me if I told you…” Gahyeon said in shock, but the knife seemed to be buzzing with energy. Suddenly she heard a whisper In her head that sounded like her reflection.

 _‘that knife is the last gift I can give you. Keep it by you always…’_ it echoed, and soon she felt that part that must have been her reflection slowly fade away completely.

“I don’t even know how to explain it…” Gahyeon said as Siyeon stepped closer and went to touch the knife but retracted her hand quickly. The blade sent a jolt through her arm and left the alpha staring at it in surprise.

“What IS that?” Siyeon asked in shock as Gahyeon leaned forward and set it on a table nearby, but as soon as she let go of it, the knife disappeared.

Gahyeon panicked and went to reach for it, but there was nothing. Did she lose it already? But that was the last gift she got from the missing part of her.

Gahyeon went to close her fist in frustration when suddenly she felt the familiar cold metal against her hand and looked down in surprise.

“How did you do that?” Handong asked as Gahyeon just shook her head, but Jungeun watched silently and slowly walked forward. She reached for the knife and was able to hold it for just a bit longer than Siyeon before she yanked her arm away from the pain.

“it's an object that is a part of her. Gahyeon, what happened while you were unconscious?” Jungeun asked as Gahyeon sighed and started to explain.

“do you know what this means?’ Dami asked Jungeun as the banshee nodded.

“I know a bit of it but not much. Basically, the part that Gahyeon “killed” has become the knife. Usually, items like this are meant to protect the person a truly life or death situation. Its something that can change her fate or the fate of others. Her message is something you should take seriously and keep it with you always. Because it is actually a part of you now.” Jungeun said as Siyeon and the others stared at the blade with varied expressions of confusion and curiosity.

“But how do you feel now?” Yoohyeon asked as Gahyeon looked up at her with a puzzled look.

“what do you mean?” Gahyeon asked as Yoohyeon just smiled.

“that part of you sacrificed themselves to free you from what happened back then. So how do you feel? Do you feel any different?” Yoohyeon asked as Gahyeon thought about it, and she quickly realized that she did feel better.

“Yeah… I think I do feel different. I feel… lighter? Happier? I don’t feel the dread of what is going to happen next. The constant fear. I wonder if it will help me with my nightmares too?” Gahyeon asked herself as everyone hoped it was true.

Dami had hinted that Gahyeon was still struggling, but everyone felt helpless about it. They couldn’t think of anything that could help. Siyeon and Sunmi had also noticed how she had been holding back and hesitating while fighting, and they couldn’t blame her. She had truly died, after all. It had to be traumatizing.

“I hope so…” Siyeon said as she leaned down and pulled her sister into a hug. She had been so focused on trying to help lead everyone else that she realized that she hadn’t hugged her sister nearly as much as she should.

“I missed this…” Siyeon said cutely as Gahyeon nodded and snuggled closer to her sister.

The alpha held her sister tightly before slowly pulling back and looking at the others. So much had happened even if it didn’t seem like they physically did anything. It was a lot of stress for everyone, and Dami looked like she really needed a break. She was rattled after what happened to Gahyeon.

So for a break, they went outside for something to distract themselves with. Yoohyeon feeling the need to lighten the mood suggested a game, and soon Siyeon and the others were shifted and waiting to play whatever game was decided, but they were not expecting tag to be the game of choice.

 _‘what? It's fun!’_ Yoohyeon shouted as the others rolled their eyes. They clearly didn’t agree.

 _‘no, seriously! It's not regular tag! One runs while the rest of us try to catch them! the person that was caught gets to choose the one that’s next too!’_ Yoohyeon said with a pout as Siyeon rolled her eyes once more.

 _‘that means that there are better odds of this not lasting very long…’_ Siyeon said as Yoohyeon snorted.

 _‘what? Don’t even think you can win a simple game of tag?’_ Yoohyeon taunted as Siyeon’s eyes blazed at the challenge. Yoohyeon knew precisely what to say to bring out the competitiveness of the alpha.

 _‘fine. But no complaining when I kick your ass!’_ Siyeon said as Yoohyeon smirked with a goofy wolfish grin.

 _‘bring it on!’_ Yoohyeon challenged as everyone walked forward. It was decided that Hyunjin would go first. She Hyejoo and Chaewon wanted to play too, and she lost the game of rock paper scissors, so she was the one to be chased.

She was rather excited too. This sounded like a challenge, and the vampire loved the thrill of it. She was also one of the fastest among her friends. Her speed and smaller size would also be useful in this situation.

 _‘ready?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Hyunjin stretched while pawing the ground. She was ready and quickly nodded.

 _‘go!’_ Siyeon shouted as Hyunjin rocketed down the field as Siyeon and the others chased after her. They were all panting and having fun as they tried to corner the slippery vampire, but she was much more agile than they had expected.

Siyeon and the others had started just trying to catch her on their own, but after several failed attempts and insulting tail flicks later, Siyeon and her pack united. They began to work as a team, and when Siyeon looked to Hyejoo and Chaewon, she noticed their fantastic teamwork.

Hyejoo would run forward and be the power while Chaewon was the more agile one of the two. Together they would approach Hyunjin on each side and try to get her to stumble, but Hyunjin was just too smooth in her movements and managed to dodge easily.

Siyeon and her pack, on the other hand, had the numbers needed to try a different approach. She Dami and Yoohyeon ran as a team of three as they chased Hyunjin towards their packmates. Everything was looking good until it was time to actually execute their plans.

Handong Bora Minji and Irene launched out of some brush in front of Hyunjin, but the feline managed to hop over Irene as she dogged the others and slid between the others with a tail-flick and was off again.

 _‘damn! She’s so slippery!’_ Siyeon growled as she chased after Bora’s cousin.

 _‘was she always this fast?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Bora shook her head.

 _‘no, she has definitely changed…’_ Bora said as she observed her cousin. She was always a bit weird, and Bora had to admit that it had worried her. She didn’t fit in, and when she had heard how her own family treated her, she worried that Hyunjin wouldn’t trust anyone anymore, but her friends had managed to break her walls and, in doing so, helped her to grow as a person.

 _‘it's killing you, isn’t it. I know how competitive you are.’_ Siyeon teased as Bora pouted and sped forward to try to catch her cousin.

Gahyeon sat at the side, watching. Her energy seemed a bit low after the last training, but suddenly she felt that something was wrong and stood as she looked around. Someone was missing. She had seen Minji Bora Siyeon Handong Yoohyeon and Dami. Irene was also there with Hyejoo and Chaewon, but where was Seulgi? The bear seemed excited to play the game but disappeared just before the game began.

Gahyeon stood and looked around when suddenly she knew something was wrong. She could feel it and knew that something had happened to the bear. She quickly stood and stripped as she prepared to shift and looked to Jungeun.

“I need your help. I think something is wrong with Seulgi. Can you look for her?” Gahyeon asked as Jungeun quickly shifted and took to the sky. Her large and powerful wings launching her higher as she scanned the area and suddenly noticed something. It was Seulgi, and she seemed to be on the defensive against something that Jungeun couldn’t see clearly.

What was it? Jungeun swooped down as she tried to see what it was and was quickly met with dark holes for eyes that reflected with a hint of silver. The creature from the mirror had escaped, and Seulgi was in danger.

 _‘everyone! Seulgi needs help now! That thing from the mirror is attacking her!’_ Jungeun shouted as everyone froze in their game and looked into the air. Siyeon quickly spotted the large owl circling in the sky and quickly launched herself forward.

 _‘Dami, you come with me! We have practiced this already!’_ Siyeon said and noticed Gahyeon heading towards Jungeun and panicked. Did Gahyeon have enough strength to fight this thing? Siyeon wasn’t sure, but she refused to lose her sister again, she thought as she chased after while heading to Seulgi’s rescue.


	90. Chapter 90

-Knives and Barriers-

Jungeun quickly sounded the alarm. It didn’t take long for everyone to charge forward as they followed Jungeun. But Siyeon was not ready for what she was about to see.

Siyeon was the first to burst through the brush and faced the twisted creature as Seulgi panted. She looked like she was severely injured, and all Siyeon could smell was her blood in the air.

The creature screamed as it faced her, and soon she felt her muscles go numb as she fought against the creature's mind games.

Luckily the late-night practicing with Dami helped as she slowly fought the creatures hold and slowly took a step forward. The creature tilted its head curiously as it watched Siyeon. It was not expecting this.

What it should have been paying attention to was Gahyeon, who crept forward behind it as she stalked through the tall brush. She had her eyes on the creature and hoped that Siyeon could hold its attention long enough for her to get within range. The creature spun around when it felt something was off and spotted Gahyeon just as she went to make a move.

Gahyeon lunged when suddenly her body lost all of its strength. She was flying towards the creature that was ready with its wicked claws and twisted teeth when black flames and shadows flew in between the two.

The shadows quickly hid Gahyeon as Dami went to her rescue, but the flames didn’t seem to have much effect on the creature's pale and moist skin. In fact, it was almost like it reflected her flames.

 _‘came from a fucking mirror… guess I shouldn’t be surprised…’_ Dami said as she looked at Siyeon. She wasn’t sure what to do if she couldn’t attack them.

 _‘Seulgi? Were you able to injure it at all?’_ Siyeon asked as the giant bear shook her head in defeat.

 _‘no. Everything I did reflected back at me…’_ she said as Gahyeon let her power flow from her towards Seulgi.

 _‘how do we fight something we can't hurt?’_ Siyeon asked when the others arrived. The creature reacted to two of the new arrivals as it ignored the rest.

Yeri and Choerry stood there as they faced the creature. Choerry gently grasped Yeri’s hand in support as she stared down the odd creatures of her nightmares.

“leave,” Yeri said. She sounded much more confident than she felt at the moment.

 _‘no…’_ it hissed back as Yeri felt a shiver run down her spine. This was the first time she had heard one of them speak.

“what do you want? Didn’t you want to be free?” Yeri asked as the creature laughed.

 _‘want revenge… revenge on those who didn’t notice…’_ the creature said as Jungeun perched herself on a tree. Something was different about this creature compared to the others.

 _‘was this thing like Yeri? I don’t think it started off human…’_ Jungeun said as Siyeon and the others suddenly felt even more nervous. How would its original powers be? Would they become twisted just like the creature?

 _‘you mean I could have become like this too?’_ Yeri asked as she shivered. The thought scared her. The only thing that stopped her from becoming like that was Minji, and she appreciated her even more at the moment.

Choerry gently got her attention and looked at her with a smile. She knew that Yeri was terrified right now. Her dreams were haunted by these creatures, but she wanted to let her know that she wasn’t alone anymore. Yeri smiled back before looking at the creature with more confidence.

“the ones that you want revenge on are all dead now. Who do you want to seek revenge on then?” Yeri asked as the creature slowly laughed.

 _‘everyone in this world…’_ it said in a low growl as Siyeon and the others tensed. This thing had to be stopped, or it would just go on a rampage.

 _‘careful… you can't hurt it.’_ Seulgi said as she stood. Her body was now healed thanks to Gahyeon, but she was completely baffled on how to fight this creature.

“you won't succeed, you know,” Yeri said as the creature laughed, but without warning, it charged and slashed at her with its twisted claws. Only Yeri was no longer there. Neither was Choerry.

Choerry had expected the creature to make a move, and once it did, she safely teleported them out of the way. She wouldn’t let that thing hurt Yeri.

 _‘Seulgi, do you see anything special with your ability?’_ Jungeun asked as the bear sighed.

 _‘I can't see past some… barrier? It distorts it.’_ Seulgi said as Siyeon and the others thought carefully.

 _‘Yeri? Try shifting and attacking this thing. It might be protecting itself from us, but I wonder if it can protect itself from you. You both came from the mirror after all.’_ Siyeon said as Choerry hesitantly let go of her hand and stepped back.

Yeri quickly shifted, and the creature couldn’t help but look at her in shock. She might have been trapped in the mirror too, but she still was more vampire than whatever it was. Could she do this?

She let out a low growl as she stalked around the creature. It watched her carefully as it made sure not to expose its back to her. She was looking for an opening.

Yeri was trying to look for an opening, but she wanted to make sure that should the blow she would land wouldn’t be a crippling one just in case it did get reflected back.

When the creature glanced back at Choerry, Yeri lunged in with her claws and slashed at its arm. But when she got close, she could feel resistance. It was like she was slicing through water and knew it must be whatever was reflecting the damage.

After she tore through the barrier, she managed to land a few scratches, but the resistance of the barrier stopped her from doing any real damage. If she wanted to defeat this thing, then she needed to find a way through that barrier.

 _‘I can't tear through it completely! There must be a way through!’_ Yeri shouted as Gahyeon observed carefully. Something weird was happening with the dagger. It had appeared in her hand when she shifted back, and now it buzzed like it had electricity running through it.

Gahyeon suddenly had an idea and quickly relayed her plans to Yeri and the others. Yeri carefully turned the creature so that its back faced her, and before it could react, Gahyeon lunged forward and slashed at the invisible barrier.

When the knife struck it, she felt it pulse as it shredded through it. The creature spun around in shock, and when it did, Yeri lunged forward at its now exposed back and bit down on its neck. She held on tightly as she kicked with her back paws, leaving deep slashes that oozed a silver liquid.

The creature flailed around as it struggled to free itself from Yeri, but it was no use. The feline was much stronger than it was. Her jaws clenched down, and she could feel the creature's bones slowly cracking in the process.

It flailed wildly once more, finally freeing itself from Yeri but, in doing so, ripped the flesh of its neck deeply as silver blood flowed quickly from the wounds.

 _‘not… end… more of us…’_ it said as its movements slowed, and finally, it collapsed onto the ground. Its shredded barrier finally fading away as it made its last breaths and went still.

“I guess more of these things got free…” Siyeon said to herself as Choerry looked down in embarrassment.

“I'm so sorry… this is all my fault…” Choerry said as Siyeon shook her head.

“no, it's not. If it wasn’t you, then it would have been one of us that would have fallen for that creature's trap. It's not your fault.” Siyeon said as Choerry shook her head. She wasn’t so sure.

“I don’t think that was the one that controlled Choerry though. It was strong, but it wasn’t strong enough to control us completely. Even with what Siyeon and I had practiced, it wouldn’t be enough against what Choerry went through.” Dami said as Siyeon nodded.

“I agree. That means that there is another one out there that is stronger than this one.” Siyeon said as everyone looked around nervously.

“then, I guess we need to train more as well…” Sooyoung said as she stepped forward.

“that thing could be anywhere, and if its plans for revenge are the same, then that means that humans and everyone else are at risk against this thing,” Sooyoung said as Hyunjin and the others nodded.

“I don’t think I would be much help, but I can try too,” Heejin said as Siyeon looked around her.

“were in. I don’t want these things hurting innocent people.” Hyejoo said as Chaewon nodded in agreement.

“that thing reflected Seulgi’s attacks back at her. Who knows what this stronger one can do? I'm sure Jungeun will help, and so will I.” Jinsoul said as Jungeun nodded.

“I'm in if Sooyoung is in,” Chuu said as she stood beside her girlfriend.

“let's hope we can deal with this thing quickly, or we will draw too much attention to ourselves…” Siyeon said as everyone went quiet.

“whatever that thing is, I don’t care… I will destroy it…” Irene said with a growl as she held her arm around Seulgi protectively. Her eyes blazed red, but to Siyeon’s surprise, the hint of yellow was replaced by an icy blue. Was this her powers surfacing?

“Jungeun, can you look around and see if you spot any more of these things?” Siyeon asked as Jungeun took flight and started scanning the area.

“Let's head back inside, and then Seulgi can tell us why she went into the woods to begin with,” Siyeon said as Seulgi nodded, and they slowly went to head inside but not before Yoohyeon sent her flames over the body of that creature.

Now that its barrier was gone, it went up in flames quickly, and soon nothing was left but ash. Once she was satisfied, she caught up with the others and sat around the table with the others.

“ok. Seulgi, why did you split off like that?” Siyeon asked as Seulgi looked at her nervously. She had learned how to speak and even read, which she discovered she really enjoyed, but it still made her nervous to talk a lot in front of others.

“I noticed some animals fleeing the area and wanted to see why. When I found it, it attacked me.” Seulgi said as Siyeon nodded. It made sense. The creatures of the forest probably could feel that something was off with that creature, so it's not surprising that they fled.

“well, we know that Yeri and Choerry had seen two of those things, but from the way it made it sound, there might be more than just one left…” Dami said as Siyeon nodded in agreement.

“We won't know until we find another one. But Gahyeon, what made you think to try that knife on the creature?” Siyeon asked as Gahyeon looked at her in surprise.

“oh, it appeared in my hand and started buzzing. I figured it was its way of telling me I needed to use it.” Gahyeon said as everyone thought quietly.

“there was nothing that I could see in the woods,” Jungeun said as she walked into the room and flopped into a chair beside her girlfriend.

“what about Wonho, Hyunwoo, and sol? They are still training outside, right?” Elkie asked with a yawn. She had been going to see Solar and Moonbyul every night with sol, and it was messing up her sleep schedule.

“yes, they are still outside. I gave them a heads up, and they are keeping an eye out for the creature.” Siyeon said as Elkie smiled and snuggled next to Handong happily. She had missed spending more time together.

“well, what can we do to protect ourselves from this thing?” Chuu asked as everyone thought carefully.

“the only thing we can do Is practice as much as possible. I have a feeling you all are going to hate saying that you will help soon.” Dami said as Sooyoung laughed.

“I think it will be fun,” Hyunjin said as Bora rolled her eyes.

“of course you do…” Bora teased as her cousin stuck her tongue out at her.

“you can really tell that they are related when they are like this…” Heejin said as Siyeon laughed and nodded.

“I feel sorry for us when they get super competitive…” Siyeon joked as Heejin laughed with her. Both of their mates looked at them with offended expressions making them just giggle more.

“It wouldn’t even be a competition! I would blow her out of the water in whatever I do!” Bora said as Siyeon just nodded and patted her back.

“I would!” Bora shouted as Hyunjin scoffed.

“let's wait to find out who is the stronger cousin until after we deal with this creature.” Minji teased as Bora pouted cutely at her.

“you don’t think I can win either, do you?” Bora said as Minji and Handong laughed. They were used to this side of Bora.

“of course you would win!” Minji said a bit too cheerful for it to seem true, causing Bora to sulk more.

“well, let's go and get something to eat. I think Seulgi needs it after what she went through.” Sunmi said as she walked into the living room with a smile.

“I will even let you order chicken…” Sunmi said as everyone cheered and started discussing what kinds of chicken to order for everyone.

“you alright? I know you were scared of those things…” Choerry asked as she held Yeri’s hand supportively, but the blonde smiled at her.

“I was afraid of them, but I think I was able to face them a bit, and maybe I won't be as scared next time. But that only happened thanks to you.” Yeri said as Choerry blushed cutely. Yeri could always make her blush lately with just a smile, and she was starting to realize just how much she cared for her.

“I'm glad I could help, but it was all you. You were the one who faced that thing and took it down.” Choerry said as Yeri shook her head.

“not without Gahyeon’s help. But next time, I hope I can do more.” Yeri said. She seemed determined to be more useful to the others.

“I think I need to really learn how to use my powers…” Yeri said as Choerry nodded.

“I don’t know much about mine either. I still feel bad about growling at Siyeon…” Choerry said as Yeri looked at her curiously. She knew that there were many that could shift into different animals, but what would Choerry be? From what Siyeon had said, she became extremely protective like a wolf yet sounded a bit different. Yeri was really curious about it.

“We can help you with that if you want to learn tonight.” Dami offered as Yeri, and Choerry exchanged nervous looks.

“but only if you want to,” Siyeon said as Dami nodded in agreement with her.

“but won't it be taking away from everyone else's time to practice?” Yeri asked as Siyeon shook her head.

“you were the one that was able to kill that thing. Also, it seemed oddly focused on you and Choerry. I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. But I want to make sure that you two can protect yourselves.” Siyeon said as Dami nodded in agreement.

“Are you sure?” Yeri asked nervously as Siyeon nodded again.

“Remember, you are a part of this pack now. You are like our family. We want you to feel confident and be able to protect yourself if needed.” Siyeon said as she smiled at Yeri. The vampire didn’t know what to think. All along, she was worried that she was disrupting their happy family, but they thought of her as family to begin with.

“and if you ever want someone to talk to or practice with while the others are busy, you can always come to me. We are family, after all.” Minji said with a smile. It made the vampire smile happily as she nodded. It was nice to have a family again.

Sunmi ended up giving Jinsoul and herself a break when she ordered food, but she decided to break out her special teas. She had made them herself, and each one was made to a specific packmate's taste. While she had not learned the newcomers' likes and dislikes, her favorite blend was a big hit with them.

“tea and chicken. Not as good as beer and chicken, but I will take it!” Bora said happily as Siyeon laughed.

“bring out the alcohol!” both Siyeon and Yoohyeon said before they laughed at each other.

“no booze while we have underage people in the house!” Sunmi teased as Siyeon pouted before laughing. They seemed to relax with Sunmi’s tea, and she was glad that it helped ease their anxiety.

They all laughed and ate enough chicken to clear out an entire chicken restaurant and then headed outside to help Choerry and Yeri train.

“Now, don’t be nervous. Alright?” Siyeon said as Yeri nodded. She was clearly nervous, even with the tea.

“what do I need to do?” Yeri asked as Siyeon thought carefully. Choerry acted defensively when she used her abilities, so she wondered if that would be how Yeri’s would manifest themselves.

Before they were trying to trigger Choerry’s abilities, so they had Yeri just trying to dodge. But this time, she wanted to see what all the vampire could do with that barrier of hers.

“remember the emotions you used to draw on that barrier. Actually Dami? Do you think that the barrier thing has something to do with the mirror world? Both Yeri and that creature had a barrier of some sort. We need to practice getting through those things if we need to stop them.” Siyeon said to Dami before turning back to Yeri.

“anyway, draw on those emotions and try to call back that barrier,” Siyeon said as Yeri complied.

It took several minutes, but soon she was able to summon the reflective barrier. Once she was able to call it though she didn’t know what to do.

“try to hold it as long as possible alright?” Siyeon shouted as Yoohyeon Dami and Handong stepped forward. They were chosen to try and break the barrier.

They attacked without warning, and Yeri could feel when their attacks struck her barrier. Without realizing it, she quickly reinforced her barrier in preparation for the next attack, and when it came, they were blasted backward as they struck the barrier.

The interesting thing to Yeri was just how strong Handong’s cat form was. She knew tigers were strong, but every time she struck the barrier, Yeri could feel it in her bones. It wasn’t going to be easy holding the barrier if someone with as much power as Handong continuously struck it.

When Handong went to strike the barrier one last time, she was surprised when her claws went through the barrier, and soon she was inside.

Yeri was panting as she struggled to hold the barrier and didn’t even notice Handong’s entrance. The tiger quickly shifted back as she ran over to Yeri she could tell that the blonde had used up most of her strength and was dangerously close to collapsing. She needed to do something, or Yeri could pass out any second.


	91. Chapter 91

-Protective Guardian-

Handong flew through the barrier and watched as Yeri staggered as she focused on holding the barrier. It was taking too much of her strength too quickly. She was not used to controlling her powers, so the barrier was draining much more than needed.

“Yeri? Yeri!” Handong shouted as she shifted back into her human form and ran over to catch her just as the blonde collapsed.

Handong looked at Yeri and instantly felt worried. Her skin was pale and clammy from sweat from struggling to hold the barrier, and Handong could feel her trembling. She used too much power too quickly and was lucky she didn’t kill herself in the process.

The barrier slowly faded away to leave Handong in the middle as she held the unconscious girl. As soon as Siyeon spotted her, she went to run over, but Choerry blinked over to her in an instant, and when she took Yeri into her arms Seulgi noticed Choerry’s excess energy flow into Yeri causing the vampire's pale skin to slowly get its glow back and her trembling to stop.

“Yeri?” Choerry whispered softly as she gently caressed her cheek. The vampire was slowly coming around, and the soft yet worried tone made Yeri’s eyes flutter open. Silver met purple, and Choerry’s worried expression instantly softened as Yeri recognized her.

“what happened?” Yeri asked as she looked around in surprise. The last thing she remembered was standing inside the barrier, and now she was in Choerry’s arms.

“you used too much power,” Handong said as Seulgi came closer with Siyeon. Choerry let out a low growl at their approach, making them halt in their place.

Choerry was in protective mode, and Siyeon could understand her protectiveness. She would be protective of Bora in that situation, so they waited back as they talked. It was better to give them room until Choerry calmed down.

“you put too much energy into your barrier. It was like you were shoving your energy into it from what Seulgi showed me.” Siyeon said as Yeri groaned and looked at Siyeon.

“sorry. I just didn’t want it to fail. Handong is so strong that it was taking so much power to hold it against her attacks.” Yeri said as Handong listened carefully.

“your barrier was powerful and didn’t seem to weaken when I struck it. Maybe it's just your perception? We need to test this more once you are feeling better.” Handong said as Yeri nodded.

-Choerry-

They let Choerry carry Yeri out of the center of the field, and now it was her turn. She made sure that Yeri was feeling better and soon stood at the center of the field. Her protectiveness was suddenly replaced with nervousness as she looked around.

Her goal was to see if she had picked up any elemental powers after joining Siyeon’s pack and then work on her teleporting. It sounded stressful, but she hoped that she could pull this off.

The first thing she was walked through was her emotions, and she was feeling like a failure. Her anger and sadness brought up nothing. Even thinking about her accident and being kidnapped did nothing, but when Siyeon said to think about love, the first thing she thought of was Yeri.

Choerry thought of her excited face when she realized that Choerry could see her. She remembered the terrified look on her face when she knocked on her door after having horrible nightmares. She also remembered how warm Yeri felt when she snuggled closer to her as she slept.

Yeri was the one thing that triggered Choerry’s protectiveness. She would genuinely do anything for her. And as she thought of that, a faint glow radiated from her. The glow flickered a golden color and looked absolutely beautiful as the golden light shined on the purple-haired girl, but what was that light?

Siyeon slowly walked into the golden light and felt a warmth and protectiveness radiating off of Choerry. The first thing that Siyeon thought was Yeri’s barrier, but this was different. Quickly Siyeon went to bite her arm. She suspected that this aura was protective, and when her teeth couldn’t pierce her flesh, she knew that she was right.

But to what extent would this aura protect them? Siyeon wasn’t sure, but Dami stepped forward. She had an idea. If Choerry was so protective, could they force her to bring forward greater strength with one of Dami’s illusions?

Choerry slowly opened her eyes. She felt a warmth radiating off of her, and when she looked around, she was amazed at what she saw. The golden glow was beautiful, but she didn’t know what it did.

“Choerry? Mind if we try to draw out your powers with one of my illusions?” Dami asked as she told her the plan.

“Sure, I guess…” Choerry said nervously as Dami smiled.

“Just remember that this is all an illusion, alright? It's not real.” Dami said as she nodded and took a deep breath to prep herself.

“ready?” Dami asked as the purple-haired girl nodded nervously.

_Choerry was suddenly in a strange room. Or should she say cage? She looked around in confusion as she stared at the metal bars when she glanced behind her and spotted something in the corner of the room. It could only be one person. Yeri._

_Choerry ran over and noticed her covered in bruises and bandages. She was also unconscious, and no matter what Choerry did, Yeri didn’t wake up. She was panicking as she held Yeri in her arms, but the girl was completely limp in her hold._

_“Yeri? Yeri, please wake up!” Choerry whispered as laughing was suddenly heard from another room. Several wolves walked into the room that was connected to the cell. They were all males and made sexual comments as they looked at her while she was holding Yeri in her arms._

_“what? You don’t think that you can do it? I can do it then! Let me in there!” one of the wolves joked as his friends laughed._

_It was disgusting, and just the thought of them coming closer to Yeri made her let out a low growl. Her purple eyes blazing as she gently set Yeri down and stood in front of her protectively. She wouldn’t let anyone touch her._

_But when one of the men grabbed the key to the lock and went to open the cage, she felt her rage explode, and with it, her extreme protectiveness was triggered. Her growl became a roar as she automatically went down on all fours as she stood in front of Yeri protectively._

“Woah…” Siyeon said as she stared at the creature before her.

“is that… a lion? A WINGED lion?” Yoohyeon asked as Minji looked on in shock and only nodded silently.

“yes… I do believe it is…” Dami said as she looked over to Jungeun, who looked just as shocked as the others. Clearly, she had not seen this in her visions either.

“Is there something special with winged lions?” Gahyeon asked as both Dami and Jungeun nodded.

“winged lions were seen all throughout history. They were known to be very protective and were used a lot in art and architecture. But they all disappeared thousands of years ago…” Dami said as everyone looked at Choerry in shock.

“well, not all of them,” Dami said as she stared at the lion. Unlike what you would expect, her fur was a deep black. So black that it would shine purple and blue in the light, and her eyes were the same vivid purple.

From her back was very large and beautiful black wings that seemed to have a purple iridescence. She spread her wings protectively as she tried to block the men from getting into the cage. She was still in the illusion, but that wouldn’t last long.

What she thought was something created by Dami was actually a subconscious memory. She was remembering what she heard while unconscious. The only difference was that the one who saved her was Chaewon. She was outnumbered but managed to protect herself and Choerry against three wolves. After that, they shut off the lights and decided to starve them. They hoped that they had a better chance when Chaewon was weakened from starvation.

Chaewon, however, could sense what Choerry was seeing and looked on worriedly. If she found out it was real, would she freak out? If they had gotten past Chaewon, it could have been a horrible situation. She decided it was best to keep it a secret as she looked at Hyejoo nervously.

One of the things the girls that were kidnapped agreed on was not to talk about the darker parts of their imprisonment, and she didn’t want to open a huge argument by letting something slip.

“I was expecting a mane until I remembered that is male lions…” Siyeon said as Dami laughed at her. But Choerry’s animal form was strong and very large. She looked like she could rival Handong’s pure strength, and that said a lot.

The illusion ended shortly after that. Her confusion was evident when she looked around. She had forgotten it was an illusion for a bit there and started to feel embarrassed when she went to look at her feet and realized that something was off.

Choerry stared down at muscular paws and flexed them as she watched large and razor-sharp claws extend and retract. She quickly looked at the others and noticed their looks of surprise and quickly wondered what exactly she was.

She looked to Yeri, who was looking at her with a strange expression. Her heart dropped. Was Yeri disgusted at what she had become? Did she do something wrong? What did that look mean?

Yeri slowly stood and made her way to the lion as Choerry flinched. She was expecting to be cursed at or told that she was weird or wrong only for Yeri to gently touch Choerry’s beautiful wings and smiled in amazement.

The feathers were incredibly soft under her fingertips, and she couldn’t help but gently stroke the feathers in amazement. She had never felt something so soft. It was surprising because they looked so powerful and sleek, not fluffy and soft.

“so beautiful…” Yeri said as Choerry looked at her in shock. That was the last thing she was expecting Yeri to say.

“well, you were wrong. She was not a wolf. She was a lion…” Dami said as Siyeon nodded in surprise.

“yes, but in my defense, I never knew that winged lion was a possibility,” Siyeon said as Dami rolled her eyes at her.

“there's more about winged lions and her ability now makes more sense…” Jungeun said as Siyeon looked at her with interest.

“you see, they were known as guardians and protectors. They would grow attached to someone or some cause and fight for it until death. There was a story about one who fell in love with a human. He was separated from her, but when she was in danger, he could feel it and appeared by her side… this can explain the teleporting. It's part of what she is. It also explains the protective aura she is radiating. We need to test what all it can do, but if she can limit it to only us, then we can do some serious damage when we need to.” Jungeun said as she looked at Siyeon.

The alpha didn’t miss the ‘we’ in Jungeun’s speech. She had noticed several times that the banshee had slipped yet ignored it for the moment. Now wasn’t the time to bring it up.

 _‘What am I? am I a vampire?’_ Choerry asked as she looked Yeri, who shook her head.

“no. You are not a vampire. I don’t know what you are, but your feathers and fur are so soft…” Yeri said as she ran her fingers through the thick fur on her neck. It wasn’t a mane, but it was still fluffy. Choerry purred a deep rumble as she nuzzled her happily.

“can you fly?” Jinsoul asked curiously as Choerry looked at her and then to the large wings on her back. She carefully moved them. It didn’t really take any thought to move them. It felt natural. With one large wing beat, she lifted herself several feet before landing on the ground again.

 _‘I think I can. It feels natural. I don’t have to think about it.’_ Choerry said as she looked around and spotted something. It was a hint of grey in the brush, but she instantly felt something was wrong.

 _‘creature!’_ Choerry shouted as she sprung forward while using her wings to propel her forward at an insane speed.

Once she was close to the trees, she quickly tucked her wings tight to her body and burst through the trees to find nothing. She could smell an odd smell and knew that she was right. She had seen the creature, but it had fled as soon as it was spotted.

 _‘damn!’_ Choerry said as she roared in aggravation. The loud roar echoed through the forest, and soon all the forest creatures went quiet at the fierce sound.

 _‘where is it?’_ Siyeon asked as she caught up, but Choerry just shook her head.

 _‘We missed it. It was actually watching us…’_ Choerry said as Siyeon growled. She didn’t like that the creature was watching them. What was it wanting?

 _‘let's go back to the others… I just thought about something…’_ Siyeon said as she glanced at something in the brush and turned as she stalked away with the others back to the center of the field.

 _‘Yeri? Can you still travel by mirror? Have you tried it since you broke free?’_ Siyeon asked as Yeri’s eyes went wide, and she shook her head.

“no! what if I get trapped in there again? I can't even touch a mirror! I, I don’t want to get close to one…” Yeri said softly. She felt ashamed of her fears, but she couldn’t help it. Trapped for hundreds of years in a mirror could do that to you.

 _‘it's alright. Don’t stress, ok?’_ Choerry said softly as she leaned her large head against her and purred loudly. The rumbling slowly chased away Yeri’s anxiety as she hid her face in Choerry’s thick fur.

 _‘don’t worry. I'm not trying to make you. I'm just wondering if these creatures could still use the mirrors for transportation. There was something reflective in the brush that shouldn’t belong there, and the creature vanished without a trace.’_ Siyeon said as everyone went silent.

 _‘but this is my question. Are they trapped inside here? Can they get through the wall and Sunmi’s barrier?’_ Siyeon asked as everyone went silent. They weren't sure of the answer.

 _‘if they can't get out, then they are still in the woods lurking out there…’_ Dami said as she felt a chill run down her spine. They needed to do something about those creatures. And if they are trapped inside the walls, then it was like being trapped inside a cage with a rabid animal.


	92. Chapter 92

-Mimicry-

Siyeon and the others suddenly felt nervous, but they were curious if the creatures are trapped inside with them. If they were trapped, then they could find them and attempt to take them out before they found a way to free themselves. But if they could use mirrors to teleport once freed from their mirrors, then how could they be caught?

Siyeon walked into the house as she nodded at Sunmi. The fox was out of her room for once, so Siyeon smiled as the fox nodded back silently and walked out the back door. Siyeon didn’t think much of it at the moment and continued inside until she flopped down onto the couch.

She waited for the others, and soon they were standing around her. Siyeon was thinking of what to do and finally decided to use mind speech instead of speaking aloud. She wasn’t sure if they were watching from the mirrors and wanted to make it a bit more difficult for the spying creatures.

 _‘I don’t know what to do, but I think we should take all of the mirrors down and put them in the basement. It is warded with Sunmi’s magic and could contain them inside if they use it to teleport…’_ Siyeon said as she looked at Dami and Jungeun for opinions.

 _‘but won't that alert them that we are learning their tricks?’_ Hyejoo asked as Siyeon thought carefully.

 _‘yes. They would realize that something is up, but it will also make them blind to what we are doing inside the house…’_ Siyeon said as Yeri thought quietly. She was being held by a very protective Choerry and had to admit that she was feeling much better in Choerry’s arms.

 _‘well… some objects you wouldn’t normally think of as mirrors count in that world. For example… ah! That dish. It is polished to a mirror shine. I was able to see from that every time it was cleaned. There are also other things… but I don’t know what they were from my side…’_ Yeri said as Siyeon thought carefully.

 _‘it looks like it was recently polished too… but Sunmi has been in her room with Chungha for days. When did she have the time?’_ Handong asked as Siyeon shook her head.

 _‘I saw Sunmi walking out back when we came in. She’s probably checking her garden to see if sol has been doing a good job at taking care of it…’_ Siyeon said as she noticed the worried look on Minji’s face.

 _‘what's wrong?’_ Siyeon asked as Minji looked up in surprise.

 _‘oh… its probably nothing but, well, it was just unusual that Sunmi didn’t greet us as she walked outside. You know she always says something… you don’t think that something is wrong with Chungha, do you?’_ Minji asked as Siyeon, and the others looked to Sunmi’s door only to be shocked as Sunmi herself walked out of the room.

“what?” Sunmi asked as she noticed all eyes on her. She was coming out to finally cook, and the surprised looks on Siyeon and the others made her think that she had missed something.

“When did you go back to your room?” Heejin asked as Sunmi tilted her head in confusion.

“what do you mean? I have been in my room all day…” Sunmi said as Siyeon and the others quickly stood and charged outside only to find nothing.

“I knew it was odd she didn’t say anything!” Minji whispered as Siyeon let out a low growl and looked around once more. There was nothing to find, though. The creature was long gone.

“mimicry… it made itself look like Sunmi. But it didn’t speak because it either can't or hasn’t heard her voice enough to mimic it… we have an issue. It could have been among us at any time…” Dami said as she looked to Yeri.

“We know you can change your hair color, but we might need you to see what else you can do. It might help us know what these creatures can do. But first. Mirrors need to come down. If they can walk among us, then we need to limit how much they can hear.” Dami said as she looked at Siyeon for approval. The alpha nodded, and soon everyone split up and started taking down mirrors and moving them into the basement.

Once they were done, they had Sunmi ward the basement. But she still didn’t know everything that was going on, and she wanted answers. Now that the mirrors were secure, she wanted to know what dangers she had missed.

“ok, now tell me what’s going on. All you said was you would explain when the mirrors are locked away. Does this have to do with those creatures?” Sunmi asked as Siyeon nodded.

“one of them looked like you. I saw you walking out of the house when we came in. That is why we were shocked when you came out of your room. That thing was inside our house…” Siyeon said as Sunmi showed a variety of expressions. They ranged everywhere from shock to anger. And she was furious.

Just like wolves, foxes are a bit territorial. The fact that that thing got into their house really upset them. Both Siyeon and Sunmi took it personally. The thought of someone coming into their home and messing with their things triggered the more animalistic side of themselves.

“they can do that?” Sunmi asked as her jaw clenched. That meant that those things could impersonate any of them. How could they tell them apart?

“what do we do now?” Yoohyeon asked as she looked at her sister.

“as I said before, we need to know what all they can do, and to do that, Yeri needs to learn what all she can do as well…” Dami said as Yeri nodded.

“well, I have said before that Yeri will be able to change her appearance, but I'm not sure about her voice. First, she needs to learn how to change her appearance first…” Jungeun said as Yeri looked at the banshee.

Yeri was focusing on the little details of the girl. From the way she held her mouth to how her eyes looked and even how she moved her brows as she talked. Yeri then looked at the way her hair was laying, and soon everyone went silent as Yeri’s appearance slowly shifted.

Soon there were two Jungeun’s standing in the living room, and the only differences were the height and the fact that Yeri’s clothes stayed the same.

“well… that’s a bit unsettling…” Jungeun said as she stared at a copy of herself.

“sorry…” Yeri said. She could tell that her appearance had changed by the way everyone reacted.

“your voice sounds the same, but you weren't trying to mimic her voice, just her appearance, right?” Handong asked as Yeri nodded.

“try listening to my voice. Focus on it and see if you can copy it.” Jungeun said as she started talking. But when Yeri focused on Jungeun’s voice, her appearance began to slip slightly.

“ok, now that’s REALLY weird…” Yoohyeon said as Yeri’s face changed to a mix of her own and Jungeun’s.

“yet still pretty,” Sooyoung said as Chuu lightly smacked her.

“ignore her. continue.” Chuu said with a smile as Siyeon shook her head with a laugh.

“I'm not sure if she just needs practice or if it's just difficult to do both at once…” Handong said as Dami nodded in agreement.

“we will only know the more she practices,” Dami said as Siyeon had an idea.

“I will get you a cell phone. I'm sure that Choerry can show you how to use it. You can catch up on what you missed, and in doing so, you can watch videos and practice turning into the people in the videos. I'm curious to see if you need to physically hear and see them to be able to mimic them or not.” Siyeon said as Dami jogged off towards her room.

“where is she going?” Siyeon asked as Gahyeon laughed.

“she got cell phones for everyone but forgot to give them out days ago…” Gahyeon said with a smile as Siyeon laughed.

“I completely forgot about these!” Dami shouted as she carried a stack of cell phones in her arms.

She went around and gave the phones out. First, she handed a phone to Yeri and then to Choerry. The purple-haired girl's phone matched her hair. But she didn’t stop. She walked up to Jungeun and Jinsoul. Their phones were bright red and blue, and both smiled appreciatively.

Next, she handed a burgundy phone to Sooyoung and a peach-colored phone to Chuu. They looked shocked but accepted them politely as Dami moved on to the next people.

Heejin was handed a pink phone that made Minji pout while Hyunjin smiled at her yellow phone. Dami had tried to get phones that would be easy to tell apart from everyone else, and the colors seemed to be the best bet. She just hoped that they liked the colors she chose.

Next, she walked over to Hyejoo and handed her a metallic silver phone and a green phone to Chaewon. They didn’t know what to say, but when Chaewon gave Hyejoo a slight shove, the wolf stepped forward and quickly hugged Dami before letting go and hiding behind Chaewon in embarrassment.

“um, how do I work this thing?” Yeri asked as Choerry laughed and wrapped her arms around her as she walked her through the basics of the phone. Since shifting for the first time, Choerry had become very touchy and protective. But where Yeri thought she would hate it or feel guilty about their age gaps, she instead felt comforted and protected. She had to admit she liked this.

“ok, now tap there… now see? That wasn’t so hard now was it?” Choerry said happily as she held Yeri tighter, and the vampire couldn’t help but blush and nod as she smiled happily.

After a couple of minutes, she had Yeri pulling up videos. It was fun, but she was also trying to learn. Sometimes she would pause and focus, but it turned out it was indeed more difficult to do it from just a video. It didn’t seem impossible, but for someone as new as Yeri, it was very difficult.

“I think I can do it with practice…” Yeri said as Choerry hugged her to make her feel better.

“don’t worry about it. You have helped us find out so much already. That means that the others can do the same. We need to be prepared. These things are probably more skilled than Yeri is. They have been practicing while Yeri hasn’t. We have been focused on getting everyone settled. They have an advantage.” Dami said as everyone nodded.

“well, now we know a bit of what they can do. Let's try to be more cautious and look for things that don’t add up. Watch for someone leaving the room and entering shortly after. Also, that thing didn’t use mind speech. So, let's use that for anything important ok?” Dami said as Hyunjin cheered. She still much-preferred mind speech compared to talking aloud.

“so let's get a plan set up. Something that we can do to signal that we are who we say. But remember to speak mind to mind. Alright?” Siyeon asked as everyone nodded.

 _‘what about a wink or something?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Siyeon shook her head. That was too noticeable.

 _‘how about something that could look more like a habit than something thought about? Like tapping your leg with your fingers or something similar. Something that they wouldn’t pay attention to…’ Chuu_ said as Sooyoung nodded.

 _‘if we all do the same thing, then it would stand out. Each of us needs our own sign. That way, it seems like there isn’t a pattern.’_ Jinsoul said as Siyeon nodded. She made a good point.

The girls quickly figured out each girl's signal, and soon they were ready to move on to the next part of the day. But they quickly learned that its hard to remember to signal every time they entered a room. Minji would repeatedly forget and swear as she tried to remember.

 _‘Sorry guys… I keep forgetting…’_ Minji said as she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She was mentally kicking herself, but it wasn’t just her that was forgetting.

“shit!” Dami said as she forgot and quickly did her signal and moved into the room.

 _‘ugh, this is going to be a nightmare…’_ Dami said as Minji smiled. She felt for Dami, but she was glad that she wasn’t the only one.

“Yoohyeon?” Minji called as everyone turned to look around and find where the voice came from.

“yes?” Yoohyeon asked as she turned around to spot not Minji but Yeri.

“sorry. Practicing.” Yeri said as Yoohyeon looked at her in confusion. She didn’t know what was going on. She was busy looking up old articles about mirror creatures, but everything looked like things that were just made up by paranoid humans.

“that really sounded like Minji…” Siyeon said as Yeri smiled proudly.

“she’s the one person that I know their voice by heart. I watched her grow up…” Yeri said proudly as Minji flushed. The look of pride on Yeri’s face when she looked at Minji brought up emotions that she thought she would never feel again. But Yeri could pull those emotions out so easily.

“Is that why you could easily change your hair color to Minji’s?” Yoohyeon asked as Yeri shrugged.

‘mind speak…’ Hyunjin said as Yoohyeon blushed and nodded as she apologized.

 _‘so, did you find anything?’_ Gahyeon asked the taller girl as she smiled at the distraction.

‘no… it's all just things from movies or odd things that don’t make sense…’ Yoohyeon said as she sighed in frustration and tossed her phone on the cushion beside her.

 _‘well, if we knew a bit more information, it would help us. But I guess that won't happen… oh, Seulgi? Did you see anything when you looked at the creature that was mimicking Sunmi?’ Dami_ asked as Seulgi shook her head.

 _‘wasn’t using my ability. I'm going to try and keep it going. Then see if I notice anything odd.’_ Seulgi said as she leaned on Irene. She felt stupid for letting her ability drop. She is able to hold it indefinitely, but she dropped it when entering the house, thinking that there was no need, but then this happened. Foolish.

Irene could feel Seulgi’s emotions and hugged her as the bear snuggled closer. Her tension was slowly releasing, but she still felt horrible. Irene slowly let calming emotions wash over Seulgi as the bear relaxed with a happy sigh. She knew what Irene was doing and was grateful that the vampire tried to ease her worries.

But as that went on, Choerry was showing Yeri how to search for things when her head started to ache. Quickly Yeri pulled her close. She remembered the last time and held her as Choerry groaned in pain. The other members looked at her as Yeri signaled that everything was alright.

 _‘memories…’_ Yeri said as everyone relaxed slightly as they watched Choerry with worry. They felt helpless, and all they could do is watch.

After several minutes the groaning finally stopped as Choerry finally looked up with tears in her eyes. She looked heartbroken, and Yeri felt her own heart clench in pain just at the sight.

“Is everything ok?” Yeri asked as Choerry shook her head and buried her face against Yeri’s neck as she sobbed. Yeri didn’t know what to do except hold her tightly as the girl cried her heart out.

“what's wrong?” Yeri finally asked when the sobs turned to sniffles. But Choerry still couldn’t talk yet.

“It was about my family. My foster family. I struggled so hard, and every time I thought I was free of them, they would do something. I felt trapped. Finally, I decided to run away. I had been dreaming of doing it for years, but I was always too afraid…” Choerry said hesitantly.

“When I finally decided to run away, I ran as far as I could. I ended up on a dirt road. I felt dizzy and waited by a tree for a moment until it passed. Maybe it was my body warning me that something bad was about to happen, but I just wanted to escape so badly…” Choerry said as Yeri held her tightly.

“shortly after the truck that hit me showed up… you know the rest. But I finally remember my name, my old phone number, and my address.” Yeri said as everyone walked closer and took turns hugging the girl.

“it's alright. We are here for you. And you have a family now that will always be there for you.” Siyeon said as Choerry flung her arms around the alpha and held her tightly. She had no idea how much those words meant to her.

“do you live nearby?” Gahyeon asked as Yeri nodded.

“I lived two towns over. It's smaller and a bit poorer than this town. So many of the roads are dirt roads or gravel when you leave the town. The possibility of no one finding me was probably high. I guess it’s a good thing that they took me with them…” Choerry said as she sighed.

“Just remember that we are here for you, alright?” Dami asked as Choerry nodded with a grateful smile.

“do you think they have listed you as missing?” Gahyeon asked as they did a quick search. There was nothing. No missing persons. No mention of an accident. It was like Choerry didn’t exist.

“I'm sorry…” Yeri said as she held Choerry, who stood there in disbelief. How could they not even report her missing?

“I can't believe it… they didn’t even report me missing? Did they even notice?” Choerry asked herself as Siyeon growled.

“I want to talk to them. it won't change the fact that they did nothing, but someone needs to stand up for you.” Siyeon said as Choerry looked at her in shock. She wasn’t expecting the alpha to say that.

Siyeon Choerry and Yeri were now at the gate. Siyeon was determined to give Choerry’s foster parents a piece of her mind and maybe something to fear. She still had the image of the cheery girl sobbing uncontrollably. She looked like she felt utterly helpless, and it killed Siyeon that a packmate had struggled so much.

“lock the gate right behind us. Shut it quickly and seal it. Ok?” Siyeon asked as Sunmi nodded. It was risky leaving with those things out in the woods, but she wanted to deal with this so that hopefully Choerry could move on a bit.

“be careful. Alright?” Bora asked as Siyeon nodded. The shorter girl grabbed the collar of the alphas shirt and pulled her closer for a passionate kiss before releasing the now flustered alpha. Siyeon just nodded as Minji, and the others laughed.

It took about an hour and a half for Siyeon and the two to arrive, but when she did, Siyeon could see what Choerry was talking about. The roads went from paved to gravel to dirt. It took a while before they got back to paved roads, and when they did, Choerry directed them to her house.

The car pulled up to a stop outside a run-down house. The lights were on, and Siyeon could hear the tv playing in the living room with her wolf hearing. There was no movement until they listened to the sound of a window opening from the second floor and watched a girl sneaking out.

“did they already replace me with another foster kid?” Choerry asked, but as the person got closer Choerry’s eyes widened in recognition.

“wait… that’s, that’s me, isn’t it?” Choerry asked as she looked at the girl.

It looked like she was several years younger, but that same smile was on her lips. Her hair was light brown, and so was her eyes though you couldn’t tell it in the darkness.

“it is… how old are you there?” Siyeon asked as she looked from the purple-haired Choerry to the younger one who was walking past their car without a worry.

“I, I don’t know, but how can I be in two places at once?” Choerry asked aloud as Siyeon looked at her. She had no idea either.


	93. Chapter 93

-Confusion-

Siyeon Yeri and Choerry sat in the car completely baffled as they watched a younger version of Choerry walk by. How was this even possible? How could she actually be in two places at once?

“wait… that’s, that’s me, isn’t it?” Choerry asked as she looked at the girl.

It looked like she was several years younger, but that same smile was on her lips. Her hair was light brown, and so was her eyes though you couldn’t tell it in the darkness.

“it is… how old are you there?” Siyeon asked as she looked from the purple-haired Choerry to the younger one who was walking past their car without a worry.

“I, I don’t know, but how can I be in two places at once?” Choerry asked aloud as Siyeon looked at her. She had no idea either.

“Should we get out and talk to her?” Yeri asked when Siyeon had an idea.

“Choerry? What year is it?” Siyeon asked as Choerry looked at her with a confused expression. Why was she asking that at this moment?

Choerry answered as both girls sat there, stunned. Yeri counted back the years and quickly figured out that the younger version of Choerry would be around sixteen. Choerry wasn’t from this time. How was this even possible?

“I need to call Dami and Jungeun…” Siyeon said as she pulled out her cellphone and quickly dialed Dami’s number.

“Siyeon? How did it go?” Dami asked as Siyeon groaned and quickly explained the situation. Now everyone was standing around the phone as Dami set it to speakerphone.

“wait, so let me get this straight… Choerry saw a younger version of herself leaving her house?” Sooyoung asked as Siyeon confirmed it.

“yes. All three of us saw her. She's several years younger than Choerry. I didn’t think about it before, but now that Choerry got most of her memory back, I asked her what year it is. She believes its somewhere around 2026. That means that this girl could be around sixteen. Jungeun, you there?” Siyeon asked as Jungeun quickly acknowledged her.

“yes, I'm here, but I don’t know how to explain this. At first, I thought it could have been the accident, but that would mean dragging those people along with her, so that wasn’t a possibility… was there anything odd that happened right before your accident?” Jungeun asked as Choerry remembered the dizziness.

“that could be when it happened then. did your surroundings look different when you looked up?” Jungeun asked as Choerry tried to remember.

“I'm not sure. I was too startled by the truck behind me to pay attention. Possibly? I might not have noticed…” Choerry said as she rubbed her head. A headache was slowly building.

“What am I?” Choerry mumbled weakly as she slumped against Yeri’s shoulder. Her headache was growing stronger. Yeri quickly wrapped her arms around her and held her as her headache slowly passed.

“let me make a couple of calls. I have an idea of what's going on, but I need to ask someone something…” Jungeun said as she stood and walked out of the room. It was several minutes later when Jungeun came back with a smile. Whatever news she was hoping for, she obviously found it.

“Remember the story about a winged lion appearing by the side of the one he fell for? Well, that ability isn’t just teleporting. It also includes time travel.” Jungeun said as she pulled up a text on her phone.

“it says that a winged lion is fated to find their mate. Time and distance can't stop a winged lion from getting to the one they love. I think that is Yeri. Choerry was able to see her. Why? Maybe because she was destined to be together with her? remember how they have a strange connection?” Jungeun said as she paused to take a breath.

“Choerry, when you helped save Yeri from that mirror, why did you do it?” Jungeun asked as Choerry looked at the phone in surprise.

“because I needed to. If I didn’t, then she would continue to be trapped. I just did it. I didn’t even have to think…” Choerry said as everyone went silent. They could see where this was going.

“Choerry, I think you are Yeri’s mate. Yeri might have been in danger, and that’s what brought you here. Maybe those creatures were after Yeri. Without you, something might have happened to her…” Jungeun thought aloud as Choerry tensed. She didn’t like the idea of something happening to Yeri. The idea of those creatures touching her made the lion growl protectively.

“but Choerry, you need to be careful. There is another important part about winged lions. They can become corrupted and change…” Jungeun said as Siyeon and the others looked at the phone in shock.

“corrupted?” Choerry asked as Jungeun nodded.

“ever hear of a manticore?” Jungeun asked as Choerry looked from Siyeon to Yeri. Both shook their heads.

“um, no. Sorry. What is it?” Choerry asked as she listened carefully.

“it has the head of a human the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion or quills, but some have started drawing them with bat wings. Well, the wings are what is important in this story. When a winged lion becomes corrupted or twisted, they lose their feathers. The wings resemble a bats wings, and they become a bit twisted. It reminds me of the mirror creatures…” Jungeun said as Dami looked up. She had just thought about something.

“it was watching them, Not all of us. These things might want Yeri and Choerry. For what I'm not sure, but if they plan on corrupting Choerry, then we have an issue. She was already controlled by that one. We need to make sure that they are protected…” Dami said as everyone exchanged a look. If this was true, then they needed to be extremely careful.

“hmm… maybe its time to switch houses for the moment?” Minji asked as she looked at Handong and Bora. The two groaned and shook their heads.

“you had the house rebuilt, didn’t you?” Bora asked as Minji nodded.

“of course! I wouldn’t let Jacksons pack think that they won! Do you know that those idiots peed in the ashes of our house?” Minji said as Dami let out a growl. Her wolf side was much stronger than her vampire side lately, and thinking of them doing that to her home infuriated her.

“It might be risky leaving everything behind, and we don’t know if it's safe,” Wonho said as he walked in with Hyunwoo and a very excited Sol.

 _‘we almost got one of those mirror creatures!’_ sol said as Yoohyeon looked at them in shock.

“wait, what happened? And why have you three been gone so long?” Yoohyeon said as Wonho smirked.

“When you warned us, we tried to keep an eye out for these creatures. We were playing a game where sol had to find us in the woods when suddenly the creature comes barreling towards us. It didn’t even see us and continued to run like it was being chased, and it was. That bird or dragon friend of Seulgi was pursuing it at a rapid speed. We silently followed it, hoping that we could kill one of them, but it ran towards something shining and just disappeared…” Wonho said as Dami sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

“a piece of mirror, wasn’t it?” Dami asked as Wonho nodded and held out the piece. Everyone panicked as Yoohyeon launched her black flames at it as Wonho dropped the item. Everyone stared at It as the molten glass glowed and slowly cooled. She then stomped on the glass, shattering it as Sunmi mumbled about getting a broom.

“if they could teleport with it, then they could hear with it!” Dami scolded as Wonho smacked his forehead. He didn’t even think about that.

“well, what I was going to offer is to scope out the area around the house and see if it is safe. Those things are being kept busy with Seulgi’s friend anyway.” Wonho said as Sunmi looked up. She had just finished sweeping the glass shards up and looked at her friends.

“you are wanting to leave, aren’t you?” Sunmi asked as Wonho sighed.

“kind of? I think I have an idea of who can train everyone better, but I need to find them first. And when I do find them, I will probably need some of your help. They are a wolf, so it would have to be Bora, Minji, Handong, and Irene. They won't talk to other wolves. Too territorial.” Wonho said as Sunmi pouted.

“Plus, we have noticed that Elkie’s mother has fled the house when we are here. She can't even stay with her own daughter because she is still terrified of alpha males…” Hyunwoo said as Elkie laughed.

“From what I hear from Jinyoung, that’s no longer the reason that she is staying so long at his mother's house…” Elkie said with a laugh as Handong nodded. They had heard stories on what Jinyoung had walked in on.

“yes, but she hasn’t come to visit you. And that means that she isn’t comfortable. You know she adores sol.” Wonho said as Elkie sighed. That was true. She was continuously asking how sol was doing.

“we will go check the house and the woods around it. Once we find that it is safe, we will leave to find the next teacher and will call you when we have found them. From what we have heard about these creatures, we will be of no use. Brute strength won't defeat these things. So best to find someone who can help, right?” Wonho asked as Sunmi sighed but nodded in agreement.

 _‘guys! One of those things just walked in disguised as Siyeon! Act like you don’t know!’_ Dami said as she looked up.

“oh! You are back early! Did you bring the things from the garden?” Dami asked as the creature looked up in surprise and quickly turned as it walked back out the door.

It only reacted to Dami speaking to it. Does this mean that this creature couldn’t mind speak like the other one? Did it initially start as something else? Maybe human? Dami wasn’t sure, but this one definitely didn’t seem as bright as the other.

When Siyeon had heard Wonho come in, she went silent as she listened carefully, and she was glad she did when she suddenly heard Dami say her name. She could instantly tell that something was off and quickly muted herself as she slammed on the gas and zoomed safely past younger Choerry as she rushed back to her home and her pack.

“what’s happening?” Choerry asked as Yeri held her tightly. They were flying down the road back towards home.

“one of those creatures just walked into the house disguised as me like it was nothing! How long have they been coming and going without us noticing?!” Siyeon growled as Choerry joined her. Her lion side was starting to come out more and more.

“well, what's going on now?” Yeri asked as Siyeon listened. It was silent. She was wondering if she was muted until she heard Dami speak.

“it's gone. But it was brave for something so stupid…” Dami said into the phone. She was waiting for Siyeon to say something and guessed by the silence that Siyeon had figured out what was going on and was on her way.

“Siyeon, don’t rush. I don’t think it's going to come back any time soon. It seems to have been spooked when I talked to it.” Dami said as Siyeon sighed and let her foot off of the gas slightly.

She was starting to calm slightly, but she was still furious that the creature was inside their home. It took around half the time it took them to get back home, and when Siyeon and the others walked up the trail to the gate, they heard a faint scraping noise.

Siyeon paused and quickly shifted as the other two followed. They slowly crept around the wall when they heard the noises pause.

 _‘I need a look from above…’_ Siyeon said, and quickly Choerry blinked into a nearby tree and peered down over the wall to see one of the creatures mindlessly clawing at the wall. Its hands looked raw and bloody from its work. Had this thing been doing this the entire time that they were gone? It had left decent gouges into the wall, but it was nothing compared to the damage Seulgi had done.

 _‘it's clawing at the wall. It seems kind of stupid…’_ Choerry said as she watched the creature slowly clawing away at the wall. It was like it wasn’t even realizing what it was doing. It was like a plane on autopilot.

Choerry’s dark fur helped her blend into her surroundings as she crept closer on a long branch and observed carefully as another creature came out of the woods. Two. There were at least two more of these things. But the interesting things were their behavior. It was like they were drones, which led her to one thought. Who or what is controlling them?

 _‘um, Siyeon… I think we have a problem…’_ Choerry said when she noticed something interesting. Both creatures jumped like their names had been called. They quickly turned around and ran into the forest towards whatever called to them.

 _‘shit… a big problem…’_ Choerry said as she quickly teleported beside the alpha.

 _‘tell me inside. I think the others will need to hear this from the way you are acting…’_ Siyeon said as they quickly called to the others.

When they walked back to the gate, Sunmi was there waiting for them. She let them inside quickly and sealed the entrance behind them with her ability. Once she was sure it was secure, she walked with them into the house. They all remained silent until they got into the house.

 _‘gather around. We have a problem…’_ Siyeon said as Dami and the others looked up in surprise.

 _‘what's the problem?’_ Irene asked quietly. She could feel that it wasn’t going to be something simple.

 _‘Choerry? Tell us what you saw.’_ Siyeon said as the lion stepped forward.

 _‘we heard an odd scratching when we approached the gate, so we walked around the wall until we found the noise. Siyeon had me teleport into a tree, and when I looked down, I saw one of those creatures. It was just clawing at the wall mindlessly. Its hands were bloody, and it acted like it didn’t even feel it…’_ Choerry said as she looked around at the others.

‘then another came out of the forest. But that’s not the thing that worried me. It reminded me of drones. They were mindlessly completing tasks. But suddenly they jumped and turned around like they heard something and ran into the woods towards something… what if…’ Choerry paused. She was sure that they would think that she is crazy, but when she looked up, everyone was listening intently without a hint of judgment.

 _‘what if they are like drones in a hive. Controlled or led by something. A stronger one or something different. If it can control them like this, then maybe that was the one that controlled me that time?’_ Choerry asked as Siyeon listened.

 _‘if that is the case, then we do have an issue. We don’t know much about them except for what Yeri knows, and she was terrified of them, so she probably doesn’t know much…’_ Dami said as Yeri’s head drooped. She felt like an idiot, but just the sight of those things made her panic.

 _‘what if that’s why it wants Choerry and Yeri? To twist them and make them controllable? You mentioned that Choerry is corruptible, right?’_ Handong asked as Yoohyeon shivered. Those things freaked her out too.

 _‘are they able to do that? To corrupt us into whatever they are?’_ Yoohyeon asked as everyone exchanged nervous looks.

 _‘I’m not sure. But we need to practice our abilities and get as strong as possible. Quickly.’_ Siyeon said as everyone nodded.

 _‘I need to learn what I can do too. I want to be able to help…’_ Jinsoul said as Jungeun held her hand.

 _‘we will start training hard. We need to be able to defend ourselves physically and mentally. And Gahyeon? We need you to learn how to use that dagger. We haven’t trained with weapons before, but we have to learn. And now that sol has trained with Wonho and Hyunwoo, we need to train together and create plans for different situations.’_ Siyeon said as Seulgi turned and looked towards the back door.

Her fox friend slipped into the door and walked up to her as it he shivered. Shortly after, she heard fluttering as the hawk that Siyeon decided to call Beautiful flew in and landed on a nearby chair. She was fluffed and looked scared as well.

 _‘Seulgi? What's going on?’_ Siyeon asked as Seulgi listened carefully.

 _‘the creatures are hunting for food. He sent them inside to stay safe…’_ Seulgi said as Siyeon growled. She didn’t like these creatures hunting on their land.

 _‘We need to get rid of these things soon…’_ Siyeon growled as the others nodded.

 _‘they are starting to piss me off…’_ Hyunjin said as the fox snuggled up to her feet. She had befriended him secretly when he came to her for food, and now seeing him so terrified upset her greatly.

 _‘my big softie…’_ Heejin teased as Hyunjin pouted.

 _‘I am not!’_ Hyunjin said as her girlfriend rolled her eyes.

 _‘we will act like we are going to have a lazy week. Yeri? I know you are not comfortable with it, but I want to try seeing if you can teleport with mirrors like these creatures can. But until then, Choerry? Can you teleport outside the gate?’_ Dami asked as Choerry quickly disappeared and reappeared seconds later.

 _‘yes. I can.’_ Choerry said as Dami smiled.

 _‘then we have a way outside. You can take people with you when you touch them, right?’_ Dami asked as Choerry wrapped her arms around Yeri’s waist and vanished. A couple of seconds later, she reappeared with a very startled looking Yeri.

 _‘in a tree? Seriously?’_ Yeri asked as Choerry laughed.

 _‘it was a big tree. We wouldn’t fall! I didn’t want to be as easily visible just in case they are watching!’_ Choerry said happily as Yeri groaned.

 _‘yes, I can teleport out of here. But I don’t think I can do everyone at once. It would take several trips, and I have to know where I am going to teleport to…’_ Choerry said as Siyeon nodded.

 _‘it's good to know we have a way to escape. If we could have two, it would be better, but Yeri, I don’t want to push you. I know that you are nervous about mirrors, but I wonder if you can use them like a gateway…’_ Siyeon wondered when suddenly the strange orange glow emanated from small items around the house. They had missed a tiny mirror in an antique cabinet, and the orange hue told them that something was going on.

Yeri looked at the open space between them and focused. She had been feeling a strange feeling for days. It happened every time she was by a mirror, but when she thought about it, she could focus on that feeling. That was what she was doing now, and soon an odd noise was heard as a bizarre image appeared before them.

It was a shimmering rectangle that held an image. Slowly the shimmering turned into ripples as they slowed to a stop. The image now looked crystal clear. It was an image of the attic. Did they miss a mirror? They did. It was covered in a thin cloth that only partially covered it.

 _‘what can you do with that?’_ Siyeon wondered as Yoohyeon walked up. Without thinking, she stuck her hand through the image. She moved the fabric covering away and quickly stepped through to Minji’s horror. They didn’t even know what that thing is and she just stepped through it?

 _‘Woah. I'm in the attic! Does this mean that she can create a bridge to different mirrors?’_ Yoohyeon asked as she walked to the attic door and swore.

 _‘what?! What's wrong?’_ Minji asked in a panic as embarrassment was heard in Yoohyeon’s voice.

 _‘I forgot that the attic is locked… can someone let me out?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Minji groaned and rubbed her face in frustration.

 _‘I will go let the idiot out…’_ Minji said as she stomped off towards her girlfriend. Yoohyeon was going to get an earful for just diving into some strange portal without thinking of the outcome.

Yoohyeon could feel her girlfriend's anger and wasn’t looking forward to it.


	94. Chapter 94

-Witches and Books-

Minji stomped towards the attic and threw open the door, causing her girlfriend to fall onto the floor. She had been leaning against the door. Minji looked down at her mate and groaned.

“Yoohyeon, I swear if you do something like that without thinking things through again, I will kill you myself!” Minji shouted as Yoohyeon pouted.

“oh no, you don’t! don’t give me that adorable pout!” Minji said as Yoohyeon smiled.

“so, you are saying my pout is adorable?” Yoohyeon asked with a smile as Minji groaned again and walked off towards the others. At least they now knew that the possibility of using a mirror was a success, but they needed to learn more. How far away would it work? Was it completely safe? Or were there risks?

Siyeon sighed in relief when she saw Minji and her friend return safely and soon looked to Yeri. That was an exciting turn of events. Siyeon had thought that Yeri would need another mirror to bridge the two, but instead, she was able to create a gateway that leads to a mirror.

 _‘well, it’s good to know that we have a second way to escape if needed. But that means that we need to be smart like those creatures. We have to strategically place mirrors around where Yeri can reach with her Ability so that if we need to escape, we can. Sunmi? What exactly does your barrier on the wall do?’_ Siyeon asked as she fox stepped forward.

 _‘One of the things it does is binds each of your essences into it. So that you can pass freely when it is opened or closed. We could possibly go over the wall if we needed to. But those creatures cannot. Not without risk of insanity and intense pain…’_ Sunmi said when she suddenly heard her bedroom door open.

It had been several days since the others had seen Chungha, and it was a relief to finally see her. The fox had kept herself away from the others and had been working on her control of her abilities. She had finally regained control, but she had been worried about accidentally hurting the others, so she had been hiding inside her room.

No matter what Sunmi said, the fox wasn’t ready. Until now, that is. Now Chungha walked out with a faint smile as she winced slightly. The phantom wound had stopped hurting almost entirely, but some pain still lingered at times.

“it’s good to see you up and moving again!” Yoohyeon said as Chungha smiled nervously. She was still afraid of something happening.

Sunmi walked to her side and hugged the smaller girl to comfort her. Chungha smiled as she relaxed slightly and looked at the others.

 _‘so, I heard a bit of what happened from Sunmi. Those things got inside the house? What are we going to do?’_ Chungha asked as Siyeon shrugged.

 _‘what we always do. Train and prepare. If we do nothing, then it has a better chance of defeating us. At the moment, the thing is cornered. And if Choerry is right, so are its drones. But we need to know just what the difference is between these drones and what we had fought before. If they are mindless and weaker, then maybe we can take them out easily and decrease their numbers a bit.’_ Siyeon said as Chungha nodded.

 _‘how many are there that we know of?’_ Chungha asked as Siyeon sighed. She didn’t have a definite number. Who knows how many of those things escaped from that shard beneath Yeri’s bed?

 _‘I’m not sure, but Choerry spotted two just a bit ago, and they seemed to be mindless until something called to them. We don’t know much yet though. I wish we had more information…’_ Siyeon said with a sigh.

 _‘But how are we going to practice if they can watch what we are doing?’_ Chungha asked as Siyeon explained their plan.

_‘I want to try this mental training. I am not sure I can fight at the moment, but I'm just fine sitting down.’_ Chungha said as Dami looked to Sunmi. The older fox sighed. She knew that Chungha wouldn’t change her mind when it came to this. She had been feeling helpless, so to be able to do something even if it was just mental meant a lot to the younger girl.

Sunmi nodded, and soon she walked her mate over to the chair and sat her down. Once Chungha was seated, Sunmi looked to Dami and nodded again, signaling that they were ready.

_Chungha found herself in a foreign city and looked around helplessly. She felt completely lost. She tried to find her way when a familiar girl ran past her. For some reason, Chungha followed her down an alley and soon found the girl pinned underneath a large male wolf._

_Chungha went to save her with her ice, but instead, nothing happened. Her powers were gone. She couldn’t do anything as the girl was pleading for her help for her to save her, but Chungha was completely helpless._

_Chungha screamed as she watched the girl's arms weaken. The wolf was getting closer to her. Its massive jaws snapping millimeters from her face, and with all of her willpower, Chungha pulled deep from inside herself and grasped what tiny energy she had and flung it at the wolf, but instead her powers went wild._

_Ice shards erupted from around Chungha and rushed towards the girl and the wolf like an ocean wave of icy spikes. The girl screamed, but it was too late. Both the girl and the wolf were struck with the ice shards and went silent._

_Chungha’s eyes went wide as she sunk to her knees. She finally remembered the girl she failed to save. The girl that she killed._

_“Elkie…” Chungha whispered as she sunk to her knees in shock. She was utterly helpless, and when she needed her powers the most, they failed her. What good was she if she couldn’t even control her powers?_

_Chungha’s mind was spiraling darker and darker until she remembered what Sunmi had been telling her all along. She did have control of her powers. She was just afraid to use them. That is what caused this. It wasn’t that she lacked her powers but that she was just too scared to draw on them. She hesitated, and that was what caused this. That was why she felt weak. It was because she was the one making herself weak with doubt._

_Chungha slowly stood and felt for her powers. She found them easily as she had always been able to. But it was the hesitation that was the issue. With a growl, she forced her powers out, coating the entire alley in a thick layer of ice that slowly grew until the ice encased the two in an icy tomb._

_Chungha looked at her hands. Why was she so afraid? What was stopping her like this? It was just fear, and since when as she ever terrified to use her powers? The fox looked forward and realized that she didn’t like this. She was done being afraid. The others would need her one day, and she refused to fail them._

Chungha opened her eyes and looked around the room in shock. That was it? That was all it took for her to conquer her fears? Chungha looked around the room and spotted Elkie and sighed in relief. If she wasn’t still hurting, she would run to her friend and hug her tightly. The thought of losing her because of her own fear hurt her more than she had realized.

Everyone slowly took turns practicing, and luckily no one had any issues. Things went smoothly even though Hyunjin seemed more silent than she had been before. Bora feared that it was related to her family and silently walked over and wrapped her arm around her taller cousin.

Instead of the normal teasing or banter, the vampire leaned against Bora silently. It had to have been her family. Nothing effected Hyunjin like this but them.

Siyeon watched the two and smiled. It was nice to see the cousins getting along with each other. But she didn’t know how long it would last. If it was like normal, she gave it around five minutes before something happened.

When it was Heejin’s turn, Hyunjin held her cousin tightly. She couldn’t help but be nervous for her girlfriend. Heejin was more human than anything else, and Hyunjin feared that she would be too weak, but she blasted through it at an amazing speed.

Though Heejin was mostly human, her mind was rather strong. It had to be when you grew up a weak human hybrid. Many in her family would get singled out, so she knew to protect herself from an early age. The thing that helped most was when she first met Hyunjin, though.

At the time, Hyunjin preferred her cat form and didn’t want to shift out of it. Too many bad memories were associated with that form, and she preferred being wild. But one day, she came across Heejin getting bullied by several others. They were all different beings and knew that Heejin was more human than anything else. It was summer break, and Hyunjin didn’t want to be in her human form unless she absolutely needed too.

Hyunjin had watched silently. She didn’t want to get involved, but when one of the boys that was much taller than her tried to strike Heejin, Hyunjin flew into a rage and launched herself at the boy, making him fall on his ass in surprise.

Heejin stood over her protectively as she growled a deep and low growl at the boys. A wolf thought he would be a challenge but quickly retreated with several claw marks on his body and face. Hyunjin wouldn’t let them closer, and soon they fled.

When Hyunjin turned around, she expected to see a terrified girl, but instead, Heejin looked grateful. In a stupid and risky move, Heejin hugged the feline. Hyunjin froze. She was unsure of what to do, but when she felt Heejin shaking from fear, she slowly started purring to soothe the girl.

It was their first real encounter. They didn’t see each other again until school started, but Heejin just seemed to know that the large feline was Hyunjin and slowly got closer to the silent loner. It was Heejin that slowly broke the walls around Hyunjin and slowly helped her to heal slightly. So, she worried greatly about her girlfriend.

By the end of the night, everyone had practiced at least once. It was going well, and Dami was feeling like they were finally having progress when they heard noises from the basement. She looked at Siyeon as they exchanged a look. They knew what it had to be. One of them tried to sneak in through one of the mirrors. It was now trapped inside the basement unless it decided to flee back through a mirror.

Siyeon walked past Beautiful, who was sleeping perched on the back of a chair and Hyunjin's new fox friend as she headed towards the door.

Siyeon stood and walked to the door. She rested her ear against it and heard soft scraping. It was trying to find a way out. Clearly, it didn’t have as good night vision as they did because Siyeon heard it bumping into several things as it made its way first to the steps and then to the door.

Siyeon stepped back and waited for Sunmi’s spell to affect the creature, and it didn’t take long. The creature tried to slash at the door with its claws and was blasted backward down the steps as it screamed in pain.

 _‘that wasn’t a humanlike voice but instead sounded more like an animal. This thing seems more like a drone. I think Choerry is right…’_ Dami said as she listened quietly.

The creature mindlessly tried to get through the door and would cry in pain every time it struck the door. It went on for several minutes before everything suddenly went quiet. Siyeon and Dami exchanged a look.

They knew that the creature was there, but what was it doing now? Everyone listened carefully and soon heard more steady footsteps than before. They didn’t seem clumsy, and soon they noticed the door handle jiggling. The spell wouldn’t react until you applied force to get the door open, so the creature was safe until it tried anything forcefully.

The creature continued to try the doorknob to no use. Finally, it attempted to strike the door with its shoulder and cried out in pain again. But this time, it sounded more human. Everyone knew that something was off with this creature. The thing shouldn’t go from sounding like a mindless creature to intelligent in seconds.

What were these things? There was obviously something that they were missing. Some pieces of the puzzle that was missing. But they didn’t know where to find it.

Siyeon signaled for them to move away from the door and quietly head upstairs. She wanted to see if they would try the mirror in the attic. They had almost forgotten about it, and when they went up, they were surprised to find the attic empty.

The thick layer of dust showed that besides Yoohyeon, nothing had stirred the dust since they checked the house before. Why had they not thought of using this mirror? Siyeon looked around and tried to find a reason and realized the cloth.

Could they not see through the cloth? Or was there something special about it? Siyeon walked over to it and carefully felt the fabric. It was very thin and didn’t stand out in any way to her eyes, but clearly Seulgi saw something different. It was like she was looking at patterns in the fabric.

Seulgi shared what she saw, and Siyeon stared at it in amazement. There were vivid patterns that stood out compared to the normal way Seulgi saw things. Vivid swirls of shimmering blues and purples told her that something was unique about this fabric, but what?

Siyeon looked to Sunmi for an answer, but the fox had no idea what it was. It was something that came from Minji’s parents. Whatever secrets it held, she had no idea.

 _‘whatever this thing is, it stopped those creatures but allowed Yoohyeon through? I have no idea what to think of this…’_ Sunmi said as she looked to Jungeun. The owl walked over and felt the fabric with her powers and looked at it with a puzzled look. She had no clue what it was. It looked like a basic white cloth, but it had some intense energy running through it.

 _‘I don’t know what it is, but let's make sure that this mirror is properly covered, alright?’_ Jungeun asked as they quickly draped the cloth back over the mirror and locked the door behind them. Just in case anything did make it through that mirror, they wanted to make sure it couldn’t get into the central part of the house.

 _‘We need to look this up…’_ Jungeun said, but they noticed a strange expression on Yeri’s face.

 _‘what's wrong?’_ Siyeon asked as Yeri bit her lip nervously. She didn’t know if Minji knew about this part of their family.

 _‘I think I know what that thing is… my mother said that before our family became vampires, we were witches or something. My mother would talk about it from time to time. Supposedly there are some old books about it up there…’_ Yeri said as Dami froze. The mentioning of a book quickly caught her attention, and soon the wolf was walking back up the stairs.

Sunmi quickly unsealed the door as everyone spread out as they started looking for this book. They were not sure what it looked like, so any book they found they brought to Yeri and Dami to inspect.

 _‘I’m not seeing anything…’_ Hyunjin said as she sighed and looked up to see a rafter above. Something was wrapped in a cloth and tucked away where the beam met the wall. She suddenly got curious and shifted to make the jump.

Jungeun looked up to see Hyunjin jump onto the rafters and quickly shifted as she flew up and landed on the beam behind her.

 _‘what is it?’_ Jungeun asked as she watched the feline walk closer and gently paw it. She jumped as she felt a jolt travel through her paw and up to her shoulder.

 _‘ouch! Fuck! It's protected by something!’_ Hyunjin said as Yeri quickly jumped onto the rafter. Hyunjin jumped down to allow her room, but when Yeri touched the cloth, she felt nothing. No pain, no tingling. Nothing.

 _‘It doesn’t do anything to me…’_ Yeri said as she gently removed the fabric. Inside it was an old leather-bound book with intricate designs all over it. Yeri gently picked up the book after shifting and carefully jumped down.

 _‘is this it?’_ she asked as she held it out. Dami hesitated. she feared a shock like Hyunjin received, but when she had finally touched it, nothing happened. Was it the cloth it was wrapped in? Dami wondered, but she wasn’t sure.

When Dami opened the book, she quickly realized that it wasn’t what Yeri or her parents had thought it was. It was actually the book detailing how vampires were first created as well as an encyclopedia of other beings from that time period.

Dami quickly flipped through and even found an entry about banshees. She was fascinated, but when she was flipping through the pages, something caught her eye. She slowly turned the pages back and froze.

“warped reflections. Victims of doppelgangers that have become twisted over time. Those that were not human will also have their powers warped and twisted…” Dami read as everyone stared at her silently.

“if ever freed they are highly dangerous and unpredictable though with their bodies being twisted so are their minds. They are rather slow and simple with an only basic understanding of their old powers…” Dami read as she looked up.

“This thing isn’t stupid. It seems very smart, so either it isn’t as warped as the others, or it is mentally strong like Yeri… this didn’t mention mental abilities at all. So, whatever that was, it was this creature…” Dami said softly as she thumbed through several more pages.

“There are several species of dragons listed too. One interesting one is an elemental dragon. They are more connected to an element but shed their dragon form hundreds of years ago. Now they tend to remain in their human form until their dragon form is awakened and it’s usually only partially awakened… it says the more time they spend around their element, the stronger they are…” Dami read as Jinsoul listened. Was she really a dragon?

“This is all very interesting, but what do we do about that mirror creature? We now know it’s not like the others…” Hyunjin said as Dami smiled.

“no, it's not. But this is basically an encyclopedia of non-humans. Maybe it could give us a hint of what this thing might have originally been. And then we might learn how to kill it…” Dami said with a smirk. She loved books, and this was one that fascinated her.

It held the secrets of how the first vampires were created and also held so much knowledge that might help the others. Now, if only she could use this knowledge to defeat this creature. If it didn’t contain what she was looking for, then that meant that everything rested on Gahyeon, and that thought scared her greatly.

“I think we should stay in here while we do this. that way, we won't be interrupted…” Dami said as she skimmed through the book and paused. Why did this entry look familiar? She looked closer as she carefully read about demons.

 _‘This book is even more useful than I thought…’_ Dami thought to herself as she carefully read the page.


	95. Chapter 95

-Books and Relics-

Dami carefully looked over the book. It was fascinating. It had turned out that Minji’s family and Bora’s had both had strange powers run in their families when they were human. They were labeled witches and rumors got to them that the town was planning to destroy them.

That is how vampires were born. It wasn’t due to power but fear. To save their families from destruction, they tried to do something that had never been done before with the help of other families that showed odd abilities and, in doing so, created vampires.

As Dami read, she found the rituals that were used to create them, and each family's ritual varied differently. She discovered that they really did use the blood of the felines that each family can shift into. They all tried slightly different recipes for their creation as they tried to see what would work.

But what Dami noticed was that there were five main families listed in the beginning. But one she had never heard of.

“Minji? Bora? Take a look at this… It says that there is another great family that isn’t on the list. But I have never heard of them…” Dami said as she showed Minji the entry.

“oh, is it a name that is a bit blurred?” Yeri asked as both Dami and Minji nodded.

“my mother said that something happened. One day he just disappeared, and no one heard from him again. Even his family. There were rumors that someone spotted him after his disappearance, but he didn’t recognize them.” Yeri said as Dami made sure to make a mental note of it.

She slowly turned the pages and soon paused. It was an entry that had a large bear shapeshifter drawn on the page. She carefully looked over it and sighed. It really explained why Seulgi was alone.

“the great bears… they could shift into both human and bear form. They are extremely powerful but rather docile. They choose to flee instead of fight… it says humans used to hunt them for sport once they found out they would prefer to flee instead of fight…” Dami said as Seulgi listened carefully. She was curious about the history of her kind.

“it said when their numbers dropped greatly, they had a meeting with others of their kind. They tried to figure out a way to survive without fighting. It was split into two halves. Half wanted to just remain hidden from the humans and preferred living wild in their bear forms, while others decided to hide among the humans where they felt safer. It's just like Sunmi said. But doesn’t this mean that just the bear side was almost destroyed? What about the ones that are hiding among humans?” Dami asked as everyone shrugged.

“so, there might be others like me, but they have never shifted? Ever?” Seulgi asked as she tilted her head cutely while Dami nodded.

“I'm assuming if they wanted to keep their family safe, then they would have hidden what they are and discouraged shifting… this might mean that the bloodline is diluted with human blood now. They might not be able to shift anymore.” Sunmi said as everyone looked at Seulgi. She was still having a hard time imagining never being able to shift. She loved her bear form. She couldn’t imagine being banned from shifting the rest of her life.

“but what about their lifespans? They will be longer than a human’s, right?” Yoohyeon asked as Sunmi shook her head.

“not necessarily… there have been stories of people that thought that they were human, and they aged and died like one. I don’t know why, but it might be what happened to Seulgi’s kind. But maybe I'm wrong, and they are still hiding somewhere.” Sunmi said as she looked at Seulgi with sympathy. It must be difficult not knowing about what you are and if you are the only one. She could relate to that last part before she found Chungha and knew how painful it could be.

Dami continued reading through the entries. She found many interesting things that she had never heard of. Could they no longer exist? Or they just hide too well to be known? Dami wasn’t sure, but she found every page and illustration fascinating.

“oh! The fabric! Is this it?” Dami asked as she pointed at a page near the back. It mentioned a cloth with power weaved into it that made it into a shield from various things. But there was nothing on how it was done. The only thing that it said was that it wasn’t Minji’s family that made it but Bora’s.

“So, this kind of cloth was used to shroud our ancestors as they hid from witch hunts. If they found out that they had just become vampires, it would have become extremely dangerous. Especially with our ancestors just learning what they had become…” Dami said as she walked around the room looking. The attic was covered in dust and other old items that must have been from Yeri’s time.

“What is this?” Yoohyeon asked as she held up something bound in the same white fabric that covered the mirror.

“I don’t know…” Dami said as she walked closer. She could feel something strong was inside it and carefully looked to Yeri, but instead, Bora walked over and rested her hand on the fabric. She could feel buzzing and pulsing. Soon she saw the colors that Seulgi could see swirling on the fabric.

“How can I hold this?” Yoohyeon asked as Bora closed her eyes. The colors were overpowering her senses. She felt like something was being drawn out of her as she touched it and quickly released the bundle.

“I think you can hold it because we have demon blood? Maybe we are immune?” Dami asked. But Sunmi stared at it while thinking.

“I don’t think that’s it… Hyunjin is part of Bora’s family, remember? And she couldn’t touch it. Members of the pack can, though. Remember that once we join a bit of our powers mix with each other. I think that’s why. Otherwise, Hyunjin should be able to touch it. Whatever this is, it was entrusted to Minji’s family. I'm not sure if we should open it or not…” Sunmi said as Yeri walked over to it.

Yeri didn’t know why, but she was drawn to something inside the bundle of cloth. It was like something important was calling to her. Slowly she took the bundle and untied the straps around it and started to unravel it as everyone stared nervously.

Inside were several objects. Everything looked ancient, but something caught her eye. It was an old mirror. It was silver with a beautiful hand-carved design. But what drew her attention was the faint golden glow radiating off of the silver object.

“What is this?” Yeri asked as she picked up the object. It felt both warm and cool to the touch. It was an odd sensation, but when she looked at it, she felt like it was supposed to belong to her.

“another mirror… at least this one was protected, but it's glowing like Yeri’s ability… what is it?” Dami asked as she reached for it only to yank her hand back.

Whatever that mirror was, her demon blood and connection to Yeri didn’t protect her from the shock it gave. Could this be similar to Gahyeon’s dagger? She had so many questions, but there were no answers. Inside the bundle were just a few objects that Dami suspected were used in the ritual that created the first vampires, but what were such important items doing stored in an attic without proper protection?

“I don’t know if these are important. I just wish we knew what these things were doing at the moment…” Dami said as she looked at the objects.

Yeri was wondering the same thing when the mirrors faint glow grew brighter. Slowly an image appeared, and she was staring at one of those twisted creatures. Yeri gasped as she looked at the object. Was this an illusion, or was she really seeing this?

“what's wrong?” Choerry asked. She could feel something was off with Yeri and walked closer only to pause as she noticed the image in the mirror.

“what the hell?” Choerry mumbled, catching everyone off guard.

“what is it?” Siyeon asked as she walked over and saw the creature. She went to panic but soon realized the creature seemed unaware of whatever Yeri was doing. Siyeon watched the creature with curiosity.

The creature was in the forest and behaved more like a human than a creature. But when another creature came into view, they quickly noticed the difference between the two. The first one that she was watching was smaller and more coordinated while this new one was large and clumsy.

The larger creature seemed to be under the control of the smaller one as it mindlessly wandered around completing small tasks. It reminded Siyeon of a ruler being waited on. What was this thing?

“Is this what was able to control Choerry like that?” Hyunjin asked as she looked closer. The image was slowly starting to fade when Dami spotted something in the distance. A slow-moving plant was gradually creeping up to the creatures.

“shit! Where is Sol?!” Dami shouted as she looked around and noticed that he was missing. They were so used to him being out with Wonho and Hyunwoo that they didn’t even notice when he went missing.

“Gahyeon? Can you feel him?” Dami shouted as Gahyeon flung the door open and ran towards her room. She wanted to wear her necklace. Her special seeds might be useful later.

“yes, I can, but we need to hurry! Its farther away than you would expect!” Gahyeon shouted as she ran into the room and quickly grabbed Dami’s present. The vine happily greeted her as she put it around her neck. She was hesitant to wear it at first because of the memories, but the happy plant hugging her neck made her feel guilty for her fears. The plant clearly missed her and was delighted that she was alright.

“This will probably lead to a fight! For those who don’t want to get involved, we understand wanting to stay home…” Siyeon shouted as everyone ignored her. No one wanted to stay behind while the happy young plant was in danger.

“We are not letting you fight while we sit on our asses…” Hyunjin said as everyone else nodded.

“Hyunjin, it will be dangerous…” Bora said worriedly as her cousin rolled her eyes.

“I know you worry about me, but I'm stronger than you think…” Hyunjin said as Bora sighed. She knew that her cousin was right.

“Elkie? Can you go to Moonbyul? I have a feeling that she might have some insight on this thing…” Siyeon asked as the wolf nodded and jogged out of the door.

 _‘I will meet you as soon as I talk to her, alright?’_ Elkie shouted as Siyeon looked at the others.

“ready?” Siyeon asked as everyone nodded.

“let's move quickly… I'm worried about him…” Chuu said as Siyeon smiled and looked up to see Gahyeon jogging down the stairs and out the door.

 _‘let's follow my sister!’_ Siyeon shouted as she quickly shifted and followed Gahyeon outside and into the forest.

They ran as fast as their legs could carry them. But those with the ability to fly quickly passed them. Jungeun was flying skillfully while Jinsoul, who had only recently learned, was a bit clumsy in her flying.

Choerry, on the other hand, took to flying effortlessly. She had Yeri on her back as she used her large black wings to propel her forward at a rapid speed. Siyeon didn’t want the two to be at risk. If those creatures were after them, then Siyeon wanted them to stay in the air if possible.

 _‘any signs of them?’_ Siyeon asked as she looked up at Jungeun, but there was still no sight of them.

 _‘nothing. Not even the animals are fleeing...’_ Jungeun said as she looked around. It was hard to spot anything through the massive and ancient trees.

 _‘over there!’_ Choerry shouted as she spotted Seulgi’s friend. The large black bird was flying at an incredible speed towards where they were headed.

 _‘he might be going to Sol! They play together! Keep an eye on him!’_ Seulgi shouted as they charged forward.

 _‘Gahyeon? Is he in distress or anything?’_ Dami asked worriedly, but Gahyeon didn’t feel that he was in distress. Was he waiting for something?

 _‘that bird is diving!’_ Jungeun shouted as they heard a mix of a roar and a shriek come from the black bird.

 _‘ok, that isn’t a normal bird…’_ Hyunjin said as Seulgi laughed. She never said he was. She didn’t know what to call him.

 _‘those things just took off in different directions! I don’t see Sol yet!’_ Jinsoul said as she looked around. She had to land soon. Her large wings took a lot of energy to move, and she was not used to it yet.

She slowly drifted through the trees and landed onto a branch as she looked around. Soon she heard snapping of twigs as a creature ran through the brush. Sol was chasing it while giggling like a madman. His vines were quickly propelling him along as he grabbed onto branches.

 _‘Sol!’_ Jinsoul shouted as the plant froze.

 _‘uh oh…’_ Sol said softly as he grabbed some branches above him and drew himself up so that the next time the creature glanced over its shoulder, it saw nothing.

The creature paused in confusion as it scanned its surroundings and found nothing. Its confusion was evident as it clumsily walked back from where it came from. This clearly wasn’t the smart one. Its movements were slow, and it didn’t watch where it was going leading it to stumble as it walked.

 _‘I think this might have been the one in the basement…’_ Jinsoul said as she pressed herself against the tree tightly. She didn’t want to be seen.

 _‘Sol… Gahyeon and Dami are freaking out looking for you…’_ Jinsoul said as he groaned.

 _‘in trouble…’_ Sol mumbled as he slowly climbed from branch to branch over to her.

 _‘big trouble!’_ Dami shouted as she came through the brush to spot the two.

 _‘sorry… was helping…’_ Sol said as Dami scoffed.

 _‘How could you be helping us? We didn’t even know what you were doing!’_ Dami said as Sol acted like he shook his head.

 _‘not you. him!’_ Sol said as he pointed a vine up at the large black bird as it zipped past while chasing the creatures.

 _‘he is helping you by keeping them moving. He's not letting them rest.’_ Sol said as Dami thought about that.

 _‘he is purposely doing this?’_ Siyeon asked as she trotted up.

 _‘yes. He is very smart. Young but smart.’_ Sol said as Siyeon thought carefully.

 _‘he say if they can't sleep, they make mistakes. Fight each other. Helping you!’_ Sol said as Siyeon realized the bird's plan. He wanted them to get anxious and at each other's throats. It would work if these things weren't just mindless drones.

 _‘Sol ask him to come to the house after he is done chasing these creatures. Ok?’_ Siyeon asked as Sol nodded.

Suddenly a loud crash and explosion were heard. Siyeon and the others quickly turned around and charged in the direction it came from.

It didn’t take long, and soon they came through to see Sunmi standing in a huge crater. Siyeon could see the scorched earth and followed it back to find a groaning creature.

 _‘Sunmi, are you hurt?’_ Siyeon asked as Sunmi laughed.

 _‘this one doesn’t have protection like the others. We can kill it!’_ Sunmi said as the clumsy creature slowly climbed to its feet. It looked disoriented, and Siyeon couldn’t blame him.

 _‘well, let's hope we can take him out with our small numbers. We split up to track these things down…’_ Siyeon said as she faced the creature.

It seemed to be slowly realizing what was going on and looked at Siyeon as it roared. It quickly charged at Siyeon. She quickly dodged and bit into the soft and moist flesh only to start retching. Its blood tasted horrible, and she instantly felt sick.

 _‘what's wrong?’_ Dami asked as Siyeon gagged again.

 _‘nasty… use your powers… don’t bite it.. ugh…’_ Siyeon said with another gag as Dami laughed.

 _‘powers it is then…’_ Dami said as she drew on her demon blood. She quickly let shadows roll off of her as they traveled towards the creature. It tried to panic and run, but soon the soil became like quicksand as its feet sunk into the earth, slowly trapping it.

 _‘I have captured it and blinded it. now what?’_ Dami asked when soon they heard a roar come from Jinsoul.

Her eyes shifted into slits as they blazed a vibrant blue while her horns appeared as well as large claws. She looked ferocious, but the cause of that roar wasn’t the creature before her. But for the one that was currently fighting Jungeun. Jinsoul could feel that Jungeun was in danger and wanted to get to her quickly, but the only way to do so would be to get rid of the one in front of her.

Jinsoul lunged forward as she slashed at him repeatedly with her sharp claws. Her claws bit deep into the pale flesh as the creature struggled to slash at the dragon.

The wounds inflicted on the creature had an odd effect. Water rushed off of Jinsoul and forced itself into the wounds. The water was quickly finding its way into its lungs and organs, quickly drowning it from the inside.

The creature fell over silently except for a few soft gurgles before it was finally silent. It slouched over and was still. The beast was gone and now to get to Jungeun.

 _‘Jungeun! She needs help! She is cornered by one and alone!’_ Jinsoul said as Siyeon, Sunmi, Dami, and Sol quickly followed after the angry dragon.

 _‘she was kind of scary, wasn’t she?’_ Siyeon asked as Dami nodded. They were not used to seeing such a fierce expression from the quiet and calm girl.

 _‘well, let's just get to Jungeun before something bad happens. Above us!’_ Sunmi shouted as she saw Jungeun plummeting out of the sky in a freefall.

“Jungeun!” Jinsoul shouted as she quickly launched into the air with a powerful beat of her translucent wings and caught her in midair, but the force caused them both to crash into the ground.

They smashed against branches until finally crashing onto the ground as dirt and debris launched into the air. Their impact was so powerful that Siyeon and Dami could feel it through the soil.

 _‘Jungeun! Jinsoul! Are you two alright?’_ Siyeon screamed as she trotted over and watched the dust and debris slowly settling from the air.

There was silence, and they were starting to fear the worst until they heard a faint groan. Both Dami and Siyeon quickly shifted and ran forward to find Jungeun cradled in Jinsoul’s arms while unconscious. The groan came from the dragon.

Jinsoul groaned as she shook her head. She had a massive headache. Her head struck a branch on the way down, but she was a bit stronger than most and should be fine. It just hurt like hell.

“Jinsoul, are you alright?” Siyeon asked as she groaned once more and struggled to sit up. Jungeun was limp in her arms, and it worried the three of them.

“Is she alright?” Dami asked as she ran over. Jungeun was unconscious, but her breathing was regular. It seemed that Jinsoul took most of the damage from the fall.

“I don’t know. I just saw her falling. I don’t know why she fell…” Jinsoul said as she struggled to stand.

Siyeon and Dami helped Jinsoul stand. She held Jungeun gently in her arms as Siyeon reached out to her packmates. No one knew what happened to Jungeun. Almost all of them saw her fall, though, and were heading their way.

 _‘I’m on my way. I don’t know what happened, but I'm on my way. Is anyone injured?’_ Gahyeon asked as Siyeon looked to Jinsoul. She seemed to have some minor injuries, but they wouldn’t know for sure until Gahyeon arrived.

 _‘I’m not sure, but Jungeun isn’t waking up. Get here quickly…’_ Dami said as she watched Jungeun’s slow breathing. She wouldn’t just fall out of the sky randomly. Dami feared that something was wrong.


	96. Chapter 96

-Spotted-

Gahyeon was running as fast as she could. Beside her were Hyejoo and Chaewon as they rushed to get to Jungeun. They saw Jungeun suddenly plummeting out of the air. They didn’t see what caused it, but it was instantaneous.

One moment Jungeun was speeding through the air, and the next, it looked like she went unconscious and dropped out of the air in what looked like a tragic crash. To hear that she was alright injury-wise was a relief, but what caused it?

 _‘We need to move quickly! Watch where you step and keep an eye on your surroundings!’_ Gahyeon said as the two girls followed her orders. They stayed just behind her as they quickly made their way to Siyeon and the others.

 _‘down!’_ Gahyeon shouted as all three of them dropped and quickly hid in the bushes. A creature burst out of the brush as it ran away from something at full speed. Once it was out of sight, Gahyeon slowly rose and looked behind her to see the two trembling nervously.

 _‘it's alright. It's gone. Let's go!’_ Gahyeon said as the two nodded, and soon they burst through the brush to find Jungeun limp in Jinsoul’s arms.

 _‘Jinsoul, are you ok?’_ Hyejoo asked as the dragon nodded. Gahyeon didn’t waste any time and quickly probed Jungeun with her ability, but there wasn’t anything physically wrong with her except a few minor scratches from her fall.

The dragon nodded and watched with a worried expression as she watched Gahyeon look at Jungeun with a confused look. She couldn’t figure out why she fell. There was nothing wrong. And the minor scratches that were from the fall were now healed. So why wasn’t she waking up?

Gahyeon looked at Dami, who was in her wolf form. She was watching the area protectively with Siyeon. They didn’t want to be surprised by one of those creatures.

 _‘well?’_ Dami asked as Gahyeon shook her head.

 _‘there is nothing wrong with her health-wise. I don’t know why she fell… it wasn’t caused by any kind of injury, so something that we can’t see… mental? Could she have been hit by that thing that can control minds?’_ Gahyeon asked as she looked at Dami.

 _‘possible. It would explain why none of us saw anything. And she wouldn’t have had enough time to prepare herself, so she was defenseless… but how do we help?’_ Dami asked as Gahyeon thought.

 _‘what about using your shadow powers? You can block things out. What if it can break that connection with the creature. I'm sure it is having to hold its grasp on her. if we sever the connection, then it might help?’_ Siyeon asked as Dami quickly let shadows roll off of her like smoke as they washed over Jungeun and Jinsoul. It coated the two until nothing was seen.

Dami waited in silence when suddenly she felt a change. Slowly she pulled her shadows back to reveal a groaning Jungeun. The banshee held her head as she leaned against Jinsoul’s chest. The dragon had such a look of relief on her face, but she was careful not to move. She didn’t want something happening to Jungeun just after she regained consciousness.

“ugh… fuck. what happened?” Jungeun asked softly as Jinsoul carefully held her to her chest as she sighed in relief.

 _‘I take it that means she's ok?’_ Siyeon asked with a laugh as Jinsoul smiled and nodded.

“ugh, my head hurts…” Jungeun groaned as Gahyeon let her powers wash over the banshee.

“thanks…” Jungeun said with a soft smile as she signaled for Jinsoul to set her down. The blonde slowly lowered Jungeun, but when the banshee went to stand, her legs went weak, so back into Jinsoul’s arms, she went.

 _‘what happened?’_ Siyeon asked as Jungeun shook her head while trying to remember.

 _‘I was flying tracking one of those creatures when I spotted another smaller one, but as soon as our eyes met, I blacked out…’_ Jungeun said as Siyeon frowned. They couldn’t look it in the eyes? This could be dangerous then. But luckily, they had trained to fight blind thanks to Dami’s shadows.

Siyeon would just have to practice it with Jungeun and the others to get them used to it, but it shouldn’t be difficult. This was going to become vital against this thing if he could do that with just a look.

 _‘I’m glad we have Dami and Yoohyeon with us…’_ Gahyeon said as she nuzzled her mate. The taller wolf returned the gesture and looked around carefully. The others were quickly approaching.

It didn’t take long for the others to arrive, and soon everyone was fussing over the banshee, much to her embarrassment. She didn’t like the feeling of being helpless, and that’s how she felt at the moment. Completely helpless.

“I promise I'm alright…” Jungeun whined as Hyunjin rubbed against her as she purred loudly. She was very worried about her friend when she had heard what happened.

 _‘let's get home safely. And Sol? Don’t think you are off the hook…’_ Siyeon said as she plant jumped.

 _‘uh oh…’_ Sol said as he wilted slightly with worry and slowly followed the others. He wasn’t looking forward to the scolding he knew he was going to receive.

They slowly walked back towards the house on full alert. They didn’t want to run into these creatures unprepared. It took a bit, but when they arrived, everyone let out a sigh of relief. It was nice to be home.

When they entered the living room, everyone turned to Sol. He shrunk back as he felt everyone's eyes on him. They could see he was remorseful, but they weren't sure if he realized how dangerous that really was. Siyeon was pretty sure he wasn’t immortal. He was risking his life.

“Sol…” Siyeon called as he slowly walked with his pot into the center of the room.

 _‘I’m sorry…’_ Sol said sadly as Siyeon struggled to keep a straight face. He just looked and sounded so cute, but she had to be in parent mode at the moment.

 _‘Sol, do you know how dangerous that was? You could have been killed!’_ Siyeon said as Sol shrank back. He didn’t think about that. He figured it would be fun, and he would be helping protect the others. His greatest fear was losing his family.

 _‘Sol… we don’t think you are immortal. That means you can get hurt and die like the rest of us… you will be gone. Do you know how sad that would make us?’_ Siyeon asked, but she quickly realized that she lost him after she said, ‘like the rest of us.’

 _‘but I don’t want you to get hurt. It hurt… when Gahyeon was, was sleeping…’_ Sol said sadly as Siyeon felt her heart ache at his tiny voice.

 _‘Sol… you can’t risk your own life just to save others. That’s how Gahyeon got hurt, to begin with. She thought she could do things on her own. If we faced them together and not split up, she might not have gotten hurt. We are a family and should stay together. That includes you, Sol.’_ Siyeon said as Sol looked up at her.

He was always worried that he was too different and that they wouldn’t see him as part of their family even though they never showed him anything like that. He was worried that he was just too different. He was a plant, after all.

Gahyeon and the others had tried to include him in things, but while he was training with Wonho and Hyunwoo, he worried that his time away from them would make their opinions of him change. But he didn’t know that nothing would change the fact that he is their family.

 _‘I didn’t want you hurt…’_ Sol said softly as he wilted and gently wrapped his thornless vines around Siyeon in a gentle hug.

“aww… Sol… we don’t want you hurt either…” Siyeon said as she rested her arms on his thornless vines. She wanted to hug him but didn’t know if it was possible due to his thorns.

“Sol, we worry about you too!” Yoohyeon said as she leaned down and gently hugged him, he automatically shifted so that his thorns wouldn’t prick her and hugged her back. Siyeon just smiled. Leave it to Yoohyeon to just lean in and hug him.

“Sol. You are our family. You know that, right?” Gahyeon asked as she knelt down in front of him. She really felt like he was her child, and it hurt to know he felt so left out.

Sol remained silent as Gahyeon sighed and hugged him. She looked up at Dami. They had trusted that he would be ok with Wonho and Hyunwoo and probably didn’t pay as much attention to him as they should have.

Sol seemed older than he really was. They forgot that he was still basically a baby even though he could talk. He clearly needed watched like one too. Who knows what would happen to him?

“Sol, please don’t do that again. I don’t know what we would do if we lose you. What if you getting hurt also hurts Gahyeon too?” Dami said as she felt a bit guilty. She didn’t want to guilt him or play on his emotions, but if it meant keeping him safe, it was worth it.

 _‘I’m sorry… was only trying to help…’_ Sol said as everyone felt their hearts breaking. He sounded so sad.

 _‘Please promise me you won't do this again?’_ Siyeon asked as Sol nodded.

 _‘we also promise to pay more attention to you. Alright?’_ Gahyeon asked as Sol hugged her tightly. He didn’t know he missed spending time with them this much. He snuggled closer while being careful of his thorns as Gahyeon smiled and hugged him back.

_‘Sol, even I can see how much they care for you. I admit I was shocked that you were a talking plant, but I think of you as just another person here. A very cute and funny person.’_ Hyunjin said as Sol hummed in happiness.

 _‘really?’_ Sol asked as the feline nodded.

 _‘you already know that we think of you like just another person. We learned that when you beat us on the switch! I don’t even know you can see the screen!’_ Hyejoo said as she held her hand out for a high-five.

One night, while the others were asleep, Hyejoo and Chaewon were playing on the switch. He wanted to see what they were doing. Three games later, Hyejoo was the loser as Sol danced around the room happily.

After that, Sol would regularly sneak to their room and play games for a bit. He quickly bonded with them and felt a bit like a big brother.

 _‘how do you see the screen without eyes?’_ Hyunjin asked as Sol shrugged.

 _‘just do?’_ Sol said as Heejin laughed.

 _‘well, if he can beat Hyejoo, he can obviously see just maybe not like all of us.’_ Heejin said as Hyunjin smiled. She had a weak spot for the plant too.

 _‘now, we need to talk about your friend.’_ Siyeon said as she watched Jinsoul help Jungeun to a chair. The banshee could now walk, but she was a bit unstable and needed Jinsoul’s arm for stability.

 _‘so, tell me. How did your friend come up with this plan?’_ Siyeon asked as Sol walked over to the back door and opened it. The bird in question flew in and perched on the back of a chair.

 _‘he said they were hurting animals and causing trouble. He chased them one day, and they started behaving a bit. So, he continued.’_ Sol said as Siyeon looked at the bird. His reflective silver eyes were on her as he nodded, telling her that Sol was telling the truth.

 _‘So, have you been keeping them busy this entire time?’_ Siyeon asked as he nodded again. She could feel he wanted to explain more, but he was too young for her to hear mind to mind.

 _‘he said that he needed to keep them moving. They are less organized that way and don’t hurt as many animals. The larger ones kill whatever comes close to them.’_ Seulgi said as Siyeon nodded. She almost forgot that Seulgi could talk to him too.

 _‘has he noticed any odd behaviors with them?’_ Siyeon asked as the bird nodded.

 _‘he says that there is a smaller one that gives him a headache when he looks at it. The others seem somewhat slower than that one. Clumsier,’_ Seulgi said as Siyeon nodded. She had noticed that too.

 _‘alright… so that little one is the one to watch… Jungeun, did you notice anything too?’_ Siyeon asked as she thought carefully.

 _‘It seemed more dangerous. Moved smoothly and was much more coordinated than the others. It definitely wasn’t like the others. It's something different. But what?’_ Jungeun wondered to herself as she leaned her head against Jinsoul’s arm that rested on her shoulder.

 _‘alright… well, we couldn’t wake you. It was like he held a connection with you and kept you unconscious. But Dami was able to use her shadows to break that connection. This means we will need to probably fight it in the dark… everyone will have to learn how to do it. I just worry about the ones that are not in my pack. I don’t know how the shadows will affect them…’_ Siyeon said as she looked at Hyunjin and the others.

 _‘only one way to find out, right?’_ Sooyoung said with a smile. This sounded like a fun challenge to her. The idea of learning not to rely on her sight should scare her, but instead, she felt excited. Whatever she was, she was very confident.

 _‘that makes me a bit nervous… I don’t know what I can do if I can't see them or they can't see me… but I will try…’_ Chuu said nervously as she held onto Sooyoung’s arm.

 _‘I can try too, but I don’t know if I will be much help. I don’t even know if I can do anything…’_ Heejin said as Hyunjin petted her head soothingly. Though Hyunjin acted like a cat and liked being petted, she wasn’t the only one. Heejin enjoyed it too. Hyunjin smiled as Heejin relaxed and leaned against her in thanks.

 _‘so, when are we starting this?’_ Hyunjin asked as Siyeon thought carefully.

 _‘We need to look over that book more so we will start tomorrow. Let's just eat and relax right now. Sound good?’_ Siyeon asked as everyone nodded. They all wanted to unwind a bit, and that sounded like an amazing idea at the moment.

 _‘I will go make us something to eat. You relax and stay with Jungeun…’_ Sunmi said as she rested her hand on Jinsoul’s shoulder.

The blonde nodded with a grateful smile as she watched Sunmi walk into the kitchen. She then carefully picked Jungeun up and sat down where Jungeun was in her lap. The shorter girl blushed but said nothing. She had to admit it felt rather comfortable and snuggled closer. She still had a nasty headache that came and went, and relaxing against her girlfriend seemed to ease it.

Jungeun slowly felt herself closing her eyes as she drifted off. But her dreams were not what she had expected.

_Jungeun opened her eyes and realized that something was wrong. Or at least something wasn’t right. She looked around to see that she was in an old wooden house with dim candles lit around for lighting. As she looked around in confusion, she noticed how old everything looked._

_As she looked around, she heard whispering. There seemed to be people coming, but there was literally nowhere to hide. Jungeun looked up in a panic as three people entered the room, but it was like they didn’t even see her._

_‘is this another one of my visions? This feels different…’ Jungeun thought as she looked at the three people. There were two women and one man. The two women looked very familiar, and soon, Jungeun realized why. They reminded her of Minji and Bora._

_Their features were not exactly the same, but they could possibly be relatives of her friends. Or from the looks of the building. Their ancestors._

_“We need to get this done quickly… I just hope that this will work… our families have been branded as witches. I don’t know how long until they come for us…” the one that reminded Jungeun of Minji said. The worried tone and voice really made her believe that this woman was her ancestor._

_“but are we making the right choice? You have an idea to save our families, but at what cost?” the man asked as the one that looked like Bora shrugged._

_“We won't know unless we try it. And I can't imagine losing my family. I created the cloth we will need to shield us while we work. I made one for each family. Just tack it over the doorway of the room you will do the ritual in. here is yours.” She said as she handed him the cloth. It was then that Jungeun noticed something funny._

_The woman that reminded her of Bora was the tallest of the three. The man was the shortest of the three. Jungeun could just imagine Bora’s reaction at this but quickly refocused on the conversation._

_“my sister is the one with the scrying ability, not I. but she said that this was the only way she saw of saving us. You can choose not to do the ritual. We won't force you.” The Minji lookalike said as he paled._

_“t, that’s not what I meant… thank you. I guess I'm just worrying for nothing… I swear it's like I'm scared of my own shadow and reflection…” the man said as the taller woman smiled._

_“There is nothing wrong with being afraid at a time like this. We just can't let it control us. If we don’t do this, our families and their powers will end with us. So many lives that will just never come into existence…” the one that looked like Bora said._

_“I have written down everything that my family knows just in case we don’t make it through this… I just hope it will work…” the one that looked like Minji said. She was holding a book, and Jungeun quickly realized that it was the one that they found in the attic. Was she about to watch the ritual happen?_


	97. Chapter 97

-The Ritual-

_Jungeun watched as a smaller girl walked in and stood beside the one who looked like Minji. She had to be related, and when she slowly pulled out a cloth bag from underneath her cloak, Jungeun figured what it held._

_She pulled out the same mirror that Yeri now held. She was holding the mirror that let Yeri view that creature, and soon an image appeared on the surface._

_Everyone surrounded her as they watched what looked like a court hearing. It was from one of the families that had been accused of witchcraft. They had been watching it carefully. It would affect her family, after all. All of their families._

_‘is it not true that you have been seen roaming in the woods at night?’ a man asked as they looked at a very battered and bruised man in tattered clothing. Clearly, they had used torture as a method to get him to confess. He still held out but just barely._

_His family was on the line, and he refused to do or say anything that would put them at risk, but someone can only hold out for so long. Your mind can only take so much before it breaks, and they could see he was at his limit._

_He was on his knees with thick chains encircling his wrists and ankles. The back of his shirt was shredded and bloody. Jungeun wondered why but he soon had her answer as a whip lashed out. His muffled cries echoed throughout the room as people watched silently._

_The four and Jungeun flinched as they watched this happening and felt their hearts hurt as he finally pleaded for no more. Their hearts sank as he just blindly agreed to everything the judges were saying. He had just doomed his family to death._

_“do you have his family in a safe place?” the man asked as the three nodded._

_“I put a cloth barrier hiding their location. They will be hidden well, but we will have to smuggle them out safely after this. It will be extremely dangerous…” the taller Bora said as he nodded._

_“that is good to know. He held out as long as he could. I would like to think I would be able to hold out against that torture, but I know everyone has a breaking point. Even me.” He said as everyone nodded._

_“what do we do now?” he asked as everyone looked to the one that reminded Jungeun of Minji._

_“We start working on the ritual as quickly as possible. They will move to our families next. They will look for someone to capture and torture…” She said as they quickly grabbed a heavy leather bag and walked over to a wooden wall._

_With a wave of her hand, the wall vanished, revealing a white cloth. It was the work of the one who looked like Bora, and soon she moved the fabric out of the way as they walked down a narrow stairway into a basement._

_“we will do the ritual for our families. You can observe, and then you will be ready to perform it for your family. Are you ready?” the Minji lookalike asked as the other girls nodded._

_There were spiral patterns painted on the wooden floor surrounding an odd circle with strange runes written in something that seemed to shimmer and glow a faint red. In the center was a simple stone pedestal with a bronze bowl atop it. The two sisters walked over, and soon the ritual began as the Bora lookalike, and the man watched carefully._

_Inside the bowl, she put several ingredients from the heavy bag. One was from a red vial. Its contents slowly dripped into it, causing the liquid to flare with light._

_“What is that?” the man asked as she smiled._

_“blood of a cat. The item your family chose to leave out. I chose a snow leopard. It doesn’t take much blood. The person said that cats are known to have nine lives. I just hope that is somewhat true. We could use that if they are going to hunt after us…” she said as he nodded._

_“I chose a black leopard. I don’t know why. I was just drawn to it. But it didn’t take much, and besides being slightly annoyed, the cat was fine after its donation.” The one that looked like Bora said as she held up a vial and looked at it carefully._

_Each family chose their animal carefully. His was the only family that decided to leave that ingredient out. He hoped that it would still work. He was selected to be the one to test it first, just like the other three._

_If she survived it, then her sister, the scryer, would go through it too. Next was the tallest one. They were three of the main ones to formulate this ritual in a tiny hope that it could save their families. It didn’t take long for the elders of the family to push for the idea. Not because of protecting their families but for fear of growing old and dying._

_They were basically using their children as sacrifices, and they knew this, but if it meant helping their family, they would gladly do it. It was the only thing that they could think of doing to help, and that’s what mattered. Helping even at the cost of your own life._

_The three watched the ritual carefully. After she added the blood, she added a couple more ingredients, and soon the bowl started to glow a dark red as she began chanting words in a long-lost language. The bowl shimmered and flashed and soon blazed a vivid red before it slowly faded away. All that was left was one ingredient. Her own blood._

_The girl carefully took a dagger from her sister, and with a wince, she drew it across the tender flesh of her wrist. She hissed in pain as she held the fresh wound over the bowl. Several drops dripped into the bowl, causing a reaction. The liquid would glow faintly at every drop. And with every drop, that faint glow grew stronger. She stood there until the glow no longer faded, and soon her sister ran over with a bandage as she wrapped her wrist tightly._

_With the same dagger, she carefully stirred the liquid as she chanted the last words. The bowl blazed vividly again, and this time it didn’t fade. It was done. All that was needed was to drink from the bowl. Her sister quickly poured some of the liquid into a bronze cup and quickly handed it to her older sister._

_She accepted it with a nervous smile and quickly touched the cup to her lips. The scent stung slightly, causing her nose to tingle, but she ignored it as she quickly downed the cup. It left a metallic taste in her mouth, but she didn’t notice it._

_Suddenly she felt dizzy. The room felt like it was spinning. The amount of blood needed to perform the ritual had made her extremely weak. She hid it well from the others, but once she finished the contents of the cup, her body finally gave out._

_Her sister quickly caught her as she prayed that she was alright. It should work. But the key was SHOULD. They had never done this kind of thing before. This ritual should work in theory, but they didn’t know if they would succeed. All their hopes were resting on this ritual, but what would happen to her sister?_

_“Is she alright?” he asked as Jungeun slowly stepped closer. She had quickly learned that she could walk through the three and leaned in for a closer look at the unconscious girl's face._

_She was absolutely beautiful and younger than Jungeun had initially thought. Her long black hair was quickly changing as Jungeun watched. It pulsed a dull red glow that seemed to match with her pulse. Every beat, her hair would get slightly redder. But finally, the beating stopped as her sister started sobbing. They had feared the worst when Jungeun sadly leaned closer to look at her when her eyes snapped open. Her eyes were a vivid red, and in Jungeun’s surprise, she fell back in shock._

“huh?!” Jungeun shouted as she looked around. She had dozed off against Jinsoul’s shoulder, and when she woke, she looked around and realized she hadn’t been asleep for long. Everyone was still sitting around talking. Jinsoul looked at her with a startled expression.

“Is everything alright?” Jinsoul asked as Jungeun looked around with a confused expression but nodded slowly as she sighed and relaxed against her girlfriend once more. It was just a dream, she thought as she slowly relaxed.

Whatever that was, it had exhausted Jungeun even more. The girl finally fell asleep in a dreamless sleep. Siyeon and the others watched over her carefully until the food was ready. Once Sunmi had announced that the food was done, Jinsoul carefully woke her girlfriend and carefully carried her into the kitchen.

Jinsoul carefully set the sleepy girl in her chair and soon flopped down beside her. The blonde wasn’t the most graceful in her flop, but she too was drained from the day to sit gracefully. She hadn’t flown that much before, and it still took a lot out of her. Was it because most of her kind haven’t used their dragon traits in years? It had been so long that the idea of flight was no longer natural to them?

As she looked beside her, she could see that Jungeun seemed to be completely exhausted, and Jinsoul couldn’t help but worry for her. She quickly filled her girlfriend's plate with her favorite foods and smiled as Jungeun gave her a grateful look.

Everyone slowly ate as they watched Jungeun. They were all worried about her and with her waking up with a shout. They couldn’t help but worry for her. But as she slowly started eating, she felt her energy come back, and with a sigh of relief, she finished the food on her plate and leaned against Jinsoul happily.

The dragon looked at her with a smile and soon finished her plate as well. She could tell that Jungeun was feeling better and gently put her arm around her as she rubbed her back. The banshee hummed happily at the touch and felt herself dozing off again.

_Suddenly Jungeun found herself back in that room underneath that old wooden house. It seems to have continued where she had left off. She watched the one that looked like Minji open her eyes and was startled to see the vivid red glow in her eyes._

_Clearly, the ritual was working on her body quickly. It seemed that her heart had slowed down to a stop before quickly racing to flood the liquid throughout her body as she gasped for air. She gripped her sister's wrist tightly. The younger girl winced at her new strength but said nothing as she looked at her sister with a worried expression._

_“it's ok. Breathe. Steady breathing…” she said soothingly as she brushed stray strands of hairs from her sister's face. The calming words slowly helped her panicking sister to calm. Her racing heart was finally slowing to normal, and when she looked around, she noticed the difference in her sight._

_Everything looked like it was in high definition. She looked to the wall and could see all of the wood grain in high relief. It was amazing, and when she looked at her sister, she was also amazed at the details she could see, but suddenly she caught the scent of something so sweet and mouthwatering._

_She didn’t know what it was, but she was instantly drawn to it as her sister held her to her happily. But when she pulled her to her. The scent radiating off of her sister's neck was driving her crazy._

_“s, stop…” she managed to whisper as she weakly leaned back. Her sister looked at her with a confused look, but she could tell that something was wrong._

_“what is it?” she asked as the now redhead shut her eyes tightly and shook her head. She tried to clear her thoughts, but it didn’t help. As soon as she breathed in, the craving started coming back with a vengeance._

  
_“ugh, I feel sick…” she said as she leaned back and slowly staggered to her feet as she stumbled over to the farthest wall and slowly took deep breaths. It was at a farther distance than the scent could travel, so she was able to breathe a bit easier._

_Her sister noticed the expression of relief on her face and started to feel slightly better. But it didn’t change the fact that she could see visible changes in her sister. What had she become? Did she truly become immortal? There was only one way to find out, and she didn’t like what her sister was about to do._

_“please… don’t.” her sister asked as the redhead slowly walked closer to the bowl and grabbed the dagger. She looked at the intricate design, and before her sister could react, her sister plunged it into her heart. She screamed, but it was too late to stop her._

_With a fierce yank, she ripped the dagger free as blood rushed out, staining her white cloak bright red with blood. She quickly dropped to her knees as her remaining blood slowly poured out._

_“I, ugh…” she said with a groan as she fell forward only to be caught by her sister. Her head was resting against the younger girl's neck, and as her consciousness faded, she felt drawn to the scent. And then the taste. That taste that slowly woke her from her confusion._

_Her sister let out a soft groan snapping her from her confusion as she realized the sweet taste was her own sister's blood. She quickly released her sister and jumped back in shock. What had just happened to her?_

_“I, I’m so sorry! I don’t know what just happened!” she shouted as her sister smiled weakly while covering her bleeding neck._

_“what just happened is you healed your wound with my blood. Look. The bleeding has stopped, and you are still alive… it worked.” She said weakly as she smiled._

_“I guess you don’t have to worry about draining some of your blood. It has been done for you.” The taller Bora said as she nodded weakly._

_“I somewhat knew that this would happen. I could also see that at least we three can make it. I couldn’t see your ritual, but we know I have never been able to see your future…” she said to the man as he nodded._

_It was one of his family's odd abilities. It was almost like a slight resistance to her scrying abilities. When she could see some things, it was fuzzy or hazy. If she had more power, it might be possible, but at the moment, it was completely impossible._

_The younger girl was helped up by the one who looked like Bora, and soon she was in front of the pedestal. She quickly chanted the words as the bowl blazed a vivid red and soon added a small amount of her blood as she finished the ritual, and this time Bora’s ancestor poured the liquid into the cup for her. Once the cup was empty, she too lost consciousness._

_It didn’t take as long for her to wake, and soon the two stood together as they grimaced. The scent of Bora’s ancestor and the man were so strong at the moment after they moved around so much that it was overpowering in such a tiny room._

_“I guess it's my turn… Bora’s ancestor said as she carefully handed the bowl to Minji’s ancestor and set her own on the pedestal. She quickly added the leopard blood and followed the ritual perfectly. As she was, he watched the two sisters curiously._

_He was supposed to not only learn the proper ritual. He was supposed to watch them carefully. They were the strongest family with their scrying ability that passed down through one member every generation, and his family viewed them as a threat though he didn’t pay much attention to it._

_He was more interested in what side effects he would have from all of this. The red eyes were a shock, but the red hair only happening to one made him wonder. Why was the other unaffected? Did something else happen to the eldest that he just wasn’t aware of yet?_

_He was quickly pulled from his thoughts as the third ritual finished. The two caught the tallest and slowly lowered her to the ground. It seemed like she was having stronger effects of the ritual as she gasped and writhed in pain. The two calmed her with soothing voices as they watched her slowly calm down._

_The intense craving they had around her suddenly disappeared, and they knew that the ritual was complete, but they felt an odd feeling that they just couldn’t figure out what it was. They were feeling the man’s plotting emotions as he planned what he would and would not tell his parents._

_He didn’t want to die, and this ritual could bring you back from death with only a little blood. This was something he wanted very much. But he didn’t want to give all of this power to his family. After the ritual, he would become powerful. If he gave the remnants of the bowl over to them, all they had to do is drink it._

_It made him wonder why both sisters had performed it from one bowl if all the youngest had to do is drink from the one the eldest prepared. He had no idea that they had hoped it would pass the scrying ability to their other family members that drank it after them. It was one of their best forms of protection, and the only thing that saved so many families._

_This all wouldn’t have been possible without a strong family that came from China. They had the old texts needed to create the ritual, and with the three families, they quickly formed a plan to save everyone._

_The family didn’t have to. They were being very generous to share their knowledge, and both Bora’s and Minji’s ancestors were extremely grateful. Because of their kind acts, they could possibly save their family. They owed them their lives._

_The three girls would go and assist them with their ritual while he held his own. His family didn’t want others there, and he was starting to agree. This power was so very tempting to him. It was tempting him to keep it to himself._

_Jungeun could see he was plotting, but she couldn’t figure out what but from the way the three looked at him too. They could suddenly feel that something was off with the short man. They could feel his negative thoughts and emotions and could feel that there might be trouble._

Jungeun woke up again to feel Jinsoul carefully pick her up as she carried her up to their room and gently placed her on the bed as she pulled the covers over her sleepy girlfriend.

“Sleep well, baby…” Jinsoul said as she gently stroked her hair and kissed her forehead before she stood. She walked into the bathroom to shower as Jungeun snuggled a pillow while waiting for her girlfriend to get out of the shower. She didn’t know what these strange dreams were. But she had a feeling that she had them for a reason, and she needed to pay close attention to them.

 _‘But why? What does all of this mean?’_ Jungeun wondered as she drifted off to sleep. She knew that she was headed into another odd dream. What would she see this time?


	98. Chapter 98

-Betrayal and Murder-

_Jungeun slowly fell asleep, and soon she found herself in another dream. Her dreams seemed to be centered around the small man, but why? What was the reason that she was dreaming of him in the first place? Was it because of what happened in the woods?_

_She looked around and spotted him as he walked down a narrow path deep within a wooded forest. He seemed to be up to no good, and she was right. He slowly crept up to a field and spotted Minji’s and Bora’s ancestors._

_They seemed to be assisting someone in the center of the field. Why were they not hidden away like when the three had performed their rituals? He wasn’t sure but what he did see was the family that had brought the knowledge possible for the ritual, to begin with. Inside the circle was a calm and cool girl as she followed the ritual. Just like the last time, everything went successful, but he was wondering if the feline blood actually helped or hurt._

_With a smirk, he withdrew and traveled back along the path toward where his ritual would be held. Deep down in the basement, he had everything ready. He smiled as he noticed several things had been moved slightly and frowned._

_Clearly, someone had been down here and rummaged around the room. Rage flooded over him. He knew it must be the elders. They clearly wanted to snoop but what they didn’t realize is that he wasn’t foolish enough to leave everything out._

_His paranoia seemed to help him as he smirked and walked over to the cloth hiding the rest of his supplies. With a wave of his hand, the fabric that was made for him reacted and quickly revealed his supplies._

_“I don’t have time… I need to do this quickly…” he said as he passed by a lone mirror and headed towards the alter._

_Jungeun paused as she looked into the mirror. She watched his reflection watching him carefully and suddenly felt something was wrong. She looked at the small man. Either he didn’t notice it, or he completely ignored it._

_She watched carefully and quickly noticed that he wasn’t as short as she had originally thought. He slouched over most of the time, but while performing the ritual, he stood tall and confident. Was it so that he didn’t stand out?_

_Jungeun watched him more carefully as he performed the ritual, and just like his family had planned, there was no feline blood added. He thought it would make it easier and maybe more effective, but he didn’t know what side effects it would cause._

_After the ritual finished, he staggered forward as an intense pain shot through his head. He soon collapsed onto the ground with a groan as he cradled his head in his hands. The pain was overpowering, but he didn’t remember the girls mentioning this much pain. Maybe that was why they collapsed, and they just didn’t mention it?_

_After several minutes he groaned and crawled onto his feet as he staggered towards the nearest wall. He glanced into the mirror and froze as he looked at his reflection. Unlike the girls, his eyes were not red. Instead, they were a pale lavender. He looked at it in surprise, but soon he felt the pain in his head return._

_He groaned and quickly grabbed his head as the pain grew stronger and stronger. His vision started to darken as he staggered out of the room only to collapse halfway out the door onto the steps._

_“where are you! You were supposed to report to me hours ago!” a shrill old voice shouted as someone stormed down the stairs. He could hear the thump of a walking cane and knew right away who was coming. The man groaned as he slowly stood just as an even smaller man walked forward._

_He looked very old and cruel and proved it as he smashed his cane into the man's shoulder. He grunted in pain as he slowly stood. He stood tall, gaining another hit from the old man's cane before he slouched again._

_The old man went to smack him once more for making him wait when he caught the cane in midair. His eyes blazed, startling the older man before he smirked._

_“Perfect! It worked! Now give me the liquid, you imbecile!” the old man shouted as he held out his hands greedily._

_“no. Did you think I would forever be under your control? Why would I give a cruel old man like you power? Why would I let you abuse me more? You already used me as a science experiment!” he shouted as the pain in his head flared._

_“I won’t let you control me anymore!” he shouted as the old man stiffened and suddenly screamed._

_It felt like claws were shredding through the older man's brain as his son unleashed his powers on him. The old man struggled and tried to resist, but soon he fell to his knees in a kneeling position as his son laughed._

_“see! You can't control me anymore! I CONTROL YOU!” he screamed as his father trembled in rage. The man had been a cruel father, and his cane was used more than once to strike his son, and to be in such a position made the older man boil with rage._

_“you think that you can take over this family just with these simple tricks? It takes more than that to lead this family!” the old man said with a shout as his son smirked._

_“o poor father, you think too small… why would I only want to run some family when I could bend people to my will? Why stop at one family?” he said with a crazy laugh as his father shook with rage._

_“I knew you were sick! Your mind has been twisted since you were a child! I should have had them get rid of you when you were young!” he shouted when the younger man's eyes blazed._

_“And you think I didn’t know what you said about me? Do you think I didn’t notice how you treated me like an animal while you treated my brothers like princes? You think I didn’t know that you used me as a sacrifice just in case this failed? So that your precious sons were safe and sound? Do you think I forgot all the beatings? How you always told me I would never be a part of this family? What has this family ever done for me? How does it feel to be at MY mercy for once?” he shouted as he tightened the grip of his power on the old man._

_Pain shot through the older man's body, and soon he realized what was happening to him. He realized what his own son was planning to do as he looked at him with a look of complete shock. The pain was getting more and more intense, and soon he clutched his heart as a sharp pain crushed through his chest. It felt like his chest was caving in._

_The old man gasped as his face paled and his vision blurred. He stared at his son in shock as he looked into those pale lavender eyes in surprise. Soon he gurgled before collapsing. The small man looked at his now-dead father and smirked._

_Did he really do that? Did he manage to do that without even touching him? He looked at his hands and smirked. Maybe leaving out the feline blood was even a better idea than he initially expected?_

_Without it, he seemed to have powers that the others didn’t show, at least not yet. But what he didn’t know is that the feline blood is what stabilized everything, even if it caused some side effects like the needing to drink blood. Without it, he was unstable, and he would soon learn, but it would be too late._

_Jungeun watched the whole situation as she witnessed the old man’s fall. Did he do that? It was just a dream, but when he performed the ritual, it was almost like she could feel something odd radiating off of him. Something WRONG._

_Now, as she stared at him, she noticed his hand slightly trembling. Did something go wrong with the ritual? She had sensed some possible craziness from him in the beginning, but it only seemed to get worse as he stared at the body of his dead father._

_“if I can do this… kill someone without even touching them, what else can I do?” he said with a laugh as he looked at his hands excitedly. Power was definitely going to his head quickly._

_But his body could only take so much power at once. He slowly made his way down the stairs and hid the rest of the contents of the bowl and walked over to the mirror to look at his new pale eyes when he suddenly noticed something._

_He noticed a faint movement in the mirror and froze with a curious expression. Unlike before, he now could see that his reflection didn’t mirror him and looked at it in shock._

_‘finally. You can see me… that means that my time has come!’ the creature said as he looked at it in confusion only to see arms shoot out of the mirror and pull him inside. A doppelganger is as strong as the person at the time they were trapped inside the mirror._

_The creature had waited and watched, and once the ritual was complete, it made its move. It didn’t have to wait until he could see it. But it just meant that the creature had pulled more strength from the person than it needed to escape._

_Slowly the creature pulled itself from the mirror and stood there as it looked at its hands. It was free. It had finally escaped the mirror and had a strong body as well. It slowly looked back at the mirror to see the trapped man with his new pale eyes and smirked._

_“always be afraid of what lurks in the mirrors…” it said with a smirk as it turned and walked away._

_Jungeun finally understood why she was having these dreams. It was the creature that was controlling the things in the woods. Whatever it did to her, it managed to create a link to its memories. She wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or an accident, but she now knew something. This thing was part of the creation of vampires._

_The thing that they needed to fight was something else. From what Jungeun witnessed, he seemed to be very strong but unstable physically and mentally. A dangerous combination. But why was she seeing this? She stared at the small man trapped in the mirror and almost felt sorry for him. He smashed his fists into the glass, but it was futile. There was nothing he could do to break free of the mirror._

Jungeun woke up with a start. She looked around as she remembered where she was. Jinsoul was still in the shower, and the banshee heard the water turn off. It wasn’t long before Jinsoul walked out of the bathroom to see Jungeun slowly standing and made her way over to the dragon.

“We need to talk to the others. In the attic…” Jungeun said with a serious expression, and without hesitation, Jinsoul rushed out of the room and went to Siyeon, who was still downstairs. She was cuddling with Bora as they watched a movie, but when they saw the serious look on Jinsoul, the two quickly sat up and looked at the dragon.

 _‘Jungeun just woke up and said we all need to meet in the attic. It seems that something is wrong…’_ Jinsoul said as both Siyeon and Bora stood.

The alpha quickly called her pack to the attic while Jungeun woke up Sooyoung, Chuu, and the other. It didn’t take long for everyone to get into the dusty attic, but they were really curious about why they were in there.

 _‘what's wrong?’_ Siyeon asked as she took a step towards Jungeun. The banshee seemed to be exhausted as she swayed from side to side. Her dreams must have taken a lot of energy from her, and Siyeon was suddenly worried about the banshee.

“I’m going to talk regularly. I’m, I’m too tired to make sure everyone can hear me…” Jungeun said as everyone stepped closer.

“I have been having weird dreams since I fell. I thought it was just some random dreams showing me the past until the last one…” Jungeun said as Siyeon looked at her with a worried expression.

“what did you see?” Minji asked as she and Yeri stood beside each other.

“your ancestors. And I think possibly Handong’s? I’m not sure, but I think that the missing person is the creature… I watched his ritual. He left out a specific ingredient, and it seemed to make him unstable. But not long after the ritual, he was pulled into the mirror. I don’t even know the extent of his powers, and imagining how they twisted in the mirror realm, I’m starting to get worried. But there is something else I learned…” Jungeun said as she looked at Yeri.

The younger girl was holding the same mirror their ancestor held, and Jungeun couldn’t help but smile. It now made sense.

“Yeri. There is a reason you saw that creature in the mirror. It was not because you were trapped inside a mirror. Your family has scrying abilities. You thought of the creature right before you saw it. Didn’t you?” Jungeun asked as Yeri thought for a second and nodded.

“From what I heard, your family has an ability that was passed down to one person every generation. That mirror was owned by the one with that ability. It was scrying. Do you know what that is?” Jungeun asked as Yeri shook her head.

“you are a bit like me. You can see either what is currently happening, or you can see into the future. That mirror was used for it.” Jungeun said as she thought back and remembered something. It was carried in a white cloth pouch… why did that look familiar? Was it part of the relics?

Jungeun walked over and carefully looked through the items and found the pouch. It was then that she noticed that the bag was slightly different than the white cloth it was wrapped in. This one had metal wire stitched into the fabric in very delicate designs.

She went to open the pouch when light flared from the wire, causing her to drop it. So that’s what the wire was for… it was for protecting it. She carefully picked up the pouch and handed it to Yeri, who gently opened it. Clearly, it was only meant for either Yeri’s family to open it or whoever had the mirror. Either way, she opened it, and upon Jungeun’s instructions, she slipped it inside and stored it inside a pocket.

“I’m not sure what it's for, but I just know she had it inside that for a reason. So, I figured it was best to put it inside there as quickly as possible.” Jungeun said as Yeri nodded.

“There has to be something else in this book or something in this room. From what it sounds like, Minji’s family is full of nerds. I’m sure that someone else has a family history or something in here.” Hyunjin said as Minji gasped in shock at Bora’s cousin.

“We are not a family full of nerds!” Minji said as Hyunjin raised a slender brow at her.

“your family took the time to make an encyclopedia of creatures and other beings BEFORE they became vampires. Nerdy idiots because they could easily die. You can’t change my mind.” Hyunjin said as she crossed her arms stubbornly.

Minji sighed and rolled her eyes as she started moving around the attic. Even though Hyunjin was a bit annoying, she was right. There had to be something about their family somewhere. This house was huge, and with it, so was the attic. There had to be something hidden somewhere. They still had not searched the other half of the attic.

Bora sighed and started after her friend, followed by Handong as they searched the attic for some kind of family history. Dami and Gahyeon decided to explore the farthest side as they walked around the old items covered in thick layers of dust, but as they traveled farther away from the others, they noticed that the dust layer seemed disturbed.

The two started to worry when they found a familiar face staring back at them with a wagging tail. Their fox friend had somehow made it into the attic and was making quite a comfortable nest. Seulgi quickly jogged up, looking guilty. The two quickly figured out the situation and gave her a look.

“what? Did you want him to go out there with those things lurking?” Seulgi asked with a pout as Dami shook her head.

“You didn't have to hide him, though. We wouldn’t have an issue giving him a place to stay.” Dami said as Seulgi looked down guiltily.

“I didn’t want to bother you. Everyone has been so worried about everything that is happening…” Seulgi said as Dami patted her shoulder.

“don’t worry, I’m not mad. I just had a scare when I noticed the dust was disturbed.” Dami said as Seulgi nodded.

“Hey, look at this!” Gahyeon said as she held up a stack of books bound together as the fox sniffed them curiously. But it wasn’t the books she was looking at but the wooden chest beneath it.

The chest was ornate and looked rather old. Gahyeon had a feeling that something interesting might be inside. Carefully she opened the chest, and to her luck, she found several old books that looked handwritten. It was a good sign, and quickly she rose as she cradled the chest in her arms and made her way over to the others.

“hey, take a look at this!” Gahyeon said as she held out the chest. Jungeun and the others gathered around as they watched the cheerful girl open the chest and reveal the handwritten books.

Minji carefully picked one up and opened the pages and silently read. It seemed to be some kind of journal. The name of the writer wasn’t listed anywhere, but nothing seemed to be of interest until she neared the end.

“my sister witnessed something worrying with her scrying. Some great tragedy will befall our family if we don’t do something to stop it. But what can we do? The elders don’t listen to us…” Minji read before pausing and flipping more pages.

“Is there anything else in there?” Dami asked as Minji flipped through the brittle pages.

“not really. It is mainly about her struggle to convince the elders to take them seriously… I guess they didn’t want to listen… but it looks like they changed their mind when the ritual was brought up. She complains that the only reason the elders decided to listen then was because they were afraid of dying…” Minji said as Choerry nodded.

“yes, humans fear death a lot, so it makes sense. But they were just sacrificing their children and grandchildren just to live longer? That’s so sad…” Choerry said as she held Yeri to her. She knew that it was her family, and it might not be easy to deal with.

“What else does it say?” Dami asked as Minji paused once more.

“it says a name… Hyojong. He was chosen as one of the ones to be the test subjects as well as a Bae. That must be Irene's family. It says she feels sorry for him. Officially he is listed as a Kim after his mother because his father wouldn’t acknowledge him. So, he didn’t even share their family name. she also says he was a bit odd…” Minji said as Dami recognized the name.

“wait… Kim Hyojong… why does that name sound familiar?” Dami asked herself before her eyes lit up, and she ran from the attic and to her library.

“It was something to do with this town! A recent name!” Dami said as she held an old book as well as her laptop.

“Look here!” Dami said as she pointed at several articles about things donated to the town by the same name. But when she pulled up a recent article, she froze and looked at Irene.

“Irene… why is your father here?” Dami asked as she turned the laptop to face the vampire. She looked at the photo of her biological father and shook her head in confusion as she read the title.

“Choi Siwon donates to the library in the name of his deceased friend Kim Hyojong… they were friends? just how old is my father?” Irene asked as she looked at Siyeon in shock, but the alpha suddenly had an idea.

If Irene’s father had donated in this man's name for so many years, then he must be close to him. And that might be this creature's weakness. They needed Irene’s father. They needed the aspect of winter itself. If anything could possibly give them an edge over this thing, he could. She just hoped that Irene would be ok with her idea.


	99. Chapter 99

-Winter Has Arrived-

Irene sighed as she pulled out her old phone and dialed the number she had been avoiding since she met Siyeon Seulgi and the others. Her mother.

“hi, mom? Can I ask you for a favor? I need uncle Siwon’s number. Yah… I know it has been a while. Why? Oh, I remembered him talking about something the last time he was over and wanted to ask him about it…” Irene said as everyone looked at her apologetically.

“I am not living with beasts, mother!” Irene said with a frustrated groan as Siyeon smirked. It seemed like Irene’s mother got distracted very easily.

“the number? Mother?” Irene finally asked after several minutes and said her goodbyes as she hung up.

“Alright, I got it… I’m nervous…” Irene said as Seulgi held her comfortingly.

“we will all be here…” Seulgi said softly as she snuggled against the vampire's neck. She felt Irene relax a bit and smiled appreciatively.

“alright… here we go…” Irene said as she dialed her father's number. It didn’t take long for him to answer. He seemed cold or annoyed, but as soon as he realized it was Irene, they could hear his voice brighten as he talked to her.

“um, I think we need your help. Can you meet us? Im sure that my mother told you about our situation…” Irene said as Siyeon heard his voice change from happiness to worry and confusion.

“she didn’t tell you? Well, I guess we have a lot to talk about… can you meet me at Kim Minji’s house? The one hidden in the woods? I know you have been here before. I have seen the photos. Thank you… father…” Irene said, and Siyeon could hear him pause at the end of the line before he quickly agreed.

“he said he would be here in fifteen minutes… I guess he was close?” Irene said as they all filed downstairs and waited for Irene’s father to arrive.

It didn’t take long before they felt the air chill. Siyeon walked to the window and gasped. She watched as the forest before the house slowly froze over as ice crept closer and closer to the house. As she watched, she spotted movement.

A tall man with black hair and a long coat that almost dragged the ground and was well fitted made his way up the path. He looked serious and cold until he stopped and pulled out his cellphone and quickly checked his appearance as he brushed a few rogue strands of hair back into place and then straightened his jacket before smiling a goofy smile and slowly making his way to the gate. He must be nervous.

“I thought he looked cool until he did that…” Siyeon said as Irene giggled.

“he acts all serious around adults but is always so silly and goofy around me. Be prepared for it…” Irene said as she smiled and went to greet her father. It seemed like she had temporarily forgotten he was her father until she stepped out of the door and suddenly felt nervous.

Siwon could see the sudden change and quickly opened the gate. He seemed completely immune to the spells on the gate and shut it as he quickly walked over to Irene. The fact that she was avoiding his eyes told him something was wrong.

“what's wrong?” he asked as he rested his hands on her shoulders.

“I, I know. I know who you are. That you are my father… why did you keep it from me?” she asked as he froze in shock. His arms slowly fell to his sides as he looked at his daughter. He never thought he would be able to call her his daughter. He never believed that she would ever find out, but here she was, and he couldn’t help but hug her.

Irene froze in shock as his arms wrapped around her in a tight hug. She hesitated before slowly returning the hug. He was so happy that he picked her up and spun her around slightly, causing her to squeak in surprise.

“Because your mother chose him over me. She chose him to make her family happy instead of making herself happy. I couldn’t stay away from you, though. I knew you were my child. So even though I hate the man that you called father, I stayed close so that I could get to know you…” Siwon said softly as he hugged Irene tightly once more.

Seulgi knew that everything was alright, but she couldn’t help but step out the door just in case she was needed. The bear watched with worried eyes, and soon she was spotted by the man as he slowly lowered his daughter back to the ground.

“who is this that looks like she's going to stress herself to death?” Siwon asked as Irene giggled.

“my girlfriend, Seulgi,” Irene said nervously as he raised a brow.

“since when was my daughter dating? Last I heard you always turned everyone down?” he teased, and Irene couldn’t help but smile. She was worried that he would be disappointed that Seulgi was a woman or something else, but instead, he accepted it instantly and joked with her like it was nothing.

 _‘I wish that my fake father was this supportive. My mother too…’_ Irene thought to herself as she slowly led him inside.

He quickly paused when he noticed everyone's eyes on him, but that look turned to confusion as his eyes met Yeri.

“Yerim? Why do you look so young? Wait… you died several years ago…” Siwon said as he looked at Irene with a confused expression.

“sit down. We have a lot to talk about…” Irene said as Yeri smiled apologetically.

“so, let me get this straight… this is the real Yerim? The one that I knew when she was younger? And when her personality suddenly changed, it was because of a doppelganger?” Siwon asked as Siyeon and the others nodded.

“she was trapped inside the mirror. The only thing that kept her sane all this time was watching Minji grow.” Siyeon said as he looked at Yeri apologetically. He had thought that her change in personality was a conflict with her parents. He hadn’t even considered that this was a possibility.

“so, my doppelganger died a couple of years ago?” Yeri asked as he nodded. He explained that she had died in an accident. Even her abilities couldn’t save herself, and Yeri had to admit she wasn’t sorry for her in the slightest. In fact, it was a relief to know that the creature was gone.

“But this talk of doppelgangers leads us to the real reason you are here… Jungeun?” Siyeon called as the banshee stepped forward.

“um, nice to see you again…” the banshee said as she walked closer. She was nervous about how he would take the news.

“so Siyeon told you about the doppelganger of Yeri’s, but after Choerry broke her out of the mirror, they also released some of the twisted creatures from the mirror realm… one of them is strong with odd powers. It hit me with one of its abilities, and I fell out of the sky instantly. I was unconscious, and I don’t even know how they managed to save me…” Jungeun said as she paused briefly.

“Since then, I have been having odd dreams. You know my secret. You know that I can see both the past and future. So, I thought I was just seeing the past, and I was, but there was a reason…” Jungeun said as he leaned forward in his chair. He could tell she was going to tell him something important.

“It seems you know the creature. Or you might? He was originally human and tried to become a vampire…” Jungeun said as his eyes went wide, and he slowly stood from his chair.

“What did he look like?” Siwon asked as Jungeun described the man. They could watch him deflate at the news. He knew that description all too well.

“Hyojong…” Siwon said as Jungeun nodded.

“we looked up the name when we found it in a journal, and I remembered seeing it in the news that you donated in his name. Several times actually throughout the years. He’s not like the person you remember. He has become twisted and dangerous. He doesn’t even look human anymore, and his plan is to destroy everything. Humans and any other beings. They seem angry that no one noticed they were replaced by fakes, so they want to destroy everything. Even the innocent.” Dami said as he sighed.

“I noticed… I noticed when he went missing… he disappeared that night, and I didn’t see him for several months. One day when I was visiting another town before I knew what I was, and I ran into him. I could tell that something was off. For one, he would always slouch, but this person wasn’t. he stood tall, and his eyes were a pale lavender.” Siwon said as he relived the memory.

“he also seemed sick and didn’t recognize me… I thought something was wrong… I should have looked into it more, but I thought I could speak with him after I was done with my work, but he disappeared before I could talk to him…” Siwon said as he rubbed his face in shock.

“they say he was found dead shortly after. Blood was found from his eyes, nose, and even ears. They said that it looked like his brain was leaking out of his head. It scared the villagers so much that they ended up burning his body. I never got to say goodbye, and I hated myself for that… but it wasn’t actually him?” he asked as Jungeun walked forward.

“check for yourself…” Jungeun said as she leaned her head forward.

Siwon stepped forward as he rested his thumb between Jungeun’s eyes and slowly closed his own eyes as she showed him her dreams.

He flinched at every strike Hyojong received from his father and sighed as he watched him kill the old man. He couldn’t blame him, but he sighed in sadness once he was done watching Jungeun’s dreams. He flopped back into the chair and groaned.

“yes… that’s my friend. We grew up together. I watched his family treat him horribly all his life and was helpless to do anything. It wasn’t until several years later that I found out what I was by the previous aspect of winter. I always wondered if I could have helped him if I would have just stood up for him even once…” Siwon said as he sighed.

“what do you need me to do?” he asked as Siyeon looked at him apologetically. She knew what she was about to say would be asking a lot of him.

“We need to stop him. But we can't get close. You might have the chance if he recognizes you. I’m sorry… I know we are asking a lot…” Siyeon said as he looked at Irene.

Hyojong was his best friend growing up, but Irene was his daughter. She was in danger, as were her friends that had accepted her like the family she deserved. It would be difficult, but he knew what he would do. With a nod, he stood.

“oh, one more thing…” Irene said nervously as he looked at her with curiosity.

“Can you teach me to control my powers?” Irene asked as he stood there in shock.

“your powers? What powers?” Siwon asked as he looked at her with his head slightly tilted to the side. The last time he had checked, she showed no signs of powers. He had initially been worried that she would show abilities like he did when he was younger, but he saw nothing. So, what was she speaking of?

“um… this…” Irene said as everyone stood back. Suddenly ice crystals swirled around her as the temperature dropped even more. He looked at her in shock as he watched a circle of frost surround her. How long had she shown signs of this?

“since when…” he said as Seulgi walked over to hug her mate. She was looking nervous, and it made the bear instantly want to comfort her.

“wait, how can she touch you while your powers are active?” he asked as he looked at Seulgi. She had on a tank top and a tiny pair of shorts and seemed completely unbothered by the cold as she held Irene protectively. How was it possible?

“We don’t know. We don’t actually know much about her kind. The only things we know are what we found in a book and what Sunmi has told us.” Siyeon said as he nodded.

“alright. What do you want to learn?” he asked as Irene looked at him worriedly.

“I hurt Chungha… she could have lost her arm without Gahyeon’s help…” Irene said as Sunmi walked over to her room to get her resting girlfriend.

Several minutes later, Sunmi walked out of her room with a sleepy Chungha following her. She had long sleeves on, and with a sigh, she slid the baggy sleeve up to show the faintly glowing scar.

Siwon looked at it in confusion and gently touched the scar with interest. It pulsed an icy blue as his fingers brushed against it, and he couldn’t help but feel fascinated.

“do you know what this is?” Siwon asked as Chungha shook her head.

“you have ice abilities, don’t you?” Siwon asked as Chungha nodded.

“your ability reacted with Irene’s. Your power fed hers, and they combined. Your arm was being eaten up by pure ice energy before it was stopped. But now it's like it absorbs my ability. It's almost like its storing it for later…” he said with a curious look. His daughter did this?

“It happened when she scratched me with her claws,” Chungha said as he gave another confused look. Claws?

“oh right… we haven’t told him about vampires yet!” Yoohyeon said with a giggle as she pushed Minji forward.

“Thanks, babe… love how you just shove me out here like that…” Minji said as she rolled her eyes and quickly shifted.

Siwon jumped back in shock. He wasn’t expecting a giant snow leopard to appear in front of him. He stumbled backward back into his chair as Minji slowly stepped forward and sniffed him carefully. She smelled many interesting things on him. A hint of mint that tingled her nose and other scents that reminded her of winter. It was rather calming.

Minji walked back over to Yoohyeon and sat beside her girlfriend in her cat form, as Siyeon continued to explain. The large feline was listening as she subconsciously held her tail in her mouth. She was listening to everything when Siwon glanced over briefly only to look away.

Irene’s father quickly pulled out his cell and acted like he was looking something up when he quickly turned towards Minji. The feline heard several pictures being before she spat out her tail in horror and hid behind Yoohyeon in embarrassment. Her fluffy paws covering her face as her girlfriend laughed hysterically at her.

“aww! Look at the cute kitty! So cute with your fluffy tail in your mouth!” Siwon shouted as he smiled like a dork while he flicked through the pictures he had managed to take.

Minji sulked out of the room towards her room with her tail low and her ears flat. She didn’t want to shift back in front of Irene’s father. She didn’t think it would be a good first impression _. ‘hi I’m your daughter's friend. Just ignore that I’m naked!’_

Minji slowly came back to the room with her clothes on and smacked her girlfriend in the back of the head. She was still giggling at Minji’s situation and whined as she rubbed her head with a pout.

“anyway… these creatures seem to be rather stupid except for your friend. He seems both smart and insane. Yeri, can you explain what it's like in the mirror realm?” Dami said as she glared at her older sister, who was still pouting and randomly giggling every time she looked at Minji.

“um well… those that get pulled into the mirror tend to stay at their mirror or follow the one that took their life over. The longer they stay there and hold a grudge, the more they seem to become twisted. He won't look like your friend anymore…” Yeri said with a pause as Siwon listened carefully.

“What is he like now?” Siwon asked as Yeri sighed.

“their skin starts to go from a soft pink to a pale grey or even blue. Sometimes it becomes more translucent and looks a bit slimy. Their mouth and teeth twist and their eyes look like black holes, but occasionally you will see a hint of reflective silver. They truly look twisted, and their minds seem to warp with it…” Yeri said as he sighed. This is what has become of his friend?

“is there a way to save him?” Siwon asked as everyone's expression darkened.

“I don’t see any way to save him, and he already attacked Jungeun when all she did was fly over him at the time. I think he will be very dangerous even to you. You can try to reason with him, but I don’t think you will get anywhere.” Yeri said as he sighed.

“Well, the first thing we need to do is to see what you can do. If it really is my friend, then you have no idea how tricky he is…” Siwon said as he stood.

“they are trapped inside due to the spells on the gate. So, we have to be careful when we leave. I don’t know if it will be safe to train where they can watch us…” Siyeon said as he stood and stripped off his jacket and set it on the chair.

“let's go then. we need to sneak out quickly.” Siwon said as he waited for Siyeon to lead the way. Though he wasn’t a wolf, he knew to respect Siyeon’s leadership. The alpha smiled as she led the way out of the front door and stood by the gate.

 _‘let's talk like this until we leave the property. You can hear me clearly, right?’_ Siyeon asked as he nodded.

 _‘yes, I can. Why the secrecy? Did something happen?’_ Siwon asked as Siyeon explained the creature's ability to mimic.

 _‘great… just what we need…’_ Siwon said as Siyeon sighed.

 _‘exactly. I don’t know what to do. How do I lead everyone when I’m up against something I don’t know how to fight?’_ Siyeon said with a sigh.

 _‘how bad was the situation with my daughter? She briefly mentioned that her parents came here and made a scene.’_ Siwon asked as Siyeon sighed.

 _‘it was pretty bad. He came up to the gate with her whole family calling us beasts, and the bad thing is that we found her in the woods almost dead. Seulgi was taking care of her but didn’t know what a vampire was. She didn’t understand the need for blood.’_ Siyeon said as he looked at the protective bear.

 _‘Irene had fled because some dangerous and violent alpha walked into town and tried to force himself on her. She escaped with the help of Wonho and Hyunwoo. They are friends of ours. Her own family was trying to force her to be married to that horrible wolf because he came from a powerful family…’_ Siyeon said as she watched his jaw clench. He had not heard of this at all. He looked very displeased.

 _‘luckily, Sol taught them a lesson the hard way. I don’t think they will come here for a while. Damn! Dami, where is Sol?’_ Siyeon asked as Gahyeon laughed.

 _‘he's playing in the woods. He likes flying through the trees. He's on his way. You know he loves guests.’_ Gahyeon said as Siyeon sighed in relief.

 _‘who is Sol?’_ Siwon asked as he heard a twig snap. He looked up to see a large plant drop out of the air. It used its vines to form almost a net shape, slightly slowing its descent before landing with a giggle and ran over while carrying its pot happily.

 _‘This is Sol. He's like Gahyeon’s baby.’_ Siyeon said as Sol bounced happily.

 _‘hi!’_ Sol said cutely while extending a thornless vine to him.

 _‘um, hi?’_ Siwon said as he gently took Sol’s vine and shook it gently. If Sol had a face, Siwon imagined him smiling happily like a little child.

 _‘I like him. He looks like Irene!’_ Sol said happily as he looked at the energy inside Siwon.

 _‘I’m her father.’_ Siwon said as he looked over at the vampire proudly.

But he didn’t get to say much more when they heard something larger running in the brush towards them.

 _‘hide!’_ Siyeon shouted as everyone quickly got out of sight. Including Siwon.

They watched silently as one of the massive creatures crashed through the woods. It was looking for something. It was searching its surroundings frantically. This behavior seemed slightly odd compared to normal.

Siyeon and the others watched quietly when suddenly the creature screamed in pain as it cradled its head. After the pain stopped, it whimpered softly as It continued to search the area. Clearly, whatever was controlling the creature, it wasn’t happy with the results of its search.

Siwon watched the creature with a curious expression and quickly hopped out of the branch and walked over to it. He was so silent that the creature didn’t notice him until he was upon him.

It screeched in shock, but Siwon grabbed its neck tightly with his left hand as he pressed his thumb between the holes of its eyes as he checked the creature's memories. He didn’t like doing this forcefully, but this situation was unique.

The creature struggled weakly against his grip, but he held it tight as he filtered through the slow creature's jumbled memories. Suddenly he found what he was looking for. He saw a smaller creature that slouched over just like Hyojong, and quickly Siwon learned that this twisted creature that used to be his friend had become cruel just like his father.

Whenever It wouldn’t move as fast as Hyojong wanted, the creature was crippled with intense pain as it writhed on the ground. The simple creature was trying, but it just didn’t always understand what he wanted.

It had initially been a human, and after the many years, its mind had faded away. It was simple in what it wanted, but instead, it was forced to serve him as a slave. The poor thing was strong, and that’s why Hyojong kept it around but what startled Siwon was when suddenly a more advanced consciousness appeared in the creature's memories.

It took Siwon several minutes to figure out what was happening. He quickly encased the creature in ice and quickly ending its life as he looked around at the others.

 _‘he can move his consciousness into one of these creatures. Its almost like he can jump bodies. if we want to kill him, we have to kill his minions first, or he will just flee to a new body and move on.’_ Siwon said as Siyeon looked over to Yeri and Choerry.

 _‘Is that why they are focused on you? He wants your bodies to take over?’_ Siyeon asked as everyone froze. Just how unstoppable would he be with those two girls under his control?

 _‘We need to guard you two at all costs. No going out alone!’_ Siyeon said as she and the others created a protective circle around the two.

 _‘We need to get these two out of here and keep them safe. Now!’_ Siyeon said as Sunmi quickly opened the gate. Everyone quickly ran through the gate, and once they were through, she shut the gate tightly behind her. She watched the gates magic flare up as she locked it with her ability and just in time. A creature burst through the brush towards the gate, but it was too late. The gate was locked.

 _‘that thing was waiting for us to try to leave… either they are getting smarter, or it's being controlled by Hyojong. Either way, we need to destroy them. I hate saying that about a friend, but he's become more twisted than I could imagine. Let's get these two to safety and come back to deal with them.’_ Siwon said as Siyeon nodded. It was time to head to the other house.

 _‘let's just hope that we can deal with these things quickly…’ Siyeon_ said as Siwon nodded in agreement. They didn’t like how the creatures were behaving.


	100. Chapter 100

-Confrontation-

Siyeon and the others looked back at the gate as they watched the creature snarling as it tried to get free. It was trying to get through the gate, but with a whisper from Sunmi, the creature screeched as it jumped back in pain as if it was shocked.

“I don’t want it continuously attacking that gate,” Sunmi said as Siyeon nodded. She didn’t like the idea of that thing messing with the gate either.

Several minutes later, Siyeon and the others walked out of the forest and followed Minji to the underground garage. It felt like it had been forever since Minji had been here, but she knew that wasn’t the case.

“the smoke smell has faded. I’m shocked that we have the rest of our cars still here undamaged. I was sure that Jackson’s pack would have ransacked our house…” Dami said as she happily ran her hand over one of her favorite cars that she had to leave that night.

“they tried, but it seems like they weren’t interested in books. They barely went into the library and left it alone. our rooms were another matter from what I heard…” Minji said with a growl.

“wolves are known to mark their territory. Especially males…” Siyeon said with a growl of her own. She didn’t want to know what they did to their rooms.

“they supposedly rebuilt it exactly the same. We will see, though…” Minji said as she walked to the door and slowly walked up the steps. She had paid a lot of money to make the house look like their home again, and she hoped that they did a good job.

“What happened here?” Siwon asked as he listened to the others.

“before Irene and the others joined us, it was just the seven of us. Siyeon had an alpha that was obsessed with her. This pack was formed to protect her. That alpha even kidnapped Gahyeon to get to Siyeon. Gahyeon died that day… Sol was the one that saved her…” Minji said as sol bounced happily. He was glad he could help that day. He had planned to give up his life for her.

“they set the house on fire, and we had to flee to the other house before that happened. Wonho and Hyunwoo had snuck out of the gate while all of the chaos was happening and have checked the woods around the house. Luckily, they have been clear. It’s a perfect place for Yeri and Choerry to stay while we take care of those things.” Minji said as Siwon nodded. He didn’t know so much had happened since the last time he had visited.

“so that alpha is gone, right?” Siwon asked as Minji nodded as she clenched her jaws. She was remembering everything that boy had put Yoohyeon through.

“oh yes… he's long gone…” Minji said with so much hate that Siwon knew that there was more to the story. There was a lot of hate there.

They slowly went up the steps, and once they opened the door, Dami sighed happily. Her library was just like it had been before she left. The books she had saved were still at the other house, but the shelves and everything else was just as she remembered it.

“I missed this place…” Dami said softly. She had grown up here with Minji, Bora, and Handong. So, to see everything repaired made her happy. She had feared that she had lost all of this.

“let's go look around!” Minji said as she walked up the steps out of the basement library and onto the first floor. Where the house they had been living in was very elegant, it wasn’t modern like this place was.

Minji gave a quick tour and was glad to see that the contractor had done a phenomenal job. She had shown everyone around and then showed Yeri and Choerry their rooms. She knew that they would just use one room, but she wanted to make sure if they wanted that, they had their own spaces to go to.

“This house Is beautiful. But what do we do about those creatures?” Siwon asked as Dami opened the bag she had been carrying and pulled out the books from Minji’s family.

“We found these in the attic… if you look here, it mentions the mirror creatures. They sound mindless while your friend is clearly not. He is twisted, but he still is incredibly strong.” Dami said as she looked through the pages.

“his family was known as being immune to many things, including interrogations with various abilities. Their mental abilities and resistance were incredibly strong, and he was the smartest of his family. His father hated him for it and constantly took out all his frustrations on him.” Siwon said as they listened carefully.

“he didn’t like that Hyojong wasn’t officially listed as a member of his family but showed such strength. Instead of just adding him to the family and being proud of him, he hated him and showed him only cruelty. I’m not surprised he became so twisted though it makes me sad to know…” Siwon said as Dami nodded.

“Is there anything about how to kill those things?” Siwon asked as Dami shook her head.

“There isn’t even much info about Hyojong. It looks like Bora’s and Minji’s families helped Handong complete the ritual on the same day he was doing his. They all were supposed to help with what im guessing is Irene’s family when he never showed up. They searched for him but found nothing except that his father had passed away that night. I guess they thought he fled in grief. They just didn’t know he was the one behind it…” Dami said as Siwon sighed.

“you need to be careful, though. I’m not sure if it was him or some other creature, but I found myself unable to move as something controlled my body. Its how they escaped. If that was him, he could easily try to attack your mind…” Choerry said as Siwon thought carefully.

“How can we fight him if he can control us with just looking at us?” Siwon asked as shadows started to swirl off of both Dami and Yoohyeon. Suddenly Siwon was engulfed in shadows. His sight and hearing were basically gone, and he quickly realized their plan.

“you want to keep him blind while we fight. But how long can you two keep this up?” Siwon asked as the two shrugged.

“several minutes for just one of us. With it being the both of us, we will use less power and be able to hold it longer. Hopefully, its as long as we need, but we need to be prepared for anything. The first one we faced had some sort of barrier around it. Gahyeon was the only one to be able to really penetrate it if you exclude Yeri since she will stay here…” Dami said as Siwon thought carefully.

What if what you killed was actually Hyojong? He switched back to his body before it was too late? If that’s the case, then we will know if he has that same barrier. Having two of those things being that strong and powerful makes me suspicious. I wouldn’t put it past Hyojong…” Siwon said as Dami groaned. She didn’t want Gahyeon to get that close to him.

“if that’s the case, then this will be even more dangerous than I was hoping. The only thing Gahyeon was able to use to break that barrier was a small knife. That would also mean he knows about it now…” Dami said as Gahyeon rested her hand on the older girl's shoulder.

“We can do this. I believe in us. I just wish we knew what he was doing at the moment…” Gahyeon said when Yeri’s eyes lit up. She carefully pulled out the pouch holding the small mirror and thought of Hyojong. After a couple of seconds, his image appeared.

The twisted creature seemed to be furious as he clawed at trees in frustration. He didn’t like that his minions had failed. His eyes flashed from the reflective silver to a hint of lavender, and she knew this was definitely Siwon’s friend.

He spun around when one of his minions came back, and suddenly it was screaming in pain as it collapsed onto the ground convulsing. He held his powers on the poor creature until it remained still. Yeri gasped as Siyeon walked over and looked at what she saw in the mirror.

Hyojong stood over the unconscious creature and slashed at it repeatedly with his twisted claws as Siyeon and Yeri winced at the sight. The creature was utterly helpless, and soon the silver liquid flowed out of its body as it remained forever still.

Hyojong stood over it as he panted. His rage finally cooling as he looked at the pitiful creature's body and kicked it one last time before he walked off. Wherever he was going, it looked like he was going with a purpose.

“I think he's planning to go to the house. I’m sure he's up to something…” Siwon said as they looked up at him.

“who all is staying here?” Siwon asked as they thought carefully.

“I will stay here. I’m not sure if I could really be of help in this. I can only make people like me.” Chuu said as Sooyoung sighed.

“I don’t know if I will be able to help much either, but I want to try. I don’t like knowing that means I will be separated from Chuu, but I don’t want to leave you all to fight this by yourselves.” Sooyoung said as Siyeon nodded.

“I want to help too!” Hyejoo said as both Siyeon and Minji shook their heads.

“nope. I need you to stay here. Just in case it’s a trick and these things are just trying to get us to separate Yeri and Choerry. You might be young, but I know you two can fight, so I’m not just telling you no because you are young. Please understand that.” Siyeon said as Hyejoo sighed. She knew what Siyeon meant and nodded.

“I think I will stay here too. Hyunjin can fight, but I don’t think I will be of much help. I don’t want to get in the way, and Hyunjin usually ends up having to protect me. Please be careful.” Heejin said as Hyunjin pouted but nodded.

“Chungha, are you staying or going?” Sunmi asked. She didn’t want to speak for her mate and let her choose on her own.

The fox thought carefully. She knew that she still couldn’t move around normally without pain and worried that it would cause the others to try to protect her. Thought she wanted to help and fight, she knew her choice.

“I will stay here. I down want to put others at risk to save me.” Chungha said with a sigh. Sunmi rubbed her shoulders as the fox pouted and walked over to a fluffy chair and flopped down with a wince.

“well, are we ready?” Siyeon asked everyone. Jungeun and Jinsoul nodded as did Sooyoung and Hyunjin. Siwon was also ready.

“I know you want to learn to control your powers, so let me show you something…” Siwon said to Irene as he gently grabbed her hand and pressed her thumb between his eyes. Suddenly she was watching her father when he was younger. His struggle to master his powers and she could even feel what he was feeling at the time.

He didn’t have time to train her, so he hoped it would help some. It wasn’t the same as experiencing it herself, but it was better than nothing. And the fact that she could even successfully view his memories like this told him that she was much stronger than he had initially thought. She just needed to learn her powers. She might even be stronger than him.

“ready?” Siyeon asked as they nodded. They had wanted to train or something but with the brutal murder of one of Hyojong’s minions, they felt that he was on the verge of doing something extremely dangerous.

“let's go,” Siyeon said as they went down to the basement and back to the house. The walk down the path gave Siyeon chills. She knew this path so well now but not knowing what she was walking into was making her rather nervous.

_‘remember that these things can look like us. So, let's talk like this, alright?’_ Siyeon reminded everyone. She was starting to feel anxious as little streaks of blue lightning flickered over her body. If a creature went to touch her, they would quickly regret it.

_‘there's the gate. It looks like that creature is gone. But I don’t know if it’s the one Hyojong murdered or if that was a different one. We know how many of these things are roaming these woods?’_ Siwon asked as Seulgi stepped forward. She was looking to the sky and watched as the large black bird circled before descending.

_‘looks like someone might know…’_ Seulgi said as she stepped forward and held out her arm for her friend.

The large bird landed gracefully as it looked at Siyeon and the others. Clearly, he had some news, and Siyeon was curious about what that news was.

_‘there was at least a total of eight that came from the mirror. Between what we killed and this Hyojong, there are four left unless some are hiding well. That’s what he says.’_ Seulgi said as Siyeon thought carefully. These things were tricky, and four of them could be a handful if that meant Hyojong could continuously jump bodies with them.

_‘four is better than eight. We can do this.’_ Hyunjin said confidently as she looked to Jungeun and Jinsoul.

_‘you going to be out eyes in the sky?’_ Hyunjin asked as the two nodded. They were already stripping off their clothing as they prepared to fly.

_‘Sunmi, prepare the gate. Elkie? If those things charge us blast them away from the gate. Alright?’_ Siyeon asked as the blonde nodded.

_‘Bora? Can you go up into the trees and circle around with Handong and Minji? You can come over the wall safely, and I want them to think we have split up. I’m hoping he will get cocky and make a mistake. From what I have seen and heard, he seems to have an ego. Hopefully, that will work to our advantage…’_ Siyeon said as she looked at the others.

Sunmi stood by the gate, and on Siyeon’s command, she flung the gate open as Siyeon and the others burst through, but there was nothing there. Everything was relatively quiet. Not even the birds were chirping. Siyeon felt an odd chill run down her spine. Something felt off.

It was like there was a buzzing in the air. It made her nervous. She quickly shifted as Yoohyeon went to her left. Dami quickly went to her right as Gahyeon guarded her back. Hyunjin Seulgi Irene and her father followed a short distance behind. They felt the odd atmosphere and knew that they were probably walking into a trap.

_‘use your senses! Be careful where you look!’_ Siyeon warned as she slowly walked around the yard. She smelled something off, but she couldn’t pinpoint where it had come from. The scent seemed to be everywhere.

Siyeon growled in annoyance when she suddenly got an idea. The body that Hyojong killed was sure to have his essence on it. Seulgi had proven what she could do with it. They quickly made their way to where they thought the body should be, and once they found it, Seulgi quickly used her ability to lock onto the essence she was looking for. It matched the slashes on the nearby tree, and now she was sure she had his scent.

_‘got it. This way!’_ Seulgi said as she ran down a trail. Siyeon and the others were right behind her, and quickly they realized that the trail led straight to the house.

_‘did we forget to close the door?’_ Siyeon joked as she looked at the open door. The thing had managed to get inside the house.

_‘I was hoping that we could fight them out in the open, but I guess he wanted to even the playing field…’_ Siwon said as he walked up to the door.

_‘We need to get him outside. The house has many spells to resist our abilities, and he must know it. This really limits what we can do…’_ Sunmi said as she talked from afar. She was using her illusion abilities to hide as she watched the perimeter. She didn’t want Siyeon and the others to be ambushed.

_‘lets carefully deal with this then…’_ Siwon said as he slowly stepped inside only to see nothing.

Siyeon looked around and froze. The basement that held all of the mirrors was now open. Siyeon swore mentally as she noticed that the missing mirrors were now placed around the house.

_‘fuck… the mirrors are out! He can be anywhere! Watch your backs!’_ Siyeon said as she and the others slowly walked inside the house. She couldn’t help but feel like they were being watched, and she knew it was true.

She could feel them watching her. The fur on the back of her neck started to rise as she slowly stalked through the house. Everyone was being careful. They didn’t want to slip up, but everyone noticed the mirrors placed everywhere.

_‘Why are there so many mirrors again?’_ Hyunjin asked as she looked at all of the places that could lead to a potential attack.

_‘no idea… it's an old house, though. I guess mirrors come with it?’_ Yoohyeon asked as she slowly scanned the surroundings.

Siyeon started to feel that one was close, and soon she caught sight of one. The creature was spotted in the living room. It was rummaging through things curiously until it realized it had been spotted. The creature soon panicked and quickly ran towards a large mirror that was nearby and vanished before they could do anything.

_‘shit…’_ Dami said as she watched all of the mirrors carefully.

_‘Should I cover the mirrors in shadows?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Siyeon shook her head. Her ears were flicking from side to side as she listened carefully.

_‘no. I think he wants us to panic and waste our strength. We need to remain calm and focus.’_ Siyeon said as Dami nodded in agreement.

_‘the trail leads in and out of the mirrors in crazy patterns. It's like he wants to lead us on a wild goose chase.’_ Seulgi said as she shook her head in frustration. She was still in her human form due to her large size when in bear form.

_‘so, he wants to play games… fine… time to make a scene!’_ Siwon stated as he slowly started to unbutton his shirt. Irene looked at him with a questioning expression when he smiled.

_‘this shirt is expensive and was a gift from a good friend. When I use my ability, it causes the fabric to freeze and get damaged.’_ Siwon said with a shrug as he faced the mirrors. It was time to confront his old friend after hundreds of years.

“Hyojong! I know it’s you! Where are you?” Siwon shouted as he carefully watched the mirrors.

_‘I have an idea… if we can get him to flee into the mirror realm and destroy the rest of the mirrors, would he be trapped inside there once more?’_ Irene asked as Dami thought carefully.

_‘it is a possibility, but what if that actually frees him? He will no longer have a connection to inside the gate and might be able to leave the mirror realm where we couldn’t find him… I don’t think we can risk it. But we can do the opposite…’_ Dami thought as she quickly called to Sunmi.

_‘there are mirrors placed all inside the house. Can you check and see if there are mirrors placed outside too?’_ Dami asked as Sunmi quickly entered the forest.

_‘I heard that too. Jinsoul and I will look for mirrors as well. If we find one, what do you want us to do with it?’_ Jungeun asked as Dami smirked.

Destroy every mirror except one. Place it near where Handong, Minji, and Bora are. If he flees through that mirror, then destroy it as soon as he is clear. I want to cut off his exits.’ Dami said as Jungeun smirked. She liked this idea.

_‘I already see one. Going in to destroy it.’_ Jinsoul said as she swooped down and smashed the mirror into pieces.

_‘same here!’_ Sunmi said as she blasted the mirror apart with her lightning.

-Inside-

Siwon stood there with his arms crossed when he suddenly heard a hiss coming from behind him. He spun around to see the grotesque creature that was once his friend. It was half in and half out of the mirror as he smirked.

“you look different? New haircut?” Siwon asked as Hyojong snarled.

“you mock me?” he snarled as Siwon smirked once more.

“you know, I don’t think that’s how you greet a friend. I know you have been gone for a long time, but you should still use your manners!” Siwon said as he watched his friend's jaw clench in anger.

“let's see if you still are laughing when I rip your friends apart with my bare hands!” Hyojong said as Siwon suddenly let loose his ability.

The room quickly dropped as ice formed around him. Frost even gathered in his hair as he stood there, glaring at his once friend. He was hoping for a better reaction. He knew that Hyojong was way past saving, but he had still hoped. But he knew that was no longer possible.

“I know you were treated horribly but to kill your own father? How low could you go, Hyojong? Now you have become just like the man you once hated! Cruel and heartless!” Siwon said as his friend growled once more.

“you know nothing of what I have been through!” Hyojong shouted as Siwon smirked. He was trying to buy Sunmi and the others some time as they searched for more mirrors and seemed to be doing an excellent job at distracting him.

“you said your father was a monster. You said that you would never become like him but look at you! You might actually be worse! I found the body of that poor thing in the woods. Could it even fight back? There were no defensive wounds at all!” Siwon shouted as Hyojong flew out of the mirror and towards his once friend.

Siwon blasted him with icy winds as he carefully dodged his old friend. The winds struck the creature's pale and slimy body powerfully. The frost bit at his exposed skin, causing him to shriek as he dove into another mirror to heal.

“aww! What's wrong? A little chilly in here?” Siwon joked as he slowly turned to look at the mirrors around the room.

“I thought you liked the cold!” Siwon smirked as he held out his arms. He looked perfectly innocent as he stood there with a smile on his lips.

_‘you think you can win? I can be everywhere! You have no idea how powerful I have become!’_ Hyojong said from one of the mirrors. Siwon couldn’t pinpoint where it came from, but it didn’t matter.

“strong? You look weak to me! Weak and twisted into some deformed creature! What happened to you? What made you like this?” Siwon asked as he heard his once friend scream.

“you have no idea what I went through! As soon as I gained the power to be finally respected by my family, I was trapped inside a mirror! No one noticed I was missing or even cared that I wasn’t there!” Hyojong shouted as a look of hurt crossed Siwon’s face.

“I noticed… I went looking for you and found no traces of you when I heard the news! When I ran into that creature, I could tell that something was wrong! I went to find what I thought was you later, but it had died. It was like its brain melted out of its head!” Siwon said as Hyojong scoffed.

“weak… it wasn’t strong enough to control these powers! And it dared to trap me in that mirror? I hope it was a slow and painful death!” Hyojong said with a chuckle as he withdrew back inside the mirror.

_‘very painful… just like yours will be…’_ Hyojong said softly as Siwon smirked. He knew he affected his old friend. The anger and hate were a bit less harsh and held a hint of confusion.

_‘we searched everywhere… there is one mirror left outside, and we are in position…’_ Jungeun whispered as Siwon smiled.

_‘great! Then its time to start smashing mirrors!’_ Siwon said as he looked over at Siyeon. The alpha nodded as they quickly split up. Elkie used her force ability smashing the mirrors into tiny shards while Dami and Yoohyeon melted theirs.

Siyeon smashed hers with her lightning as Irene and Seulgi went to check the other floors with the help of Sooyoung and Hyunjin.

_‘let us know once he comes through that mirror!’_ Siyeon shouted as they quickly smashed mirror after mirror.

_‘he's here!’_ Bora shouted as Siyeon looked to Gahyeon. The wolf had been remaining very still the entire time as she carefully fed her energy to the plants around them, and now they waited to snare the creature. They only waited for her command.

_‘traps set?’_ Dami asked as Gahyeon smirked and nodded.

_‘good! Then let's get rid of the last couple of mirrors and meet the others out there! Gahyeon, keep him busy! We still haven’t seen his minions!’_ Dami said as they smashed the last mirror. It was now time to confront him out in the open. He might have thought he could use the mirrors to his advantage, but he wasn’t the only one who could come up with a plan.

_‘let's finish this…’_ Siyeon said with a sigh. Once he was out in the open, he would feel threatened. He wouldn’t have a place to run to. That will make him extremely dangerous. She just hoped no one would get hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe this is chapter 100, and the story isn’t even a year old yet! Thank you to everyone who is still reading this story! I know it’s rather long. I just hope the story isn’t getting boring. I hope everyone has a good day and stay safe! ^_^


	101. Chapter 101

-Emerging-

Siyeon sighed as the last mirror was smashed, and they quickly made their way outside. They could hear snarling as the creature struggled to free itself from Gahyeon’s plants. They went wild as they tried to confine him. They twined around his wrists as they pulled taut as they attempted to immobilize his arms and legs. Just how much power had Gahyeon put into them?

They grew wild as they tried to overgrow him and incase him in a tomb of thorns and vines, but he struggled as he resisted them, leading to small scratches and cuts. Siwon looked at the sight in shock. He had not seen Gahyeon’s plants in action like this before. He had met Sol, but this was another thing altogether.

_‘let's go! we don’t want to waste any time!’_ Siwon said as ice slowly grew over his exposed skin. Hyunjin watched as frost slowly crawled up his chest as it solidified into a thick and wickedly sharp looking armor.

_‘oh, so you weren’t just trying to show off your body?’_ Hyunjin teased as Siwon looked at her in shock. As he shifted, it sounded like the soft crunch of snow under your feet.

_‘why would I do that? You all are my daughter's friends. That would be creepy of me!’_ Siwon joked as Hyunjin smirked. She liked the silly man with the goofy smile.

He was some greater being yet seemed so down to earth as he joked and talked with the others earlier. She was glad to know that Irene had him as a father. From what it sounded like, Irene’s parents weren’t much better than hers.

_‘This destroys any clothes because I have to move my arms and legs so much, but I refuse to walk around my daughter's friends without pants.’_ Siwon said as Hyunjin snorted at the mental image and looked to Irene, who was just smiling softly. Clearly, she really cared for her goofy father and his lame jokes. She didn’t get to think more about it, though.

_‘Seulgi! Your dragon-bird friend is about to make an appearance!’_ Jungeun said as they watched the plants retreat from Hyojong.

_‘Mino…’_ Seulgi said softly as she watched the bird dive for the ensnared creature.

He felt triumphant until the bird flew low and close. He buzzed the creature with his razor-sharp wings slicing deep into the muscle of its back. He screamed as he tried to break free of the plants that were now rapidly growing back over him.

_‘well, that was interesting! Let's make sure we allow him openings for another flyby!’_ Siyeon said as the others nodded.

_‘Seulgi, you communicate with him and tell us when to break away from him for the next attack. Alright?’_ Siyeon asked as the bear shifted and nodded her massive head.

_‘ready to fight?’_ Sooyoung asked Hyunjin as they smirked. Clearly, the two had fought together before and were ready for whatever would happen next.

_‘let's go!’_ Siyeon ordered as they charged.

Hyojong looked over just in time to see the group charging and went to blast them with his powers when Dami shielded them with her shadows. She wasn’t sure that it would work, but luckily it did. At least this time…

“What is this? some trick?” Hyojong snarled as he looked at the wall of shadow, blocking his sight.

“you might have tricks of your own, but so do we…” Siwon said as the shadows slowly retreated to reveal him. He stood there with a confident smirk as his eyes blazed a frosty blue. Icy winds spun around him like icy blades as he slowly stepped closer.

Siwon knew he was risking his life from what Siyeon and Jungeun had said, but he wanted to see if his old friend would really try to use his abilities on him so quickly. Siwon held out his hand as ice crystals formed in the palm of his hand into a large polearm made of frigid ice. You could see the chilled air rising off of it in swirls as Siwon lazily spun the polearm in his hands. He was planning on how to push Hyojong’s buttons next.

“I hope you don’t mind. I just don’t want to touch your skin, so I went with something that had a bit more reach…” Siwon teased with a smirk as Hyojong snarled and struggled to free his feet. He managed to pull one foot free when he felt the icy blade bite into his shoulder.

Hyojong snarled again as he pulled his other foot free. He thought he was successful in freeing himself but was unaware the plants pulled away as the bird made another pass. This time his wing sliced deeply into Hyojong’s right thigh. Silver blood oozed down as he snarled at his friend. He was done playing around.

Hyojong rushed forward. His smaller frame was way more agile than Siwon expected, but he easily blocked Hyojong’s slashes with his polearm before knocking him backward.

“you have no idea how powerful I have become!” Hyojong snarled as he lunged in, slashing wildly as Siyeon and the others slowly got into position. They wanted to be ready for his minions. They would surely soon come to his rescue, and they wanted to be prepared when that happened.

“oh, really? You look like a pathetic and twisted creature to me! Not some all-powerful being…” Siwon said as he looked at the twisted body that was once his friend. It was a sad sight, but Siwon pushed it out of his head as he looked at his friend.

“you have no idea what happens when you are trapped inside the mirror realm for so long! Do you think you would have been immune to its effects too? I doubt it!” Hyojong shouted as he slashed wildly. He was faster than before and finally managed to slice deeply into the icy armor of Siwon’s chest, but the ice repaired itself before Hyojong could even land a second blow in the same spot.

“it will take more than that to penetrate my armor!” Siwon shouted as he spun the polearm wildly, creating some distance. He stood there confidently as his once friend snarled.

Hyojong looked at Siwon with a look of pure hatred. His leg that had been slashed by the bird was bleeding sluggishly as it ached painfully. He glanced down and growled. He needed a stronger body if he wanted to beat Siwon like this.

Hyojong tilted his head up and shrieked loudly as the birds that were hiding silently in the trees burst into flight. This was what Siyeon and the others were waiting for.

_‘We need to try to take them out as soon as we can. I don’t want him to jump into a stronger body if he gets the chance! Get ready!’_ Siyeon shouted as her pack and the others waited silently.

It didn’t take long for the first mindless creature to burst through the trees only to be faced with Siyeon and Dami. The creature screamed as it charged, but Siyeon and Dami were too quick for the bulky and mindless creature.

Siyeon bit into the back of the creature's thigh as she shook violently. She wanted to cripple the creature quickly to make sure Hyojong wouldn’t jump into its body, but the rancid blood made her gag, but she held on tightly.

The creature went to slash at the white wolf, but Dami leapt in and grabbed his arm left in her powerful jaws. She heard bones crushing as she bit down with all her strength. Whatever made Siyeon gag didn’t affect Dami. She was able to hold tightly as she shook his arm vigorously.

_‘Siyeon out of the way!’_ Dami shouted as the alpha jumped away. Dami stepped back as she continued to shake, knocking the creature off balance as it stumbled forward. Hyunjin lunged in and grabbed his opposite leg as she shook with all her might as the creature screamed in pain.

It flailed but couldn’t break itself free, and soon it felt itself rising in the air. It was being pulled up by both Hyunjin and Damo. It clawed at the soil with its other arm but couldn’t manage to get a firm enough grip to free itself between the two. But what it didn’t see was Sooyoung charging in like a truck.

She charged in and smashed her fist into its exposed side. She hit it with so much force that not only did she feel bones breaking, but both Dami and Hyunjin staggered from the strength as the creature was knocked away.

_‘damn! How strong are you?!’_ Dami asked as Hyunjin laughed.

_‘you have no idea… she can lift a truck by herself. She used to think it was normal…’_ Hyunjin said with a laugh as Sooyoung rolled her eyes.

This time she let out a powerful kick that caught the creature in the stomach. She heard it gag as it fought not to throw up its last meal. This time the two were ready and were prepared as they almost went airborne with the creature still in their jaws. Sooyoung’s next kick was an axe kick as she smashed her heel into the back of the creature's neck.

The three heard a snap as the creature instantly went still. That was one down, but how many more to go? they were not sure, but they were ready. Bora Minji and Handong were waiting in the trees and waited for their target.

The next one to emerge was just where they were hoping. With a roar, Handong launched from the trees to crash down on the massive creature. It screamed in shock as it struggled, but Handong had it pinned as she bit down on the back of his neck and pulled up with great force. It lifted his head up and almost severed it, but just to be safe, Minji jumped down and slashed its throat as Handong exposed it. They heard its gurgled cries, and once it stopped, they dropped it and turned. They heard another creature coming.

How had these things evaded them for so long? They barreled through the trees and brush while making all kinds of noise. But right now, what came through the brush looked just like Yoohyeon. The creature had been watching and was unaware that Yoohyeon was hiding herself in her shadows. It planned to trick Minji but was walking into its own demise.

The creature ran over to Minji, looking like it was terrified. Minji looked at it with a shocked expression leading it to think it was successful, but when it grew closer Minji lunged in as she grabbed it and shredded it with her claws.

_‘this is too easy… something doesn’t feel right…’_ Minji said as she glanced at Hyojong, but she made a mistake. He was anticipating it. Intense pain washed over her as her eyes locked with his. She was unable to look away as her legs trembled under the pain. Bora leapt out of her hiding spot to knock her friend over as she shielded her from Hyojong’s gaze.

Minji was panting as she looked up at Bora gratefully. When Bora broke their eye contact, Minji instantly shifted back into her human form. It was so intense that she had a difficult time standing. Sooyoung quickly ran over and scooped the vampire into her arms as she ran off towards Yoohyeon. Minji needed to be shielded by her shadows just in case he tried whatever he did with Jungeun.

_‘there is a large one coming! I think this is the one that Hyojong was waiting on!’_ Jungeun said as she watched from above.

They were right. Hyojong was waiting for the massive creature. He didn’t care if they killed the others. This was the one that mattered. He had treated it with care. He wanted this body to be strong. His body was slowly failing after fleeing the mirror realm, and he knew he needed a new one. This was the perfect body.

The creature was strong, and though it was twisted from the mirror realm, it still held most of its abilities from its previous life in the normal world. It stepped through the trees to stand tall as it looked for Hyojong.

When it spotted him, it smiled as it went to make its way over to him, but quickly Bora and the others converged on him. Hyojong screamed as he watched them attack his perfect body, and with a scream, he launched a wave of his power. Elkie could feel what he did and quickly forced her friends out of the way as she faced the creature on her own.

The small reddish wolf with the light eyes stared at the creature as she growled. He rushed forward only to be knocked back forcefully. It went back several feet, and Elkie realized that it took more of her power than normal to knock the giant creature back.

It charged her with a roar. The small wolf dodged and spun around as she faced its back and forced her ability forward. It struck it in the back as it went flying forward. Its momentum had already left it off balance, and now it flew forward to skid to a stop.

Elkie was trying to buy her friends some time to recover, and luckily it worked. Hyunjin Sooyoung and Siyeon charged the creature from behind as the Bora and prepared a second attack.

“no!” Hyojong shouted as he went to intervene when Siwon stopped him with a wall of ice. He wanted to keep them separated while the others tried to take out his minions.

“I’m over here, you know… you are being really rude. You haven’t seen me in years, and you try to attack my daughter's friends?” Siwon said as Hyojong froze.

The tiny part of him that was still the Hyojong that Siwon remembered wanted to ask him so many questions. He had a daughter? How old is she? Was he married? All of the questions he wanted to ask and catch up with his friend. But that side of him was almost microscopic compared to the rest of him.

Most of him wanted to know who his daughter was and use it to his advantage. If Siwon was to have a weakness, it would be his daughter. But what he didn’t know is that Irene and Seulgi were nearby and waiting for more of his minions while watching carefully. She didn’t want to leave her father to fight his friend by himself.

Siwon was controlling the situation well, but he knew his friend was holding back as well. From what they told him, Hyojong had incredible mental abilities, and he had not shown any of his powers yet except for the wave he sent at the others and a small attack on Minji. What was he waiting for?

Siyeon Sooyoung and Dami rushed to help the others as the enormous creature slowly stood. Elkie stared it down as it roared and charged at her. she went to dodge when suddenly she felt too weak to move. The creature was charging at her at an incredible speed, but she couldn’t move at all.

She started to panic as she tried to move. She heard the others shouting for her to get out of the way, but it was no use. The creature was almost upon her when she saw a streak of Handong’s fur fly past her.

Handong charged the creature in her tiger form and smashed into it with a roar as she defended her mate. Her strong paws were smashing into the creature as it tried to block and fight back. Handong was in a rage. Whatever ability the creature had, it was no use against her anger, and she quickly left deep bite wounds and claw marks before the thing knocked her flying.

Handong landed with a crash and lay still. The wind was knocked out of her from the strong impact, and it was hard for her to catch her breath. The creature went to charge Handong while she was disoriented, but Sooyoung quickly charged forward and smashed her fist into its stomach.

The creature slid back several feet as it clutched its stomach and looked up with a snarl. She stood there, confidently as she beckoned to the creature. It tried to use its ability, but it was useless on the girl. She smirked as she charged it.

Siyeon watched in shock. Sooyoung was going up against a creature that was almost twice her size with confidence as she dealt crushing blows repeatedly as she blocked the creature's attacks. She was a natural at fighting and picked up on the creatures patterns and held the upper hand. It was an amazing sight, but Siyeon didn’t want to leave her to fight that thing on her own.

Siyeon and the others charged in, and soon the creature was starting to panic. It was surrounded by many snapping jaws, and soon it panicked and roared. A shimmering silver began to flicker over its body as the others jumped back in surprise. It had more than one trick up its sleeves?

_‘is that the barrier like that one?’_ Dami asked as she watched the silver shimmer over it.

_‘I’m not sure, but we need to be careful. How can we test it?’_ Bora asked as Dami lunged in. her teeth clamped down on the shimmering aura, and quickly she let go as she yelped.

She had attempted to bite the creature's arm but it but as soon as her fangs sunk into the shimmering barrier, she felt intense pain in her wrist and quickly let go. She could feel the blood running down her leg and pooling in the soil around her paw.

_‘it's not as stable as the other one, but it’s the same…’_ Dami said as she felt Gahyeon’s cooling powers wash over her, but something was wrong. It wasn’t healing the wound like normal. It was incredibly slow.

_‘It's not healing like normal! Be very careful!’_ Gahyeon said as she struggled to heal her mate behind Yoohyeon’s shadows. She had been hiding in the shadows just in case she needed to use her knife, and it looked like it would be needed after all.

_‘I don’t like this…’_ Minji said as she watched Dami’s wound stop bleeding but didn’t heal all the way. And judging from how Dami favored it, the wound clearly still hurt.

_‘We definitely need to be careful… this hurts more than it should… it's not as stable as the other creatures, but it's stronger…’_ Dami said as she winced. She was trying to put her weight on her paw and winced at the intense pain.

-Yeri and Choerry-

Everyone was gathered around Yeri as she watched what was happening in the tiny mirror. They knew it was a serious fight and couldn’t help but cling to her as they watched.

“is it me, or does it seem like that Hyojong guy is holding back?” Heejin asked as she watched carefully. He managed to drop Jungeun from the air, so they knew he was probably capable of many more crazy things. He was clearly waiting for something, though.

“It does seem like it, but why? What is he waiting for?” Chungha asked as she watched with a worried expression.

“This makes me nervous…” Chuu said as she watched her girlfriend pounding on the massive creature before it summoned its barrier. She knew she was strong, but she had to admit Sooyoung always looked amazing in a fight. The way her hair would fly around her as she fought. It was absolutely breathtaking, but this was a much more serious fight than the ones she had been in before.

“What is that?” Choerry asked as she watched the barrier ripple over the creature. She felt like the hairs were standing up on the back of her neck as she watched the creature and soon understood why when Dami yelped in pain.

Every fiber of Choerry’s body told her that she needed to be there. She needed to protect her friends. It was her nature. But she knew staying here was for everyone's own good. If that thing managed to take over her body or corrupt her, it could put everyone else at risk, but she and Yeri were starting to get the feeling that there was something big planned, and they were slowly starting to wonder if they would need to save their friends.

The two exchanged a nervous look. They both could feel that something was coming with their connection to the mirror realm. Their bond told them that whatever he had planned, it was big. They silently exchanged a conversation. They were planning a rescue attempt if this fails. They wouldn’t let their friends die to save them.


	102. Chapter 102

-Like Father, Like Daughter-

The throbbing in Dami’s paw was still there as she stared down the massive creature before her. This was precisely what they had feared. This creature has a barrier, just like the other, which means one thing. They might need Gahyeon and her dagger.

Dami didn’t want her mate that close to this thing, so she was determined to solve this without involving her. But could she? How could she penetrate that barrier without damaging herself? She thought carefully about it when she got an idea.

_‘use our abilities! We are immune to each other's abilities except for Hyunjin and Sooyoung. Let's see if we can use them against this creature without getting hurt. Sound good?’_ Dami asked as she looked at Siyeon.

The alpha nodded as she growled. The blue lightning was starting to flicker all over her fur as she felt for her powers. She wanted to see if this would work. She, too, felt the same. She didn’t want her sister close to this thing.

_‘let's see!’_ Siyeon shouted as blue lightning rocketed towards the creature as it smashed into the barrier with a crash.

Siyeon was knocked back several feet as she shook her head. It was a stronger blast than she thought it would be, but the lightning couldn’t hurt her. she only felt the knockback from her ability striking the barrier. She smirked as she looked at the others.

Dami drew on her abilities as she felt her for fire ability. She looked over to see Bora’s vivid purple flames as they exchanged a smirk.

The three launched their abilities on Siyeon’s command, and when it struck, the barrier rippled as the three got pushed back several feet. They were unharmed like Siyeon and watched as the barrier flickered. Was it close to failing?

_‘just a little more! Again!’_ Siyeon shouted as she launched the rest of her lightning crashing into the creature's barrier as it roared. It could feel its barrier weakening and looked to Hyojong with a worried expression. It didn’t know what to do.

As it looked away, Sunmi took the opportunity to appear behind it and launched an extremely strong bolt of lightning, smashing it into the barrier at the back of its head before hiding herself in her illusions once more. The creature roared in panic as it turned around and looked for whatever hit it.

Confusion was all over the creature's face as it looked at empty air. That lightning couldn’t have come from nowhere, so where did it originate from? Though the creature was smarter than the others like it, that didn’t mean it was very smart. Its thoughts were rather basic and was more like a child, if anything.

It looked around in confusion allowing the others to blast it from behind. The creature spun around in bewilderment as it tried to figure out where it was being attacked from as Hyojong shouted in rage. He could feel the creature calling for him.

“How dare you get in my way! You think a pathetic friendship from hundreds of years ago will keep you safe for long?” Hyojong snarled as he tried to slash wildly at his old friend.

Siwon smashed his arm aside with his polearm and slashed in an arc at Hyojong. The blade bit into the flesh of Hyojong’s chest as he roared in pain. The frigid cold of the blade made it feel like his wound was on fire.

Ice crystals were forming in his wound slowly as he glared at his old friend. Hyojong had no idea what Siwon was doing. The ice crystals were slowly growing and spreading as Siwon kept his old friend in a rage.

The ice was creeping along his body like a virus as it slowly destroyed tissue with a numbing sensation. Siwon wanted to slowly break down Hyojong’s body, and it was working well. In a rage, Hyojong couldn’t feel the numbing traveling all over his body, but when he slashed at Siwon once more, he caught sight of the frost crawling down his limbs and quickly realized why Siwon was only blocking and taunting him. It was a distraction.

Hyojong roared as he blasted Siwon with a mental blast so strong that it dropped him to his knees. Siwon gasped for air in shock at the intense pain coursing through his body. It hurt to even breathe as he slowly quickly up in shock as Hyojong slowly stepped closer with a wicked laugh.

“you underestimated me like always! Now you will learn your mistake!” Hyojong shouted as he raised his arm. He was preparing for a powerful strike that would finish this. He could tell that Siwon was utterly helpless as the intense pain surged through him.

As Hyojong slashed down, he was surprised to see a woman with long black hair, and the same icy blue eyes appear with her arm around Siwon. She held out her other hand by her side as she quickly imagined a weapon and prayed that his memories were enough to teach her how to do this.

An icy blade that was long and wickedly thin appeared in her hand as she gripped it tightly and slashed with a powerful swing while putting her powers behind it. Hyojong barely dodged as an icy wall of spikes erupted from Irene’s swing. She had built a quick shield of ice with her slash as she stood with her father.

Siwon shook his head as he tried to clear it. He wanted to know what his friend could do and was rather surprised at the strength behind the tiny and broken body that was once his friend.

Siwon felt arms around him, and soon he was out of sight as Seulgi grabbed him with the help of Yoohyeons shadows. Hyojong roared at the sudden disappearance of his friend but was brought back when Irene summoned her powers.

Her anger was fueling her as ice rapidly grew around her in a large radius. She knew that Hyojong was toying with her father just like her father did with him, but she wasn’t as lenient against an enemy as cruel as Hyojong.

She glared at Hyojong as a low and feral growl rumbled from her chest. He quickly smirked when he realized who she must be. The icy eyes and frosty abilities must mean that this was Siwon's daughter, and he was planning on making him pay as he played with his friend's daughter.

Hyojong charged forward as Irene dodged and quickly slashed at him with the wickedly sharp blade. It bit into the soft flesh of his side as she quickly spun to keep her eyes on him. She didn’t want her back exposed. He roared as he spun around, only to feel a crashing impact on his back.

Seulgi had managed to drag Siwon to safety and came back to protect her mate. She wouldn’t let anything hurt Irene. She appeared out of the shadows as she slashed with one of her powerful paws as it smashed into his back, sending him flying towards Irene.

The vampire was prepared for it and blasted him with icy wind as she repeatedly slashed in quick succession as he struggled to block the razor-sharp blade. He felt the icy blade bite into his forearms as he tried to deflect most of the blows. He could feel them cut to the bone and quickly realized he was in trouble. Irene wasn’t playing around.

He staggered backward when he heard Seulgi behind him and barely rolled out of the way as the large bear charged forward. He quickly looked around for something and called to one of his minions. It didn’t take long for one to charge out of the woods as it targeted Irene, but Seulgi had seen it leaving the forest and silently alerted her mate as she waited for Irene to react.

The vampire waited until it was almost in range and then spun around as she slashed out and quickly cut the poor creature down. Hyojong lunged in, thinking Irene was distracted only to be surprised as she spun around as she slashed at him with the icy blade. He barely dodged the surprise swing only to be smashed across the field by her powerful mate.

The two were working well as a team, and he felt rattled as he slowly staggered to his feet. He was sure that he had several broken bones from that slash. It hurt just to breathe, and he knew that this body couldn’t take much more abuse. Especially after whatever Siwon had done to him. The ice was still spreading all over him. He needed to change bodies soon.

Hyojong scanned around him and spotted the others fighting his new body and roared in rage. He needed to get close enough to form the mental bridge. He should have been able to do it before, but the creature was too panicked for it to work at such a long range.

Hyojong went to make a run for the creature only to have an icy wall of spikes erupt out of the ground in front of him, blocking his path. He skidded to a stop as he roared and smashed his fists into the ice in rage, but it was useless. The ice was completely solid. How could he get to the body in time?

The enemy was severely weakening its barrier. Its mental abilities were too weak to hold the barrier for long, but he could hold it indefinitely. If only he could get to the idiot before it died from being incompetent.

Hyojong quickly thought of what to do and suddenly remembered what Siwon had said. His daughter… this had to be his daughter, and that meant that she was Siwon's weakness. Ever since he was little, Hyojong had always had an inferiority complex when it came to Siwon. He was treated like a prince by his family, while Hyojong was treated like a pest that needed to be squashed.

Now the only thing he could think of it beating his once friend. He wanted to make Siwon go through some of the pain that he went through, and the best way would be to go after his daughter, except he kept forgetting her protective mate.

Hyojong quickly spun around and screeched as he blasted his ability at Irene, but before it could get to her, Seulgi charged in and used her massive bear form to shield her mate. She flinched, waiting for the pain to come. She had seen how quickly it had dropped Siwon, but she quickly realized she felt nothing.

It seemed that her natural bear resistances shielded her from his ability, and she quickly prepared for his next attack. She triggered her ability as she watched him as she searched for her friend.

_‘Mino! Im going to charge him and keep him distracted! Take out his other leg!’_ Seulgi said as the bird quickly took flight again and got into position.

Once he said he was ready, Seulgi charged forward as she roared. Hyojong felt himself start to panic and quickly sent out another wave of pain but just like before, Seulgi was immune to it. What was she? How could she resist his abilities, he wondered as he growled in frustration.

Getting to Irene would have to wait. Right now, he needed to get to his new body. He quickly dodged Seulgi’s charge and screamed in pain as Mino’s wing bit deep into his other thigh. Hyojong could feel the bird's bladelike feathers sever a large muscle in his leg, and he could feel that he couldn’t put much weight on it.

With a roar of frustration, he fell forward as he charged several feet before his injured leg collapsed, but it was all he needed. Hyojong quickly locked eyes with his minion, and for a second, it was like time stopped for him.

Siyeon and the others had been barraging the creature with their abilities and were close to breaking its barrier when they heard something that startled them. Everything was going well until they heard Siwon scream in pain.

He refused to scream aloud, but the girls could hear him scream as he clenched his teeth. Irene’s head snapped up as she heard her father scream, and Yoohyeon quickly grasped her arm to stop her.

_‘wait! Don’t be reckless! You don’t want to put you both at risk!’_ Yoohyeon said as she gripped Irene’s arm tightly. The wolf was pale and sweating. She had been using her shadows to separate the two creatures as well as protect Irene Gahyeon and Seulgi as they waited for the right moment.

But Irene could tell that covering the four of them as well as protecting the others was draining too much from Yoohyeon, and with Dami helping barrage the enormous creature’s barrier, they were all relying on Yoohyeon.

Irene charged in and distracted Hyojong long enough for Seulgi to escape with her father, and then she and Seulgi worked together to put pressure on him and were successful, but when Seulgi and Irene shouted out a warning, Siyeon looked up to see Hyojong running on all fours like an injured wolf and soon the roaring creature that they were facing went silent before a soft laugh rumbled out of the creature's chest.

Siyeon braced herself as she slowly walked closer to Dami. The younger wolf was still having issues with her injured paw, and even with Gahyeon’s help, the wound was healing extremely slowly. So, when the creature suddenly started laughing, they feared that the one thing they were trying to prevent had happened. Hyojong had swapped bodies.

That was only the beginning of the bad news, though. Slowly the wounds that they had inflicted on the creature were rapidly healing as Hyojong’s laughter grew louder. This was worse than they had hoped. His barrier was much stronger than the simple creatures, and they could tell that they were in for some trouble.

The creature was now crying in pain in Hyojong’s old body as Seulgi ran over and finished the wounded creature off. She didn’t want any more body-swapping going on and quickly looked to Siyeon. Her larger size would be useful in this fight.

The issue was the barrier. Could they break through it with their abilities like with the other one? Or was that impossible? They prayed that they could smash through his barrier because if they didn’t, then Gahyeon would need to get way too close for everyone's comfort.

Hyojong roared as he flexed his newly healed muscles and laughed. This was what he wanted. Why hadn’t he done this before? He would use the creature's body here and there, but why didn’t he take it over sooner?

Now he could focus on his new target. Irene. His eyes zeroed in on her icy eyes as they had a stare-down, and soon he charged her. His gait was clumsy at first as he charged forward, but soon it became more refined as he adjusted to his new body. Clearly, it was Hyojong’s old body that was more of an issue than his mind.

As he charged forward, he launched his ability forward, but Seulgi was prepared as she shielded her mate. He was almost upon her when Irene summoned on her powers, and soon the ground below him erupted in shards of ice.

Most missed, but one managed to pierce his leg. Hyojong looked down in shock. How was that possible? It was like Irene’s abilities completely ignored his barrier, and soon he realized that his biggest threat was the girl standing confidently before him with the same smirk her father wore.

Hyojong charged once more only to have Irene charge forward as well. She threw down her blade as she quickly shifted. She had an idea and was curious to see if it would work. The cougar stood before him with those same icy eyes as she growled lowly as she stalked forward.

Just like her father or Chungha, ice shards slowly grew over her short fur until it looked like razor-sharp icy armor. Over her face, ice crept over her head like a helm, and soon she looked like a sabertooth tiger as long fangs of ice grew from it. It wasn’t practical, but it startled Hyojong, and she wanted him to feel fear in hopes he would slip up.

She went from a slow prowl to a charge as she roared. The two clashed together, and just like she had hoped, Irene was immune to his barrier. She didn’t know if she was immune to his mental abilities, but that would be put to the test later.

The nimble cougar had lunged forward, aiming for what he thought was the throat, but she actually placed her back paws on his stomach as she kicked and sliced deep wounds into his abdomen while clinging to him and biting deep wounds into his shoulder. Irene quickly forced her ice ability into the wound, hoping that it would damage the muscle and tissue beneath.

He roared as he spun around. He was trying to fling her off, but the feline was much stronger than he had expected. She bit down into the soft flesh of his shoulder and continued to kick before she was finally flung off of him.

In true cat nature, Irene righted herself midair and landed gracefully as she glared at Hyojong. His silver blood was all over her icy armor, making her look rather deadly as she locked eyes with him. It was like she was daring him to try something, and soon something in him snapped as his eyes blazed a light lavender.

His rational thoughts were disappearing as rage coursed through him. He wanted to crush her with every fiber of his being. Siyeon and the others could feel the shift in him and suddenly felt anxious as they listened to an animalistic growl that rumbled from his chest. This fight had suddenly taken a dangerous turn…


	103. Chapter 103

-Sacrifices-

Irene had watched something snap in Hyojong and prepared herself. Whatever was about to happen, she felt it was going to make for an intense fight. She heard a low animalistic growl rumbling from his chest and braced herself as Hyojong charged.

Irene quickly charged forward as well with a roar as she launched herself at him, but he smashed her out of the air like she was a pest. Elkie quickly used her ability to slow Irene’s fall without hurting her. The cougar staggered to her feet as she growled in annoyance. He was suddenly much stronger and faster than before.

But what made things worse was the rapid healing. She watched the sluggish bleeding slowly stop as the wounds shrank and closed, leaving a faint scar. What was this creature before?

She didn’t have to ask herself that for much longer as he fell forward with a roar. Irene looked at him in shock as she saw the twisted version of a wolf or dog before her. Whatever this thing was, it was part wolf before it was trapped inside the mirror.

Irene felt herself shiver as she looked at the creature before her. The creature looked like a twisted version of a wolf that was mainly furless except for a random small patch here or there. It reminded her of an animal with mange, and quickly prepared herself as he charged forward. He only had one target. Irene.

Seulgi roared as she charged forward. Her large form a blur as she smashed into the charging wolf with such an impact that they went tumbling. They roared while biting and clawing at each other as they rolled along the ground before coming to a snarling stop.

Seulgi left crushing blows with her powerful paws, but he had her by the shoulder as she struggled to free herself. Finally, her anger got the better of her as she got to her feet and raised onto her hind legs before slamming him onto the ground with a powerful body slam.

Seulgi was sure that she felt bones breaking and knew that she was doing some damage, but his healing was growing faster. She could feel his ribs pop back into place as they healed themselves too quickly. How could they win against him at this rate?

Hyojong managed to get his feet underneath her and soon sent the bear launching backwards as she smashed into the ground. Seulgi felt the air explode out of her lungs as she struggled to breathe. She slowly started to gasp for air when Hyojong charged her.

Irene ran in and pounced onto his back while he was distracted with Seulgi. Her fangs sunk into the soft flesh of his neck as she used all four paws to slash deep gashes that bled sluggishly. She carefully left ice crystals inside the wound, hoping that it would slow his healing, and jumped off as he tried to shake her off.

She landed gracefully as she looked at the deep wounds she had left. She let her frost creep deeper into the wounds as it fought his healing abilities. It was working, and that gave her an idea. She quickly widened the frost ring around her so that it covered most of the field.

Hyojong looked up as he noticed the frost in the air. He wasn’t sure what she was doing, but besides the refreshing coolness, it didn’t seem to do anything, so he ignored it as he prepared another charge.

Siyeon watched in interest. Irene was able to hurt Hyojong even with his barrier? Or in his enraged state had he dropped it? Seulgi was also able to do damage to him, so she wondered what was happening.

_‘Dami? Any ideas on how those two can hurt him?’_ Siyeon asked, but instead of Dami responding, she heard Jungeun in her head as the bird circled above.

_‘his barrier seems to be down at the moment or at least weakened. Irene might be able to hurt him because he seems emotionally unstable when looking at her. I wonder if while he is enraged like this if he can only do one thing at a time? Healing or barrier?’_ Jungeun said as Siyeon smirked. She glanced at Dami, who was giving the same look. The only way to find out was to try.

_‘so, if this works, all we need to do is keep him having to heal so that he can’t use his barrier, right?’_ Dami asked as Siyeon nodded.

_‘finally! Sooyoung and I were starting to get bored!’_ Hyunjin joked as she stretched. They were ready for the fight.

Hyojong charged towards the two when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He leapt back as a strong bolt of blue lightning struck the ground where he was previously standing. He glanced up at the alpha and growled.

Black flames rocked past as it scorched his back, causing him to scream in anger and pain. Siyeon scrunched her nose at the smell of burnt fur and flesh as he quickly realized that he was surrounded.

Irene sent a wave of icy frost-laced wind as he hunkered down to brace himself. The frost was continuing to slow his healing down. The crystals would slowly grow larger and expand, opening up the wounds that were already trying to close.

Sooyoung stepped forward with a smirk as the creature let loose a low growl. They charged each other as she dodged his lunge and smashed her fist underneath his jaw in a powerful uppercut. Hyojong went airborne from the strong woman and staggered slightly dazed as his jaw hung from an odd angle.

Next, Hyunjin lunged in. she aimed for the soft belly with a wicked slash causing him to roar in pain as he spun around. Once he turned, Hyunjin retreated as a roar was heard from above.

Siyeon looked up in shock as she saw a dragon with broad wings. The scales were various colors of blue, and her eyes were a vivid blue. Siyeon was shocked. She knew that it had to be Jinsoul, but how?

‘I, is that…’ Siyeon said as Jungeun giggled.

_‘did you think we were just enjoying the view? Surprise!’_ Jungeun shouted as Jinsoul dove down and grasped the creature in her powerful claws. She looked like a mix of the dragons of Asian legends and European dragons.

Jinsoul had a longer, more elegant neck and crown of horns with longer front legs and powerful back legs. Her tail was long and powerful, and her wings shimmered beautiful shades of blue as the light struck her scales.

She used her strong back legs to kick off of the ground with her prey and quickly shot into the air. She knew what Irene was trying, so she couldn’t use her water ability. But a drop from a great height would be very effective too.

Hyojong struggled as panic set in, and Jinsoul smirked as she released him. She had made sure to keep inside Irene’s frost, so it wasn’t a fatal drop, but it was enough to break several bones. The fall did just that. He flailed in the air as he crashed down with a yelp.

Siyeon could hear his bones popping back into place as they repaired themselves. The key seemed to be flesh wounds but staggering in broken bones was helping. He seemed to be slowly tiring, and that meant that they had a chance.

Siyeon had an idea and charged in as she pooled her lightning in her mouth as it buzzed around her fangs with a tickling sensation, but when she sunk her fangs into the flesh of his shoulder, it was like 50 tasers went off on him as his muscles stiffened and he fell over.

Dami and the others didn’t wait for him to recover and lunged in as they bit and ripped at his flesh. It looked like they were about to end this. that they had won, but with a panicked roar, he stood and forced his barrier out. His healing had stopped in the process, but he needed to buy himself some time.

_‘shit!’_ Siyeon shouted as she looked at the shimmering barrier. It looked stronger than before, so how could they break through? She knew the answer but refused to admit it. She didn’t want her sister involved, but she didn’t know what Gahyeon had planned.

-Yeri and Choerry-

The two watched the fight through the tiny mirror and found themselves holding their breath only to sigh as they witnessed the barrier come up once more. Yeri exchanged a worried look with her mate as Choerry put an arm around her in comfort.

Siyeon and the others were putting their lives on the like for them, and the two felt utterly powerless. How could they just stand there without doing something? Though they had only known Siyeon and the others for a short while, the alpha had treated them like family from the beginning.

Minji WAS Yeri’s family, and she watched through the mirror as she and the others tried to pressure Hyojong. She could see their attacks were being reflected back and winced as she saw Minji slowly bleeding. They needed to do something.

Yeri looked at Heejin, who was oddly silent. The girl was clearly worried as she lost herself in her thoughts and worries. Chuu gently grasped her hand as the quiet girl looked up with an appreciative smile. She was so worried about Hyunjin.

Though she always acted like she didn’t care, Hyunjin cared very deeply for her friends. It had once almost killed her. She was attacked by several people when she had made enemies for standing up for Heejin, and the only thing that saved her was that Heejin happened to come across the vampire.

It was Heejin’s blood that saved her that day. She was helpless to do anything else, but at least she could lend Hyunjin her blood. That helped bring the two together more, and now she felt even more helpless. She couldn’t do the one thing that she could to help. To offer her blood to help Hyunjin wasn’t an option because they weren’t there.

“We need to help them… I know I’m useless… I can't do anything. I’m basically a human but I’m sure you feel it too. I don’t think that they will win like this…” Heejin whispered out of Chungha’s earshot. She was worried that the fox would try to stop them, but she felt the same.

Chungha rested her hand on her chest. The pain still lingered, but she just couldn’t just sit there doing nothing. Jungeun had hinted that her powers stored in the scar would save them all. Was this what she was talking about? it had to be, or Jungeun would have warned her not to get involved, right?

She looked at the others as they whispered silently and quickly walked over, causing the others to jump as she looked at them with an intense stare. The four looked like deer in the headlights as they watched the fox stare at them with an unreadable expression.

“We need to do something. I think that this is what Jungeun was hinting at. This is where I need to use the powers stored in my scar. I have a bad feeling that something will happen if we don’t… wait…” Chungha said and soon paused as she heard Gahyeon’s voice ring in her head.

_‘this isn’t looking good, but I have a plan. If we don’t do something, they are going to die! But I need to get close. I know we were trying to keep Yeri and Choerry away, but I think we will need them. Minji is too injured to use her ability, and Yoohyeon is about to pass out from overusing her powers. We don’t have much time!’_ Gahyeon shouted as Chungha looked at the others with a startled look. This HAD to be what Jungeun had spoken of.

“ok, now I KNOW we need to do something! That was Gahyeon. We have a problem…” Chungha said as she walked over to Yeri.

“show me Yoohyeon,” Chungha said as Yeri quickly thought of the goofy wolf. Everyone gasped as they saw Gahyeon helping to support her as she panted. Yoohyeon was ghostly pale, and they could see the glistening of cold sweat all over her face and in her hair.

“she… she looks really bad. What is she doing? Just covering Gahyeon?” Choerry asked as Gahyeon’s voice rang in her head once more.

_‘I don’t know how much longer Yoohyeon can last. Dami doesn’t know that he has been sending out regular blasts of his power. She has been neutralizing it with her power, but if she fails, then the others… Dami ended up using too much strength trying to puncture the barrier earlier…’_ Gahyeon said as she looked down as Yoohyeon, whose eyes were starting to flutter closed.

“We need a plan NOW! If Yoohyeon collapses, then they are all in danger!” Chungha shouted as Choerry quickly tried to think of a plan.

“how about this? Yeri can open those mirror gateways, right? She can open one by Gahyeon and Yoohyeon. That way, we are behind her shadow illusion, and I can try and protect her with my powers. Maybe it will strengthen her as well as the others?” Choerry said as Chungha thought quickly.

“the dagger. To penetrate his barrier, Gahyeon needs to get close with that small dagger. Yeri, do you think you can open a gateway right behind the creature?” Chungha asked as Yeri nodded.

“yes, I can get her close. But it's dangerous. We don’t know if he will be able to sense the gateways. He is from the mirror realm too…” Yeri said as Chungha sighed. She quickly told Gahyeon the problem, but there was no other choice. She needed to break that barrier.

_‘I know… I know its dangerous. That’s why I need help. And… and if something happens to me, I need you to make sure that Dami doesn’t do something stupid in anger or grief… promise me?’_ Gahyeon asked as Chungha relayed her message. They were silent for what felt like a while before Chungha sighed and agreed.

“it’s a risk we have to take… we have to do this… Gahyeon is right. If Yoohyeon fails, we lose everyone, not just one person… I just hope that she will be able to do this safely…” Chungha said as she looked at the others.

“what can I do to help?” Heejin asked as she looked at Chungha. The fox had an idea, and everyone would need to help with it.

“alright… Heejin, I need you to take Yoohyeon and Siwon to safety. And try to keep Yoohyeon awake. She will probably be almost unconscious once we get there, so try to keep her awake, alright? Chuu? I might need you to be a distraction. I don’t know if your ability to draw people and attention will work on him, but it might buy Gahyeon enough time to use the dagger.” Chungha said as Chuu nodded.

“I’m good at being bait. It's natural for me.” Chuu said as Chungha smiled.

“Yeri and Choerry, you know what you need to do. I’m going to go with Gahyeon, and once the barrier is punctured I’m going to blast him with everything I have. This is probably a suicide mission. If he jumps bodies to either Yeri or Choerry, we are done for so we have to move fast. You ready?” Chungha asked as everyone nodded.

-The Rescue Attempt-

Gahyeon was looking down in a panic as Yoohyeon started to fade in and out of consciousness. She was trying to pump her powers into the wolf, but because Gahyeon’s powers had mixed with Sol’s plant energy, it was like it wasn’t compatible.

_‘please Yoohyeon… wake up! We need you! You can do this! hold on… help is on the way.’_ Gahyeon said as Yoohyeon tried to open her eyes. They were just so heavy. She just wanted to close her eyes and sleep.

Gahyeon felt something shift behind her and looked over her shoulder to see the bright orange of Yeri’s gateway open as the others quickly passed through it to stand beside her. Heejin instantly ran over to Yoohyeon, but when she touched the wolf, she felt something odd. It was like something was flowing from her and into the wolf.

Yoohyeon’s eyes slowly fluttered open as she felt energy slowly flowing into her. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to wake her up enough to keep her powers up for a couple more minutes. Yoohyeon looked over her shoulder to see Heejin supporting her and looked at her in confusion. Was she supposed to be there? Yoohyeon was too tired to remember.

Heejin got Yoohyeon to safety as Chungha and Gahyeon looked to Choerry. The girl quickly shifted and drew on her powers. It didn’t take long until her protective nature took over, and the others in the field suddenly felt their skin tingling.

This new sensation told Siyeon something was off, but she just assumed that it was something Hyojong was doing. She had never even thought that it could be Choerry. But little did she know that Choerry was ready to risk everything for them.

Heejin managed to get the two to safety, and now it was time for Chuu’s distraction. They knew that the others would be shocked to see her there, but this needed to be done. They were not going to sit back while everyone that they cared about died needlessly to save them.

_‘ready?’_ Chungha asked as Chuu nodded.

Gahyeon looked at Yeri, and the vampire signaled she was ready. It was now Chuu’s turn to cause a distraction. The smiling girl drew on all of her happiness and hoped that she could use it against him. More people were drawn to her when she felt happy. It was worth a shot.

Chuu ran forward out of Yoohyeon’s shadow barrier and shouted, catching everyone's attention. The others looked like they were about to collapse, but luckily, with Choerry’s aura, they were protected. From what they weren’t sure, but it seemed to be helping the backlash from the barrier.

Everyone looked over at Chuu in shock as she stood there and called to Hyojong. The creature spun around and locked eyes with her as she prayed that this would work. She made a heart with her hands and launched all of her happy emotions at him. She felt ridiculous, but it was the only thing she could think of.

She didn’t know how to manifest her powers or launch it, and it was her first attempt. It seemed to be successful as Hyojong stared at her for several seconds. He seemed enthralled with her as she smiled sweetly at him.

Yeri took the opportunity and quickly opened the gateway. As soon as she did, she heard the others screaming in her head to stop. They told her to retreat, but quickly, Gahyeon and Chungha stepped through the barrier, and in one quick movement, Gahyeon lunged in and brought the dagger down on the barrier as she sliced it open.

Hyojong felt the barrier fail and turned around with a wild slash striking Gahyeon in the chest as he blasted her with his ability. Gahyeon almost dropped to her knees when vines slowly wrapped around her. Sol had snuck through the gateway with them. He could feel that Gahyeon was going to do something dangerous and felt the need to protect her.

The blast did severe damage to Gahyeon. He could feel her heart stuttering and trying to stop. Sol knew that there was only one thing he could do to save her. Slowly he entwined his vines around her. He carefully supported Gahyeon as she faded out of consciousness while he encased her in his vines.

Soon his roots grew over his pot and sunk into the earth as he grew at a rapid rate. His vines twined together to become branches as they creaked and grew, and in a matter of seconds, Siyeon and the others looked up at a tree that was once their prankster plant friend. His movements slowed until he was finally still.

Chungha had blasted Hyojong with her ability as soon as Gahyeon penetrated his barrier. Her ice riddled him with icy shards, and finally, she destroyed his head. She was hoping that it would finally kill him and stop his ability to jump bodies. The creature didn’t get back up once its head was destroyed, but they couldn’t feel happy at their victory. What had it cost?

Siyeon and Dami looked at the tree that held Gahyeon inside. To save everyone else, both Sol and Gahyeon had sacrificed themselves. Dami dropped out of her wolf form and onto her knees as tears started to fall. She couldn’t have lost Gahyeon again, could she? She had to be alright. And sol? He was just a baby in plant years. He barely had a chance to live and enjoy himself! He couldn’t be gone, right?

Siyeon stood there in shock. She went numb as she stared at the tree that was once Sol and slowly walked over. With a shaky hand, she laid it on the tree, but there was no reaction. Shouldn’t there have been something? Shouldn’t she be able to feel some sign that they were alive inside? Did Sol become Gahyeon’s tomb?

“sol?” Siyeon asked softly, but there was no response. Siyeon looked around and noticed the plants around the field darkening and wilting. Was this due to sadness? Or from the last of Gahyeon’s powers fading away? Did that mean she was really gone?

“Dami…” Siyeon said as Bora walked to her mate and held her tightly.

“she’s alright. Right? Please tell me she’s alright…” Siyeon pleaded as Dami sat there in shock. Her heart felt like it was being ripped to pieces. This couldn’t be true. After everything they had done to protect her, she still lost Gahyeon?

Dami looked up at Siyeon with a pleading look. Siyeon could see the heartbreak, and soon Siyeon bora and Minji ran over and knelt as they hugged the heartbroken girl. Dami’s sobs started as she clung desperately to Minji. The older girl blinked the tears out of her eyes as she held Dami to her chest as she heard Dami’s heartbroken cries.

Minji could feel Dami’s sobs, and every shake and sob broke her heart even more. Minji loves Dami like a child and loved Gahyeon as well. Minji thought of Gahyeon’s happy smile and soon felt her chest ache as she nestled her head against Dami’s neck as the two mourned Gahyeon and Sol.

Dami staggered to her feet and slowly walked over as the others supported her and gently rested her hand on the tree and leaned forward as she rested her forehead against its trunk. She was praying to feel some sort of connection to either sol or Gahyeon, but there was nothing.

_‘Sol? Gahyeon?’_ Dami softly pleaded but heard nothing. Not even a faint whisper. Anything to show that they were in there, but there was only silence. Could they really be gone?

Dami looked at the plants around them and noticed the stillness. Without Gahyeon’s energy to feed them, they went back to normal as the only movement was the slight swaying whenever a breeze blew by.

Dami slowly started to sob as she wrapped her arms around the two most important people in her life. They had meant everything to her. Gahyeon was the love of her life. Someone that she had loved since she was younger and Sol might be a plant, but she viewed him as their child. But they were both gone. She had just lost them both at once.


	104. Chapter 104

-Hope-

Siyeon and the others stared at Dami as she held tightly onto the tree that was once two of the most important people of her life. She wished that this was a dream. Siyeon wished that Gahyeon would walk over at any moment and say that it was just an illusion, but too much time had passed for that to be true.

The numbness was slowly fading as she felt the crushing pain of heartache in her chest settle in. her sister, the one who could always make her smile, was gone? No. it couldn't be true. Siyeon thought as she sunk to her knees. Teardrops fell on the soil as the alpha silently sobbed.

Bora knelt down and wrapped her small arms around the alpha as they softly cried for Gahyeon together. It was over so quickly. No one had the time to react, and everyone was slowly starting to blame themselves for the loss of the two when Jungeun slowly glided down and quickly shifted as she touched down.

"don’t mourn her yet. She's alive, and so is sol.” Jungeun said as Siyeon looked up in shock.

“w, what?” Siyeon asked as she looked up with teary eyes. Did she hear things?

“Gahyeon is still alive. I’m sure of it. We just need to find out a way to help her.” Jungeun said as Siyeon looked up at the towering tree.

“But what about sol? Is he alright?” Siyeon asked as Jungeun nodded.

“I believe so. He wasn’t hurt by the blast but instead seemed to protect Gahyeon…” Jungeun said when suddenly Siyeon heard a familiar voice in her head.

‘come see me. I will explain everything…’ the sad voice of Moonbyul echoed in her head.

Siyeon quickly stood and looked at the others as she explained. They quickly made their way to the old shrines, and once they were in view, Siyeon sprinted forward. Her paws pounding into the soft earth as she propelled herself forward desperately.

Siyeon was praying that Moonbyul would tell her that everything is alright, but her sad tone had the alpha worried. She skidded to a stop as she reached the moon shrine and quickly stepped onto the stone.

As soon as her paw touched, a flash of silver light appeared and once it cleared, Moonbyul stood there with a look of sadness on her face as she looked at the empty shrine beside her. she quickly glanced at Siyeon and saw the white wolf trying to hold back her tears.

Moonbyul opened her arms wide as the large wolf slowly walked closer as she let out a heartbreaking whimper. Moonbyul wrapped her arms around the wolf's neck as she held Siyeon until she had calmed down enough to shift back.

Moonbyul looked up once she released Siyeon to see Dami standing nearby with a pleading look of hope. The moon smiled softly as she signaled for Dami to step closer. The girl looked so heartbroken, and a hug from Moonbyul was extremely comforting for a wolf.

The comfort they get from the moon at night is nothing compared to a hug from the aspect of the moon. Dami felt comforting coolness wash over her, and temporarily the crushing sadness was pushed away as Moonbyul hugged her tightly.

“Gahyeon is alive, and so is sol…” Moonbyul whispered to Dami as she shifted out of her wolf form and clung to the silver-haired girl.

“she really is alive?” Siyeon asked as she shifted back into her human form and stared at Moonbyul, who nodded silently.

“she was about to die, but sol intervened. He surrounded her in his energy and is slowly healing her. The two will be fine once she has healed enough to be freed. But that is a slow process. That creature almost completely prevents healing. It's taking all of Sol’s strength and the strength of the plants around him to heal her. she might be in there for a month or even three…” Moonbyul said as she still held Dami to her. she knew that the wolf would need her comforting aura to handle the news.

“so, she is alive? She will make it through this?” Dami asked with a hopeful expression as Moonbyul nodded.

“then why did you sound so sad?” Siyeon asked as Moonbyul glanced over at the empty shrine, and it quickly made sense. Moonbyul wouldn’t be able to see solar until the two were done healing.

“solar is helping the two. We were debating helping you in your fight, but we worried that he would see the powers the two of you hold and would target your bodies as well… we just had to trust everyone, and this was the only way I could see to save everyone. Without Chungha and the others, all of you would have fallen to that creature.” Moonbyul said as everyone looked at the smaller fox.

Chungha didn’t feel like a savior. She felt like someone who doomed her friends and family to death. She was trying to help everyone and instead almost got Gahyeon killed. Sunmi could feel the guilt radiating off of her mate and held her tightly as she kissed the top of her head.

“you did well. Don’t blame yourself. You heard Moonbyul. This was the only way, and they are safe. It will just take a while for them to heal. Alright?” Sunmi said as Chungha nodded silently and held her tightly. She still felt like it was her fault, but Sunmi’s arms always eased her doubts.

It would take a while for everyone to stop blaming themselves. But slowly, Siwon stepped closer to the altar, causing Moonbyul to look up and smile sheepishly. He wasn’t expecting to see her here.

“so, you knew about my daughter and didn’t tell me?” Siwon asked with a frown as Moonbyul smiled again.

“well technically, you said for me not to interfere with you, not her. that meant not telling you because that would be interfering, but Irene was free game! Now don’t blame me! You have no idea how that ass that called himself her father behaved. Or how his words and actions hurt her. she needed to know!” Moonbyul said as she hid behind Dami.

The last time she had annoyed Siwon too much, he froze her hair into a mohawk that didn’t thaw for a month. Solar never let her hear the end of it. The two would constantly mess with each other as Solar watched. He had missed seeing Moonbyul.

“you are lucky I missed you!” Siwon said as he hugged his friend and smiled with a dorky expression. He still was injured from the fight earlier and had to be carried on Seulgi’s back but didn’t want to miss the chance to torment his friend.

“so how do you know them?” Siyeon asked as Siwon smiled.

“Moonbyul and Solar started out human like me. We were all chosen to be aspects of something. They were of the moon and sun while I was destined to be winter. Every once in a while, something will happen to the aspects, and new will be decided…” Siwon said as he groaned while sitting down.

“the last aspects before us were allowed to wander the earth with no problems, but they chose opposite sides on a human war and ended up wounding each other fatally. The only ones that can kill an aspect is another one. When the moon aspect had heard that the sun aspect had joined a human war and was tipping the scales, they decided to end it even if they knew it would end in their own death.” Moonbyul said as Siyeon listened to what sounded like a fairy tale.

“so when the new aspects of the sun and moon were chosen, they were allowed to live on earth, but once another human war started, the higher ones feared a repeat and banned them from the human world and separated them. I still say it is unfair to punish ones that weren’t even born when the last incident happened, but I was ignored.” Siwon said as Siyeon thought carefully.

“so, you couldn’t die back there?” Siyeon asked as Siwon smiled apologetically.

“Sorry, let me clarify. They can destroy my body but not my spirit. Moonbyul or Solar could destroy both. I would be similar to a ghost.” Siwon said as Siyeon remembered the main reason that they were here.

“Gahyeon. Are we sure that everything is alright? Is there anything that we can do to help?” Siyeon asked as Moonbyul thought carefully.

“spend time with them. Talk to them. They are almost in a state of hibernation, but they can most likely hear what you say to them. A month or more in silence can be lonely for them.” Moonbyul said as Siyeon nodded.

“I wish there was a way for you to be able to see solar… I’m sorry,” Siyeon said softly to Moonbyul, who smiled sadly and hugged Siyeon before the alpha walked back to the others.

They had heard parts of it but had held back to allow the two to mourn, but now Bora ran up to Siyeon as the alpha sighed happily and snuggled the vampire closer.

“she's alive! It will take a while to see her. But she's alive…” Siyeon whispered as she felt Bora let out a sigh of relief. Everyone had worried that they had lost her.

“so, she’s really alive?” Yeri asked as tears streaked down her face. She had blamed herself for putting Gahyeon in danger with her portal, and both Yoohyeon and Minji had been trying to comfort her even if the taller wolf was still rather weak from the battle.

“yes. And she said that Gahyeon and sol might be able to hear us. So, we need to spend time talking to her. It might be several months before she is healed enough for sol to release her.” Siyeon said as she looked over at the now-empty shrine. If Moonbyul couldn’t see solar, then Siyeon and Elkie needed to visit her often. Gahyeon wouldn’t be the only one that is lonely.

Everyone had headed home and made sure to incinerate what was left of Hyojong’s body. Chungha had done some serious damage to him. Large icy spikes had gone through his chest, leaving them covered in the silver blood of the creature, and his head was so destroyed that you couldn’t even tell what it once was.

After they were done destroying the body, they went inside the house, and soon they were sprawled out on various pieces of furniture as exhaustion set in when they realized something. Hyejoo and Chaewon were still at the other house. Chungha stood abruptly as she looked at Yeri and the others. They needed to go get the two.

Yeri quickly opened a portal to find two very annoyed wolves staring at them. The two had seen something outside and went to investigate it. Whatever they had seen had disappeared, and when they returned, everyone else was gone.

Hyejoo and Chaewon had searched everywhere in the house but found nothing. They weren’t sure if they should feel hurt or offended and decided on both as they waited for the others to return.

“I can't believe you left us!” Hyejoo shouted once they were through the portal, causing Chungha and the others to flinch.

“look, it was an emergency, ok?” Sooyoung said as Hyejoo glared at her friend.

“What kind of emergency?” Hyejoo asked when they explained everything. Hyejoo paled at the mention of sol and ran outside to see the towering tree that was once her gaming buddy. She stood there frozen for a while before she slowly walked over as Dami followed her. She had caught the two together many times and knew that Hyejoo had grown fond of Sol.

“I had thought I lost them both, but they say that they are both alive. They are just slowly healing and listening. I will try and talk to them whenever I can. I know they both get bored easily…” Dami said as she rested a hand on the tree. She still had expected to feel something, but there was nothing.

Dami sighed as her hand fell. It was still hard for her to know she wouldn’t see her smiling mate for possibly months. Hyejoo carefully hugged the older wolf. She wasn’t good at these things, but they both needed it. She already missed the happy plant, and Dami missed them both.

Sunmi ended up ordering food, and soon everyone was quietly eating. Instead of celebrating victory, they ate in silence. It was hard to celebrate when once of the loudest voices that should be heard right now was missing.

The next morning Siyeon woke up and walked downstairs to see something outside the window. By the tree was Dami. How long had she been up? From the look of it, Dami must not have been able to sleep without Gahyeon there. The wolf was snuggled underneath the tree with her tail tucked over her face as she slept by the two. It wasn’t the same, but at least Dami could finally sleep.

Siyeon slowly walked outside and over to the sleeping wolf and quietly sat down and ran her fingers through Dami’s fur as the wolf sighed. It was relaxing, but she knew it wasn’t Gahyeon’s touch and slowly looked up to see Siyeon looking at her with a worried look.

Dami said nothing but rested her large head on Siyeon’s lap as Siyeon continued to run her fingers through her fur. Dami wished that it was Gahyeon and closed her eyes as she imagined it and slowly drifted off to sleep again.

Bora walked downstairs, searching for her mate and found her with Dami and smiled sadly. The two weren’t taking the loss of Gahyeon very well, even if they knew that it was only temporary.

Siyeon had spent all night clinging to Bora as the feline purred her to sleep. She had rarely seen the alpha so vulnerable and held her all night. It wasn’t often that she saw that side of Siyeon, and it made her want to protect her as much as possible.

She watched the two and went into the kitchen to get them something to eat and met Jinsoul. The dragon had been drained from her first true transformation and looked exhausted still. Bora offered to help, but the dragon shook her head. She knew that both Siyeon and Dami were having a hard time and sent Bora outside to check on them.

“Jinsoul is making food. She will come and get us when it's ready…” Bora said as she sat beside Siyeon and rested her head on the alphas shoulder as she closed her eyes. Just being close to Siyeon was comforting, and she hoped that the soothing aura she was exuding was helping the two sad wolves.

Siyeon closed her eyes, as well as the calming feeling washed over her, and soon she rested her head against Bora’s as the three drifted off to sleep.

-Gahyeon-

Gahyeon was listening silently. She couldn’t say or do anything. The only thing she could feel was an intense pain that Sol was trying to combat with his numbing thorns, but the pain was so severe that it could only stop some of it, but not all.

The hybrid's consciousness was floating in and out, but she could hear Dami’s sobs and felt her heart breaking at the sound. She wished that she could tell her that she was alright, but that was impossible at the moment.

Gahyeon was trapped inside Sol’s body as he slowly healed the damage that the creature had done to her body in his last strike of rage. Had Sol hesitated, he might not have been able to get Gahyeon’s heart to start beating.

But he had made it just in time to save the one that he looked up to as a mother. Gahyeon’s was someone that all plants looked up to, and as soon as sol started to entomb the girl in his vines, the surrounding plants and trees began to send steady flows of energy to help the two. It was regulated by sol. He didn’t want the plants to burn themselves up like the ones at the factory did, and slowly he was able to gain enough to keep the two of them alive as he slowly focused on healing Gahyeon’s injuries.

The blast that Hyojong had hit her with was crushing and damaged many bones and internal organs, including her heart and lungs. If sol had not covered her in his vines, the girls would have seen the blood running out of Gahyeon's nose and mouth from the impact, but Sol tried to work quickly to heal them.

It was slow, but he wouldn’t give up on her. And she could feel his desperate protectiveness as he focused only on Gahyeon and drowned out everything else in the world. His only world was Gahyeon as he slowly healed the bleeding and mended her bones.

It felt like hours of silence when Gahyeon heard the sound of soft footsteps and soon the heavy sigh of a wolf as she flopped down and curled up by the tree. Gahyeon could tell that sigh right away and wished she could hold Dami in her arms right now, but instead, she had to be happy with hearing her soft breathing as she slept beside her.

It was several hours later when she heard what sounded like her sister. Gahyeon could feel Dami’s restlessness all night, but once Siyeon arrived, she could feel that ease slightly, and it eased even more when Bora arrived.

Gahyeon was so grateful for the two looking after Dami. She wished she could thank them, but she was too weak to mind speak. And even if she wasn’t, could she? She wasn’t sure, but she wished she was there with them to tell them that everything is alright. That she is ok, but they would just have to wait a while, but she couldn’t, and it drove her crazy.

She felt helpless as she listened to them and felt herself smile as she heard the soft breathing of three sleeping bodies. She couldn’t help but feel happiness at the three comforting each other.

Gahyeon sighed as she heard Jinsoul call the three for breakfast and felt the three walk away, but she heard someone pause as they leaned against the tree. She listened to a soft whisper that made her want to cry.

“I promise I will come back to spend some more time with you later… I love you both. See you soon…” Dami whispered as she slowly let her hand fall and walked back inside.

‘I love you too. We both do. Just wait a bit longer, please…’ Gahyeon thought to herself silently as she found herself feeling lonely. But it didn’t last long. She would find out that everyone would take turns spending time with her. They didn’t want her to feel lonely, and she had never felt so loved before.


	105. Chapter 105

-Waiting-

The next morning Siyeon walked downstairs and looked out the window to find Dami in the same location as the morning before. The large wolf was curled up tightly under the tree as she slept soundly. It seemed it was the only way for her to sleep while Gahyeon was healing.

“It must be difficult. Suddenly having your bed empty…” Siyeon said softly as she held her sleepy mate closer to her. The vampire pouted with an exhausted expression as she looked around. It was way too early for Bora to function properly.

The two slowly made their way into the living room, where they found Hyejoo and Chaewon sleeping on the couch. Their gaming system clutched tightly in the dark-haired girl's arms. Siyeon smiled because she knew why they were resting here. They were waiting for their turn with Gahyeon and sol.

Siyeon made her way into the kitchen to scrounge for food when Sunmi walked in. the fox had been worried about Chungha, but after using the excess energy from her scar, the ghost pain that she had been feeling seemed to have finally dissipated.

Now Sunmi seemed happier as she walked into the kitchen to make food for the sleeping girl. The smile didn’t last long, though. As she walked into the kitchen, she found it in a mess. It seemed that the two young sleeping wolves had tried to surprise everyone with food.

The kitchen might be a disaster, but Siyeon and Sunmi noticed that the food looked and smelled amazing. Sunmi carefully took a taste and looked at Siyeon in shock. It was better than the fox would have thought for someone so young.

What the two didn’t know is that Hyejoo would constantly take care of Chaewon, including cooking. The blonde couldn’t rely on food from home, so the dark-haired girl quickly learned. They had been through so much at such a young age.

Siyeon walked back into the living room only to smile as she leaned against the doorframe. Bora was sitting beside the two as she stroked the sleeping girls’ hair. Though Bora didn’t want to show it, Siyeon had noticed that the vampire had a soft spot for the two younger girls, and it was showing.

“go ahead and wake them up. They made food, and it's going to get cold soon.” Siyeon said softly as Bora nodded and slowly roused the sleeping girls. Hyejoo was squinting sleepily as she looked around in confusion but softly smiled once she noticed the vampire.

“Siyeon says you two made food?” Bora asked as Hyejoo nodded while rubbing her eyes sleepily. She looked at Chaewon, who was still sleeping while snuggled against her shoulder and softly woke the blonde.

Bora was shocked to see that Chaewon woke up in a panic. Hyejoo held the blonde to her as she softly whispered to her. Once Chaewon realized where she was, she slowly relaxed into her arms and looked up to Bora and Hyejoo apologetically.

_‘no need to give that look. I doubt Bora is looking at you any differently. She's just worried.’_ Hyejoo reassured the blonde as Chaewon looked up with a nervous smile. It didn’t stop her from feeling embarrassed.

“We wanted to sit down and take a quick break, but I guess we fell asleep… I guess we will go wake the others.” Hyejoo said sleepily as she slowly stood. Just how late had the two been up?

“don’t worry. Sunmi and I will wake them up. You three go sit down and prepare to eat.” Siyeon said as she slowly climbed the stairs and woke the others up.

“I smell something good!” Siwon said as Siyeon knocked on his door. He seemed to be feeling better and smiled a goofy smile as he peeked out of the door.

“Yeah. Hyejoo and Chaewon, the two younger wolves, cooked for us to try and surprise us.” Siyeon said as he smiled. How had Siyeon felt nervous around this dorky man, she wondered?

It didn’t take long before everyone was sleepily stumbling downstairs and flopping into their seats as they devoured the food. Siyeon noticed the happy and proud looks on the two younger wolves' faces and smiled.

She had been trying to protect them, but she was wondering if she made them feel excluded or forgotten. Even Chungha and the others left the two in the rescue attempt. It had to have hurt, and she knew that they needed to make it up to the two.

“Wow, this is amazing! Who cooked it?” Heejin asked happily as she took another bite.

“This tastes like Hyejoo’s cooking…” Hyunjin said with a smirk as Hyejoo smiled and nodded. The vampire had experienced the younger wolf's cooking when she was taken to the wolf's house by Heejin when she was injured, so she knew it quite well.

“How did you learn to cook so well?” Sunmi asked as Hyejoo blushed.

“I know that Chaewon would go hungry sometimes at home and wanted her to be able to eat while she was with me, so I learned…” Hyejoo said as the blonde grasped her hand below the table to calm her nerves.

Siyeon watched them carefully and tried to fight back a frown. Many chosen seemed to have difficult pasts, and these two fit perfectly. Moonbyul wouldn’t choose one of these two, would she? Suddenly the alpha wasn’t sure.

Before the others were finished, both Hyejoo and Chaewon stood and grabbed a prepared lunchbox as they made their way outside. They had not forgotten about Dami. She must be starving by now.

Once Hyejoo stepped outside, she shivered as she leaned closer to Chaewon. The nights were starting to cool, and the crisp air chilled her skin as she slowly walked over to the sleeping wolf.

Dami slowly lifted her head as she looked at the two. Her nose caught the scent of the food, and slowly she unwound herself and stretched with a big wolfy yawn before shifting as she sat on the ground sleepily.

“We brought you some food. I wasn’t sure the last time you ate, so we wanted to make sure you got something…” Hyejoo said nervously as she looked at Dami.

The hybrid's eyes were still red and golden from her wolf form. They had not adjusted back yet, and Hyejoo couldn’t help but feel nervous at the older girl's stare.

“thanks…” Dami said softly. She was still tired but appreciative of the two girls' efforts.

Hyejoo slowly opened the lunchbox and passed her the contents as they found a spot to sit under the tree that was once their friend. They didn’t say anything and just relaxed against the tree, allowing Dami to eat her food in silence.

The older wolf was clearly lost in her thoughts, and they didn’t want to bother her as they relaxed against Sol’s trunk. Hyejoo gently took Chaewon’s hand in hers as she leaned her head against the tree and closed her eyes.

Chaewon admired Hyejoo in silence. The wolf looked stunning to her. Even the smallest gestures could make Chaewon’s heart flutter. Right now, she was admiring how her dark hair flowed around her face and shoulders beautifully.

The sun had not quite risen, and in the dim light still cast by the moon, Hyejoo’s pale skin seemed to glow softly in the light. It was mesmerizing, and Chaewon couldn’t take her eyes off of the beautiful sight. A soft smile slowly crossed Hyejoo’s lips as she turned her head in Chaewon’s direction without opening her eyes.

_‘you know I can feel you staring, right?’_ Hyejoo teased as Chaewon giggled. She would always catch the blonde in moments like this.

_‘I just can't help it. you are so beautiful.’_ Chaewon said as Hyejoo slowly opened her eyes and looked at the smiling girl beside her.

Hyejoo had heard Chaewon say those words before, but this time it was different. She could feel the meaning was different by Chaewon’s voice. This wasn’t a friendly compliment. This was a confession. Hyejoo could feel herself blush as she looked down at Chaewon in shock.

The blonde didn’t give her a time to react as she leaned in and gently placed a kiss on Hyejoo’s lips silently. She didn’t want to disturb Dami or get teased by the older wolf.

Once Dami finished eating, she silently gathered up the now empty containers and slowly stood with a groan. The cold weather felt like it had seeped into her bones and the long night outdoors left her aching.

Dami looked back with a frown at the two. She was seeing the same signs that Siyeon was. Was Hyejoo going to become chosen like Siyeon and Elkie? Though it wouldn’t be as bad as it was for Siyeon. They have people to support them that know what they could be going through, but it didn’t help the fact that it was a difficult life compared to living normally.

Once inside, she could hear the sound of Siwon as he told some stories from the past. The others were emersed in the story so much that when she put the dishes in the sink, several jumped in surprise. She apologized as she flopped into the seat beside Minji.

“you have grass in your hair…” Minji said softly as she plucked the blade of grass from Dami’s hair. She was worried about the younger girl, but she was sure that she would behave the same way if the situation was reversed.

The vampire wrapped her free arm around Dami as she held her closer. The wolf had already eaten. She just wanted to silently be around people for the moment. The comfort that she received from Minji helped ease the gnawing sadness that had been eating at her since Gahyeon was confined to the tree.

Minji looked to her other side and smiled. Yoohyeon had been exhausted after the fight, and though she was trying not to show it, the exhaustion was clearly evident. Yoohyeon was sound asleep snuggled against Minji’s shoulder as she dozed.

Minji looked like some kind of player with her arms around two girls, but she didn’t care. She looked up to see Handong smiling. She, too, found the situation cute as she looked at Yoohyeon, clinging to Minji in her sleep. How Yoohyeon was supposedly an alpha when she seemed like such a bottom Handong had no idea.

Once breakfast was finished, the girls slowly stood and started cleaning. Everyone except Yoohyeon and Dami, that is. The two were still sound asleep, and Minji was pinned in between the two. Minji looked at Handong with pleading eyes as the vampire laughed and walked away. She wasn’t going to wake the two demon sisters.

Minji pouted before looking to Bora, who had the same reaction. Lately, the paranoia had caused some interesting responses from the girls. When Yoohyeon was startled by a loud knock on the door the day before, their door burst into flames.

The encounter with the creatures from the mirror realm had left them with a bit of paranoia. Luckily Hyunjin, who was on the other side of the door, had quick reflexes and managed to pick up on the sound of the flames roaring towards the door. She quickly dodged as she stopped the others from stepping into the line of fire.

Now everyone was hesitant to wake them. If Yoohyeon, who was the more laid-back one, reacted like that, what would Dami, who just lost the one she cared about, react? Dami was the one that was more in control of her emotions but for how long? Everyone has a boiling point, and everyone was worried that she would blow soon.

Minji finally sighed as she cleared her throat. Dami slowly stirred and woke her sister as Minji led the two to her room. She couldn’t leave Dami to sleep in an empty bed, and Yoohyeon would want someone to cling to. It was perfect.

After she got the two in bed, she slowly walked downstairs to see Siyeon. The wolf was deep in thought as she watched Hyejoo and Chaewon outside. The two were joking and playing games by the tree. They wanted to keep the two company even if they were not sure Gahyeon and Sol could really hear them.

Siyeon watched the two and sighed, causing Minji to walk over as she rested her hand on the alphas shoulder. She wanted to ask what was wrong because she knew that something was weighing on her.

“Hyejoo is showing signs that she might be chosen… either she or Chaewon. Remember what Moonbyul said. She gives the power to those who need it. From what we know, the two need to get out of a bad situation… everything fits…” Siyeon said as Minji hugged her tightly.

“where is Bora?” Minji asked as she noticed the vampire missing.

“she went out with Irene Seulgi and Siwon. Not all of those creatures came out that day. There still have to be some out there. They are trying to find them while Siwon is teaching Irene how to use her abilities.” Siyeon said as Minji nodded.

“you didn’t want to go with them?” Minji asked as Siyeon sighed again.

“I do… but I also don’t want to leave everyone here unguarded… both Yoohyeon and Dami are exhausted. I want to go with them, but someone also has to protect the… outside! Now!” Siyeon shouted as she ran for the door stripping.

It seemed that the others had driven one towards the house, and it had just burst through the trees and brush as it headed straight for the house. The two ran out and quickly shifted as soon as they were clear of the doorway as they charged the creature.

_‘watch out! One is heading towards the house, and it seems to be a slippery one!’_ Siwon shouted as Siyeon and Minji charged it, but before they could reach them, two smaller wolves darted across the field as the darker wolf dove and tackled the creature as she latched onto it and shook.

Chaewon quickly lunged in for the throat, and within seconds, the speedy pair had ended the creature's life before it could even react. They might be small, but they were extremely fast with excellent teamwork.

_‘damn…’_ Siyeon said as the others finally burst through the field to see Hyejoo standing over the body with its silver blood framing her mouth.

Chaewon was even more coated in the silver liquid, and when they looked over, the two could see the look of surprise on everyone's faces. The two young wolves had ended it before the fight even began. This is why the two had trained late into the night every day.

The two reacted without even having to think of what the other would do. They already knew and quickly acted on instinct as the creature was blindsided by the small wolves. It honestly never had a chance.

_‘did they… really? That quickly?’_ Siwon asked as he looked across the field to Siyeon. she just nodded as she watched the two quickly scanning the area. They were unsure if there were more lurking in the woods or not.

_‘they took that thing down like terriers. I know they are young, but damn they are fast!’_ Hyunjin said as she slowly walked up. She had seen the two in action before, but it still always amazed her.

_‘are there any more in the area?’_ Hyejoo asked. She was focused entirely on the hunt and quickly snapped the others back to their original topic.

_‘there was another, but we lost it while chasing this one. There might be more of these things in these woods than we originally thought. It’s a good thing he didn’t call all of them because it would be extremely dangerous…’_ Irene said as Seulgi nodded.

_‘so many signs that these things have been roaming our woods. Without Hyojong, they seem more mindless, though.’_ Seulgi said as Siwon nodded.

_‘their automatic response is to flee. Not fight. However, they could if they want to. I’m not sure how Hyojong made them do his bidding like that. They don’t actually seem to want to really fight.’_ Siwon said as he slowly made his way over to the two young wolves.

Though Chaewon didn’t want to show it, she was nervous around males, but for some reason, the silly man approaching didn’t worry her. He smiled and ruffled her fur, causing her to huff as Hyejoo snorted. The two were still in wolf form, and now Chaewon’s fur was fluffed as she sighed and glared at Hyejoo.

The creature's body was quickly cleaned up, and after everyone headed inside as Hyunjin and Heejin walked over to Gahyeon and sol to keep them company. The two had thought of what to do and decided on a movie.

They had borrowed Bora’s laptop and Dami’s speakers and set it up so that they hoped the two could hear and started the movie.

-Gahyeon-

Gahyeon smiled as she heard the sounds of a movie begin playing. She had drifted in and out of consciousness, but the sound quickly brought her back as she smiled. She could hear Hyunjin’s purring as she snuggled next to Heejin and knew that the two were there to keep them company.

She was extremely grateful. Sol was too focused on healing her that he couldn’t hear her. She felt lonely, and sometimes the silence was just too much. She felt like she would go insane and would soon find herself drifting off.

But now the sounds made her smile as she listened along to the movie. It was one of her favorites, and she wondered if they knew that when they chose it and soon got her answer.

“you know this movie is actually really good! I could see why Gahyeon likes it so much!” Heejin said as Hyunjin purred contently. The shorter girl was gently stroking Hyunjin’s hair and was slowly lulling her to sleep at the gentle touches.

It didn’t take long for the three girls to drift off to sleep as the movie softly played from the speakers. Gahyeon had to admit that it was nice how everyone was showing they cared, but she couldn’t help but wonder if it would really last. Would they lose interest soon, or would this continue?

Gahyeon couldn’t help but think that this would be short-lived. It would be greedy of her to believe that they would continue to do this. They probably didn’t even know that she could hear them after all. She feared it wouldn’t take long for the others to forget her.


	106. Chapter 106

-Doubts-

Hyunjin woke at the scent of something strange. Something that smelled familiar and off at the same time. The vampire slowly cracked an eye open and used all of her strength not to jump at what she saw. One of the creatures was standing in front of her looking at her with interest.

It didn’t look like it was a threat. In fact, it looked genuinely intrigued as it tilted its head back and forth. After it examined her, she tried not to gasp as she watched the creatures form shift and change until it became like her.

The creature looked at its hands in amazement as it flipped them over repeatedly. This was like something new for it, and Hyunjin couldn't help but be intrigued by the display as well. The creature was smaller than the others and seemed childlike in its actions.

Hyunjin controlled her breathing and watched as the creature looked around. There was one thing that stopped its mimicking from being perfect. A bite mark marred the skin just below the ear. But what had caused it?

Heejin started to stir, and Hyunjin could feel her blood run cold. Would the creature attack her? But instead, the creature looked panicked as it fled into the woods still in Hyunjin’s form. Hyunjin slowly looked around. There was no one there, and when she glanced at Heejin, she could tell the sleepy girl had seen nothing.

What was that? The reaction of fear was a bit more human than what the others had shown. Was this creature younger than the others? Hyunjin didn’t know, but she felt that she should tell the others. She slowly stood as she helped Heejin stand and gather the laptop and speakers as she walked inside.

_‘Siyeon… group meeting?’_ Hyunjin asked as the alpha quickly walked into the kitchen to see Hyunjin walking in.

“group meeting? Something happen?” Siyeon asked as the vampire nodded. Siyeon quickly spread the word, and soon everyone was in the living room looking up at Hyunjin with interest. The vampire might joke, but she didn’t seem to like to be the center of attention in meetings like this.

“so, what is it?” Bora asked worriedly. She was worried that something was wrong with her cousin.

“one of those things was right in front of Heejin and i. it didn’t know that I had woken up. It studied me and then mirrored my appearance but…” Hyunjin paused as she ran her fingers through her hair. She didn’t know how the others would react about this.

“but it seemed different… it was almost like a child, and when Heejin started to wake, it panicked and ran off. It showed no signs of aggression and seemed a bit more human than the others. Less like an animal and more like a young human. Oh, and there was a scar that looked like a bite mark below its right ear… I don’t know why but I feel like that one is different…” Hyunjin said as Yeri listened carefully.

“not all of them are as twisted as others. Remember, they were originally human or like us. Maybe that person was slowly starting to become twisted but still remains more “human” than the others? I have also noticed that ones that are younger seem to have their physical appearance become twisted before their mind does. So this thing could be more human than creature…” Yeri said as Siyeon sighed.

“that makes me worry about the ones that we have killed so far. I keep forgetting that these things were originally people that were trapped and helpless… is there any way for these things to be turned back to normal?” Siyeon asked as she looked at Jungeun and Siwon. They would know more than the rest of them.

“I don’t know of any way… I’m sorry…” Jungeun said as she looked at her feet. She hated not knowing something.

“I don’t know either. I mean, how can you reverse what that mirror realm can do? I wish that while being in the mirror realm twists them being in back would fix it, but I doubt it’s that easy.” Siwon said as he ran his hand through his hair while thinking.

“Jungeun, what about your grandfather?” Siwon asked as the younger girl paled.

“don’t worry I’m not asking you to talk to him. I know you fear him. I mean, do you think he might know?” Siwon asked as he watched Jungeun relax slightly, but the tension remained on her face.

“um… well, he knows many things and has been alive for hundreds of years while gathering knowledge. If someone would, then it would be him…” Jungeun said nervously as Siwon thought carefully.

“Should I go ask him? I will leave your name out of it, but you know that he probably knows everything that is going on with you, right?” Siwon said as she shivered and looked away. She didn’t like that thought.

“is her grandfather really that bad?” Choerry asked as Siwon laughed.

“no. her grandmother is the scary one, in my opinion. Every time I see her, she tries to play matchmaker! But her grandfather is very wise and is very focused on their kind’s abilities. If he knew what all Jungeun could do at such a young age, then he might want her to work for the family. She would lose her freedom. It would be like they were be clipping her wings. I can understand the fear.” Siwon said as he looked at Choerry.

The girl nodded in understanding as she looked at the banshee. She still looked terrified as she thought of the things that could happen if she talked to her grandfather. Jinsoul carefully wrapped an arm around her, causing the smaller girl to lean against her nervously.

“well, im going to go outside and spend some time with Gahyeon and sol. Anyone want to join me?” Sooyoung asked as she looked around the room. She had not been able to spend time with the two slumbering people and looked around to see her girlfriend bouncing up and down excitedly.

“Baby, I know you will be coming along. I just want to see if anyone else wants to join us. That thing coming so close is making me worried.” Sooyoung said as she looked at the others.

Hyejoo and Chaewon still looked like they were sleepy, and both Dami and Handong looked like they planned to go through their libraries in search of more information on the mirror creatures.

Yoohyeon was still weak, and Minji was hesitant to leave her side, so she looked at Elkie, who nodded. The wolf was relatively quiet compared to the others, and Sooyoung had to admit she was interested in knowing more about the blonde wolf.

The three walked outside as they found comfortable spots around the tree to relax. Sooyoung was leaning against sol as Chuu relaxed against her. Elkie, on the other hand, sat a bit away from the tree so that she could see the two better.

“So how did you end up here?” Sooyoung asked as Elkie started to explain her past with Handong.

“damn… that’s a lot to go through. Im surprised that Handong never held a grudge. She's a better person than I thought…” Sooyoung said as Chuu shook her head.

“I understand Handong, though. She knew that it wasn’t Elkie’s fault. Who could have expected her parents to react like that? They both were young, after all.” Chuu said as Sooyoung nodded.

“I guess I’m just one of those people that hold grudges,” Sooyoung said with a laugh as she hugged Chuu.

“I need Chuu to balance me out sometimes. But mind if I ask a question?” Sooyoung asked as Elkie nodded.

“both you and Siyeon are both chosen wolves, right? But you are older, so why is Siyeon leading and not you? I wasn’t here when it was formed, and I’m curious.” Sooyoung said as Elkie smiled. She could understand their confusion.

Many wolves would go by age when it came to alphas instead of looking at their actual abilities to lead, and many didn’t know the way to tell an alpha if they were not a wolf. Due to that, many didn’t understand how a successful and healthy pack should be run.

“Siyeon is a natural leader that doesn’t force her ideas and opinions on others, so naturally, the others were comfortable forming a pack with her. I came after it was formed, and Siyeon treated me like family because I am Handong’s mate. Plus, I am not an alpha like Siyeon.” Elkie said as Sooyoung nodded.

“so, you never felt the urge to challenge her? I know you are not an alpha, but you are older, after all, right?” Sooyoung asked. She was honestly curious. She had only heard stories of wolves battling it out for control of a pack, so when she had seen how different it really was, she was curious about what was lies and what was the truth. Clearly, what she had been told when she was younger was wrong.

“no. most wolves actually don’t feel the need if they are confident in themselves, but many wolves and not just alphas can sometimes develop a superiority or inferiority complex, and it leads to them struggling to control others. An alphas job is to lead, not rule over them with an iron fist like my father tried to do. Siyeon is the best example of what a leader should be while still remaining herself.” Elkie said as Sooyoung nodded.

Sooyoung found it fascinating. She had never understood the dynamics with wolves before, so she was happy to finally understand more about them. She knew Hyejoo and Chaewon, but that was different. Both had families that were not very good representations of how wolves should be.

Chuu, on the other hand, wasn’t as interested. She was more interested in cuddling against Sooyoung as she listened to her talk. It was always soothing to her, and soon Elkie smiled as she watched Chuu fall asleep while clinging to Sooyoung’s arm.

The two continued to talk to each other for a while and then started talking to sol and Gahyeon. They were filling her in on what she was missing and even the tiny things like how Yoohyeon managed to spill food all down herself when she was trying to wash some dishes this morning.

Gahyeon listened as she felt herself smile. It was nice to hear the others talk to her like she was still there. But she was starting to feel the pain from her wounds returning. Sol quickly realized that he couldn’t keep her numb without her building up a resistance to it. So, he slowly had to back off on the numbing thorns.

This meant that soon Gahyeon could possibly be in intense pain as she slowly healed. The visits would be a good distraction from the pain. Already she was slowly starting to feel her body again, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. The numbing effect was helping Gahyeon remain calm.

As everyone was doing their own thing, Minji stayed with Yoohyeon. The wolf was struggling to regain her energy. It was like Hyojong had damaged her ability to recover her energy quickly. It was slowly getting better, but it wasn’t nearly as fast as both Yoohyeon and Minji had hoped.

“baby? You hungry?” Minji asked as Yoohyeon shook her head. She had almost no appetite. The lack of energy had also affected her hunger, as well. It was really worrying Minji, so Yoohyeon would force herself to eat to make her happy.

The food was one of the major things helping Yoohyeon at the moment. She had to rely on the food she ate as energy instead of the rapid flow of energy that would continuously replenish itself like she was used to. She felt like a human, and she didn’t know what to think about it.

Minji carefully brushed the hair from Yoohyeon’s face as she looked at the sleepy girl. Yoohyeon still looked slightly pale, but she looked better. She was still tired and started to doze against Minji. The way Yoohyeon leaned against her, Minji could tell that her energy was low, and though she was saying she wasn’t hungry, she knew that she needed to get the wolf to eat.

Yoohyeon pouted when Minji slowly stood and looked up with a sleepy expression at her girlfriend. She could tell what Minji had planned and sighed as she slowly stood and followed her girlfriend. She flopped into her chair as she watched Minji grab something from the fridge and slowly walked over to Yoohyeon and set some food in front of her girlfriend.

“I will make some tea that might help. I don’t like how weak Yoohyeon looks…” Sunmi said as she walked over to the kitchen counter and started preparing one of her special teas. The herbs that were used in her special teas were strong before, but with Gahyeon’s help with her herb garden, it became even stronger.

So, when Sunmi infused the stronger herbs with her powers, it became extremely powerful. The smell was amazing, and even Yoohyeon had to admit it made her mouth water. The tea was so fragrant, and once she set it down, Yoohyeon looked at the teacup and picked it up as she slowly sipped it.

“mmm… this is so good… what is it?” Yoohyeon asked as she took another sip. It was just the right temperature and soothed her throat all the way down.

“it’s a tea that helps to correct the flows of your energy as well as helps it build faster. I started working on it while Chungha was having issues but never got a chance to use it.” Sunmi said with a smile. She was happy that Yoohyeon seemed to enjoy it, and with it, her appetite was slowly returning.

“want another cup?” Sunmi asked as Yoohyeon nodded vigorously as she started to eat. Sunmi took her now empty cup and refilled it as Yoohyeon ate quickly as she looked up at the two with a smile. For the first time in days, she didn’t have to fake being hungry.

“is there more food?” Yoohyeon asked with a mouth full of food. Sunmi chuckled as she walked back into the kitchen and started to grab some ingredients. Soon the smell of ramen wafted in the air catching Yoohyeon’s attention.

“Wow, that smells amazing…” Yoohyeon said, and once it was done, Sunmi set down three bowls. The three ate as they talked, and both Sunmi and Minji were relieved at how much better Yoohyeon seemed to be after a couple of cups of the tea.

“I will make you more tea later. It seems to help.” Sunmi said as Yoohyeon smiled gratefully.

After eating, Minji took Yoohyeon upstairs to rest. With the help of the tea, she hoped that Yoohyeon would be able to rest peacefully and regain some of her energy. She helped Yoohyeon into bed and held the sleepy wolf to her as they slowly drifted off to sleep.

Siyeon was slowly putting on her clothes as she looked at Bora in the bed. The vampire was in a happy daze as she started to doze. Siyeon smirked as she leaned in and kissed her forehead and walked downstairs.

Siyeon could hear everyone talking downstairs and slowly walked down to see Dami and Handong showing several books as everyone was in a discussion about what they had found. Siyeon tilted her head as she walked into the room and cleared her throat.

“ah! You're awake! Come look at what we have found!” Dami said excitedly as she waved Siyeon over. The alpha was expecting to see one of Dami’s or Handong’s books to be set in front of her, but instead, there looked to be a very old and dusty book sitting on the table.

“What is that?” Siyeon asked as Dami smirked.

“We were sure that there had to be other books inside the attic, so with the help of Seulgi, we found a hidden room. Inside it, we found several old books and what looks like several old valuables.” Handong said as Seulgi nodded. Her sight must have come in handy in that situation.

“so, what did you find?” Siyeon asked as she leaned over to peer at the pages.

“We found out what happened after Hyojong went missing!” Dami said as she carefully turned the fragile pages and pointed at a paragraph.

“it says that after the ritual, the disappearance of Hyojong created a lot of chaos. The family turned on the others and tried to accuse them of sabotaging them. they ended up reporting the other four families and their hiding spots to the ones organizing the hunt.” Dami said as she carefully turned the page.

“The only way everyone was able to escape was because someone warned them. The one with the scrying ability then watched the family turn on them through her mirror. She watched the other family turning on them and quickly spread the message, and it was close, but everyone managed to make it out. You can tell that the writer was panicked or rushed by the sloppy writing…” Dami said as she looked up at Siyeon.

The alpha could see the excitement of the two and knew that there had to be more to the story. She watched as Dami turned the page, and once she did, Siyeon stared in shock at the illustration on the page. On the page was a portrait of someone who looked just like Choerry.

“what?” Siyeon asked as the others shrugged.

“I have no idea either. It says that someone tipped them off to the betrayal, and then there is a drawing of me. I’m not sure what this means, but I am so confused…” the purple-haired girl said as she flopped into the chair behind her.

“that might mean that we owe our lives to you…” Minji said as it slowly sunk in. Choerry ended up traveling to the past to warn the others. But why? What triggered the need to do that?

“I have a feeling we are missing something…” Siyeon said as Dami nodded.

“There are several more books here. Handong and I will read through them and see if we find anything else useful.” Dami said as Siyeon stared at Choerry’s picture. It was so perfect that there was no way it could be anyone else. It had to be Choerry. Just what would make her need to do that?


	107. Chapter 107

-The Offer-

Siyeon stared at the illustration of Choerry for several minutes. She was completely dumbfounded. Was this even possible? Yes, they suspected that Choerry could travel through time. That’s probably how she got here after all but this?

Siyeon watched Dami eagerly flip through the pages and smiled. At least the younger girl was able to take her mind off of sol and Gahyeon briefly, but Siyeon knew that it wouldn’t last. Dami didn’t go long before her mate popped in her head. It was only a matter of time.

But at the moment, the younger girl was excited with the new books and was eagerly researching with Handong. The vampire winked at Siyeon as she watched Siyeon’s stared. She could tell why Siyeon was staring and silently promised to keep Dami busy for a while. She had not looked so alive since before the fight.

Choerry looked completely flustered compared to Dami’s excitement. The lion was unsure why her image was in that book. And inside it, there was some cryptic writing. Whatever was said there, she couldn’t read, and that worried her. What did it say? Why was she there to begin with?

Yeri carefully wrapped her arms around Choerry as she snuggled against the taller girls back. Choerry slowly relaxed, but it still didn’t clear her fears as she glanced at her face once more on the pages. She couldn’t help but fear that her image being there meant that something big was going to happen.

Siyeon sighed as she flopped down. Whatever this meant, it usually would mean that they didn’t get the break that they were hoping for, and sure enough, her phone went off with Jinyoung’s number. She sighed once more before she answered the phone.

“Hello? Hey Jinyoung. How is everything going? Wait. What?” Siyeon asked as she sat up and quickly put the phone on speakerphone.

“Remember when we said that there was one pack that was wiped out? Were the wolves burnt to a crisp? Well, it looks like the ones that did it are back, and they are looking for someone…” Jinyoung said as everyone looked at each other in confusion.

“Who are they looking for?” Siyeon asked as Jinyoung sighed on the other end of the phone.

“the ones rescued from that base. All of them. Its three girls. Two adults and one child. Though it looks like the younger one is in charge… it's hard to explain.” Jinyoung said as he wondered what to say next.

“um, I’m actually talking to them right now. Or I should say I’m calling from the back room. I don’t think that they are hostile. It sounds like they were attacked and retaliated, but I think that they have a message for you. It seems important…” Jinyoung said as Siyeon noticed Bora walking from outside and quickly raiding the fridge.

Siyeon wouldn’t usually think twice of it before except she had just left Bora all happy and sleepy upstairs. Carefully she looked at the person imitating her mate and quickly noticed the visible bite mark on its neck.

Hyunjin locked eyes with her, and she knew that this was the same creature. She quickly told Jinyoung to hold on as she watched Bora walk outside. Both Siyeon and Hyunjin walked over to the window to watch the creature flee only to see one much larger than it burst out of the brush and targeting its food.

The smaller creature shrieked in terror as it dropped its mimicking image and fled towards the house. Without thinking, Hyunjin rushed outside and leapt into the air as she quickly shifted and landed quickly as she blew past the terrified smaller creature and launched herself at the larger one.

Clearly, this one was the cause of the smaller one's scars, and without a thought, Hyunjin pounced as her fangs crunched down on its throat as she ripped at the tender flesh of the neck and soon the creature fell as the smaller creature now cowered behind Siyeon who watched the situation with interest.

She could feel it trembling as its small hands held her arm, and she could see why Hyunjin said it reminded her of a child. It was childlike but also seemed to retain some of its human characteristics. Was this once a human child? And if so, how young?

Once the creature realized that it was safe, it peeked out from behind Siyeon. Once it knew that the creature was down, it quickly picked up the stolen food and set it down in front of Siyeon hesitantly one by one before attempting to flee into the tree line, but Siyeon was too quick.

Siyeon grasped the creature gently at the back of the neck, causing it to shriek in terror as it tried to look up, but it was unable to. Siyeon waited until it was done struggling and then spoke. The creature flinched at the sound of her voice but seemed to be listening intently.

“you forgot your food. You almost got hurt for it. don’t leave it behind.” Siyeon said as she released him and bent down and picked up a container of food the creature had stolen.

Siyeon slowly handed it to the creature, who gently took it with a bewildered look. Clearly, it was not expecting this to happen. It had expected her to be infuriated that it stole from her, but instead, here she was handing it food after they had just killed another of his kind.

“do you understand what I am saying?” Siyeon asked as the creature nodded hesitantly. It could understand some but not everything. But it could understand what it needed to at the moment.

The creature looked down at the food in its hands and then nervously at Siyeon. It was still unsure of the situation as it turned towards the woods and then back at Siyeon several times before fleeing with its prize in its hands. As it disappeared into the forest, it shifted into Siyeon’s form. Did it not like its own form?

_‘you were right, Hyunjin. This one feels different. And it looks like it had been bullied by the one you killed or maybe all of them. Did you see its scars? And it seems to prefer to look like others instead of itself…’_ Siyeon asked as the vampire nodded.

_‘I told you. This one just has a different feel. It reminds me of a child or something. Though I tend to try and stay away from children, so I’m not too sure…’_ Hyunjin said as she walked back inside with Siyeon.

Siyeon had almost forgotten about the phone call and quickly apologized to Jinyoung as the wolf dismissed it. He had been informed by the others that there was some sort of commotion outside and quickly asked if everything was alright. He was relieved to hear everything was alright and continued with his story.

“So, who are these women?” Siyeon asked as she felt Jinyoung become nervous. Even though he was talking about the girls, he seemed nervous for some reason.

“the one that is doing all the talking is Vivi? And she isn’t very talkative as it is…” Jinyoung said as Siyeon said her name to the others. They looked puzzled. They couldn’t think of anyone with that name, and soon Siyeon was curious how they knew the girls.

“I will meet you there, tell them to give us a bit. I’m curious about these girls…” Siyeon said as Jinyoung said his goodbyes.

“Are you really going?” Yeri asked nervously as Siyeon nodded.

“not alone. Who wants to go with me?” Siyeon asked as several raised their hands. Hyunjin wouldn’t let the alpha go alone, and she wasn’t the only one. Both Sooyoung and Chuu volunteered. If they were going to meet strangers, then they could use their ability to sway them to Siyeon’s side.

The alpha had to admit that it would be useful. The next two were both Minji and Yoohyeon. The wolf had been doing much better after Sunmi’s tea and finally felt well enough to do something.

“ok. I will go and see if Bora wants to go with us. I doubt she would like me to introduce myself without her…” Siyeon said as Minji snorted.

“oh, she definitely wouldn’t like that. You know how possessive she can get.” Minji said as Siyeon smirked and nodded.

“Oh yes, I remember…” Siyeon said as she smirked wider.

“remember that Bora is like my sister…” Minji teased as she faked a gag. Siyeon just laughed as she jogged up the stairs and into her room.

“baby?” Siyeon whispered as she gently kissed the sleeping vampire. Bora slowly stirred as she smiled and wrapped her arms around Siyeon’s neck and pulled her closer.

“I love waking up like this…” Bora said with a smile as she pulled Siyeon lower until their lips met. The kiss was quick but passionate. Siyeon quickly filled Bora in, and soon the vampire stole one more kiss before sighing and starting to get ready with a pout.

-The Meeting-

Siyeon and the others showed up in several expensive cars catching everyone's attention as they walked into the café. It didn’t take long to spot Jinyoung, and soon they walked over to meet the others. They crowded around Siyeon protectively as the alpha slowly walked forward and took the empty seat beside Jinyoung.

“Finally, we are getting somewhere…” a soft voice said as Siyeon looked at her. This seemed to be the Vivi girl that had been doing most of the talking. Her hair was a soft pink, and she seemed rather bored at the moment. But the two beside her were even more interesting.

Beside her were two that looked related. The taller looking one had long brown hair and seemed to keep her face very neutral where the younger looking one didn’t hide her judging looks as she looked each of them up and down.

“I assume you are Siyeon? the alpha that everyone is talking about?” Vivi asked softly as Siyeon nodded.

“why are you looking for these people?” Siyeon asked as the older looking one locked eyes with Sooyoung and Chuu, who were trying to hide behind Siyeon.

“they know why…” the older one said, causing Jinyoung to look at her in shock. They had not spoken except in whispers to Vivi, and then she would tell them what the two had said. He had sworn that they didn’t speak Korean if it wasn’t for the girl speaking it so perfectly at the moment.

“hi, Haseul… I promise we didn’t try to ditch you in that project…” Chuu said as she clung to her girlfriend nervously.

“I know that. When we found out what happened, we went looking for you. It seems like we were a bit too late. I’m just glad to see that everyone looks alright…” Haseul said as she looked at the younger one, but her eyes were locked on Yoohyeon’s.

Minji shifted nervously as she watched the smaller girl look at her mate challengingly. But Yoohyeon didn’t feel threatened. Instead, she felt intrigued. The energy radiating off of the smaller girl felt very familiar. It felt like her energy or the energy of her sister Dami.

“what are you?” Yoohyeon asked curiously as the smaller girl smirked.

“Haseul. Explain. It seems like we have one of our kind with us. However, she doesn’t seem pure blood. Not surprising though, with how rare we are…” the younger girl said as Haseul nodded obediently and quickly explained.

“This is Yeojin. She is my older sister. Yes, I know she looks younger… but she’s several hundred years older than me and reminds me of it daily…” Haseul grumbled as the younger-looking girl smirked.

“it matters,” Yeojin said as Haseul sighed and continued.

“We are pureblood demons. Though as I’m sure you know, the name doesn’t fit us properly…” Haseul said as Yoohyeon nodded.

“it is interesting to see another of our kind. We haven’t seen anyone in years.” Haseul said as Yoohyeon nodded once more.

“anyway… do you know your family tree? Who is the one that is of our kind of your parents?” Yeojin asked as Yoohyeon looked down with a sigh.

“I don’t know my family. They are missing. It’s a long story, but from what I heard, he was taken by the government and experimented on… they mixed him with a vampire, but he managed to escape.” Yoohyeon said as Haseul looked over to Yeojin nervously.

“I feared that was what you would have said…” Yeojin said as she sighed and picked up her drink and sipped.

“Yeojin was also captured by the government and experimented on. So, when she heard that the girls went missing, she automatically feared the government. It didn’t help that we found government-issued gas canisters near where you disappeared… she feared the worst.” Haseul said as Siyeon nodded.

“maybe you have heard of Yoohyeon’s father?” Siyeon asked as Yeojin sighed.

“possibly. One of my kind is who helped me escape. But that was several years ago. They had injected me with several drugs to see how it would affect me. I was so out of it that I must have been a handful to deal with…” Yeojin said as her sister laughed.

“you are always a handful…” Haseul mumbled under her breath as the smaller girl glared at her.

“I heard that… anyways… the one that helped me escape might be the one you are asking about. it's rather rare for a male of our kind to be born, so he has high chances of being your father.” Yeojin said as Yoohyeon looked at her in surprise. She had so many questions that she wanted to ask, but she had a feeling that the smaller girl couldn’t answer them.

“so, what happened with the barbecued wolves before?” Siyeon asked as Yeojin growled.

“disgusting wolves thought that I was young and tried to kidnap me. So, I let them take me thinking that they might take me to the others. But it wasn’t the case. I destroyed them all and freed several young girls. I don’t know what it is with alpha males lately, but their views seem to have become warped…” Yeojin said in disgust as Siyeon nodded in agreement.

“Jinyoung told us about what you had gone through. It is interesting to meet a chosen wolf. I had expected you to be uptight and towering over them when I heard that you are also an alpha. I’m pleasantly surprised.” Haseul said as Siyeon smiled.

“understandable. My kind hasn’t been showing a good side of themselves lately.” Siyeon said as Haseul nodded.

“so, what do you plan to do now?” Yoohyeon asked as Yeojin sighed.

“We came to warn you. as we were searching for the others, we learned something worrying. Two worrying things, actually. The first is that the government has been starting to round up ‘rare creatures’ they call us. Demons are on that list, and so are chosen. And with you making a name for yourself, I wouldn’t be surprised if they show up at your door with some false infraction as they try to arrest you…” Yeojin said as Siyeon looked at her in surprise.

“I had always worried that they would one day come. But how many of our kind are they rounding up?” Siyeon asked as Haseul sighed.

“a lot. They are clearly up to something. They are capturing several wolves and seem to be making them trackers of our kind. But the other thing is that they are using the alpha males' behaviors as a reason to target wolves. They might claim that a chosen is a threat because you rile up the alpha males. We have a feeling that you are in for trouble soon…” Haseul said as Siyeon felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. This is what she feared.

“no one touches Siyeon…” Bora growled as both Haseul and Yeojin looked at her curiously.

“your eyes are not the traditional red… why is that?” Haseul asked as Yeojin smirked.

“you joined her pack, didn’t you?” Yeojin asked as Bora and Siyeon nodded.

“lovely! This makes things so much more interesting! We might actually stand a chance!” Yeojin said as Siyeon looked at her with a confused expression.

“stand a chance?” Siyeon asked as the three nodded.

“We need to unite. I don’t think that this is just some small power play… I fear that this will be a war on our kind. They want to break us to their will. Imagine just how strong our government would be if they had all of our kind forced to do their bidding?” Haseul said as she looked at Vivi nervously. she gently grabbed the girl's hand and sighed.

“The experimentation isn’t just on our kind. Vivi was human. Now she’s almost like a chimera? They used demon DNA to make it so that they could add more of our kinds DNA into her. She is now a hybrid that can't control her powers. And the effects from that time have scarred her heavily. She was an easy target because she was visiting Korea. How many tourists go missing every year?” Haseul said softly as she rubbed the back of the quiet girl's hand.

“so, the government is basically secretly declaring war on anything that isn’t human?” Sooyoung asked as Haseul nodded.

“We believe so. It hasn’t made it this far yet, though. Right now, they are rounding up people in Seoul. But you all have made quite a name for yourselves. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t take notice soon. Will you help us? Or I should say, can we help you?” Yeojin asked as she looked at Siyeon.

“We can even help train your two new demons for you.” Yeojin teased as Siyeon thought this over carefully.

If what they said is true, then it would be dangerous to turn them down. But at the same time, joining with two demons and the government's lab experiment would definitely put them on their radar if they weren’t already.

This wasn’t a decision that she should make on her own. This involved everyone. She knew what she needed to do. Pack meeting. She just wished that she could hear Gahyeon’s opinion too.

“We need to talk with the others before I make a decision. This affects us all.” Siyeon said as she stood.

“Is there a way we can contact you?” Siyeon asked as Haseul nodded and quickly jotted down her number and handed it to Siyeon.

“I will talk it over with everyone and get back to you,” Siyeon said as the three nodded.

Once Siyeon and the others were outside, she looked at the others. She was interested in what they thought. This wasn’t just her decision. And she could tell that they had things to say.

“I don’t like this…” Hyunjin said as she glanced at the three that were still sitting inside the café.

“if this is true, then we will need as much help as we can…” Hyunjin said with a sigh. Would Heejin be safe because she was mainly human?

“I’m not sure if we would just be drawing attention to us, though. Chuu, what do you think?” Sooyoung asked as her girlfriend thought carefully.

“I’m not sure… I’m kind of torn. I think we really need the other’s opinions on this. maybe they will have a different point of view that we haven’t even thought of?” Chuu asked as Siyeon, and the others nodded.

“Yoohyeon, how are you feeling?” Siyeon asked as the taller girl smiled.

“I’m feeling alright. Sunmi sent some tea with me. So, I feel fine.” Yoohyeon said, but Minji was still clinging to her worriedly.

“I wonder what the others will think…” Minji said as Siyeon sighed.

“only one way to find out. Come on. Let's get home. I miss my sister…” Siyeon said as everyone climbed into their vehicles and soon were off towards home.

-Vivi Haseul and Yeojin-

“do you think that they will listen to us?” Haseul asked once the three were back in their hotel. It had been a stressful day.

“I hope so. If not, then everyone's lives could be in danger. We need their power if the government is truly planning what we believe they are. So many wolves have gone missing in Seoul…” Yeojin said as she looked over at Vivi.

_‘how is she?’_ Yeojin asked worriedly. They didn’t like forcing the girl to talk, but Vivi was their best bet for what they had planned.

_‘I think she’s alright. It's hard to tell, though. At least she is slowly starting to show emotions again…’_ Haseul said as Yeojin sighed.

_‘she was such a happy and kind person until they pushed her to her breaking point. I worry that we are hurting her. What if this is bringing up bad memories?’_ Yeojin asked as Haseul sighed.

_‘I don’t know. Who knew my sister, who had been missing for years, would show up on my doorstep with my mate… but even if we are mates, I still don’t know much about her. She struggles to open up, and I don’t want to push her…’_ Haseul said as Yeojin nodded.

_‘just don’t push her, and you should be fine. We can find a place to hide her if we need to. Those people have no idea what they have created. If they get ahold of Vivi by accident, then they can be unstoppable. If that happens, every non-human is at risk…’_ Yeojin said as she prayed that Siyeon would accept their offer. It wasn’t just them that was at risk but everyone.

_‘what if they fear her when they find out just how powerful she is?’_ Haseul worried as her older sister held her tightly.

_‘I don’t think that will happen. Siyeon seems to be a good person. And I’m sure she would understand what it's like to lose a mate. Even if it isn’t very normal for your mate to be human, you are still bonded.’_ Yeojin said as she comforted her worried sister.

“trust Siyeon. ok?” Yeojin whispered as Haseul hugged Yeojin tightly.

_‘please… please help me protect her. She has been through so much…’_ Haseul thought as she looked at Vivi, who was staring off into space. She was retreating into her mind once more, and Haseul couldn’t help but sigh. She felt helpless.

_‘please…’_ she begged.


	108. Chapter 108

-The Vote-

Siyeon and the others arrived at the house and didn’t know what to think. How would they explain all of this? Everything was just too hard to comprehend, and the thought of having such a huge fight ahead of them made Siyeon nervous.

Siyeon was nervous not for herself but for her mate and her friends. Everyone meant so much to her, and this would be truly painting a giant target over their head. How could they seriously stand a chance? She was deep in thought as she entered the house.

Everyone was standing around waiting to find out what the mystery girls wanted, and they could tell from the look on Siyeon’s face that whatever it was, it was very serious. Siyeon sighed as she slowly ran her fingers through her hair and flopped into a chair. Bora instantly snuggled up beside her as she washed a calming energy over her.

“thanks…” Siyeon said as she hugged bora and kissed the side of her head gently before looking back at the others.

“We have a bit of a problem… all of us…” Siyeon said as everyone exchanged nervous looks.

“what's wrong?” Heejin asked as Siyeon sighed.

“the government has started targeting those that are not human. It started with wolves but will soon start with others of our kind. They are collecting us…” Siyeon said as she heard silence wash over them.

“but… can they do that? How can they take us if we still follow their rules?” Jinsoul asked as Jungeun groaned.

“that explains some of the dreams I have been having… I just couldn’t understand them. I wasn’t sure if it was from the past or the future. I thought it was the wolves that rounded up everyone while acting like they worked for the government, but they might actually work for them… if this is the case, then this is bad…” Jungeun said as she sighed.

“what did you see?” Choerry asked as everyone looked at the banshee.

“I saw who I thought was that pack targeting our kind. They were using the gas canisters, but I know that we found some in that base, so I just assumed… fuck…” Jungeun said in frustration. She hated that if she had realized sooner, then she could have warned people. They could have been more prepared, but at this moment, things were not looking good.

“so, what do we do?” Hyejoo asked as Siyeon sighed.

“The three I met were… interesting. They seem to know Sooyoung and Chuu. Mind explaining a bit about them?” Siyeon asked as Sooyoung nodded.

“Remember how there were two transfers to our school last year? Haseul and Vivi? Well, that’s who was waiting for us. What I didn’t know is that she is a demon. So is her younger sister. Well… shes actually older but looks young. Like Yeri.” Sooyoung said as Jungeun’s eyes widened.

“Haseul? I saw her dying in a dream. It was one that ‘could be’ but can be easily changed. She was in a dark room and in chains. It reminded me of those cages from that base, but it looked new. Very clean compared to the other place. It seemed like they might be experimenting on her…” Jungeun said as Sooyoung sighed in frustration.

“you didn’t think to tell us this?” Sooyoung said with a groan as Jungeun sighed.

“Sooyoung… if I told everyone every single dream I have, we would be here forever. I have them when I’m awake and when I’m asleep. Some have sound, but most don’t. you try deciphering it!” Jungeun snapped. She felt horrible. She really didn’t think that the dream would come true, but it seemed like she was wrong.

“so what did they want to say? Just to warn us?” Yeri asked as Siyeon shook her head.

“she was asking for our help. But it's dangerous. The stronger our pack becomes, the more attention we will gain from the wrong people…” Siyeon said as Dami sighed.

“I think that we have already been put on their radar. Think about it. First, there was Jackson’s pack, and then that base we raided. We must be on their radar by now. So the question is just how long it takes before they come for us…” Dami said as Siyeon sighed. She had been worried about that.

“But if we fight them as Haseul wants, we will draw even more attention. What do you think will happen if we start taking on the government?” Siyeon asked as everyone went silent.

“I want to ask everyone's opinion, but we need to think both sides through before we vote. Any concerns?” Siyeon asked as Dami looked at her worriedly.

“Gahyeon… right now Handong is staying with her… I can't leave her…” Dami said as Siyeon softened. She could hear how vulnerable Dami sounded and sighed.

“it won't be right away. She offered to teach you and Yoohyeon to use your abilities better. From what it sounds, the two are incredibly strong, and it would be a big help. But it's still dangerous. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to make such an important decision without talking with everyone first.” Siyeon said as she looked at everyone.

“I think that they are right. It's only a matter of time. And if we are separated, we are weaker. I want to join your pack.” Hyunjin said as Siyeon looked at her in shock. She wasn’t expecting the vampire to say that.

“I do too. I don’t want to go back to my “home.” I never know what will happen. I feel safer here.” Chaewon said as Hyejoo nodded. Clearly, the young wolves had already discussed this before.

“I do too. I can't just sit here and do nothing now that I know what's happening. People like Heejin and Chuu could be helpless against these people. We could be the only ones to protect them. I want to join too.” Sooyoung said as Siyeon looked at her in shock. Everyone seemed to agree, including Jungeun and Jinsoul.

“you know that I will help you. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Choerry said as Yeri nodded. They planned to fight.

“but we could die. You realize this, right?” Siyeon said as she looked around at everyone. She couldn’t help but worry for everyone. They were already family to her.

“but we would be more at risk alone. Those people don’t have anyone to protect them. You know the rumors of what they did to my father. How many people are they experimenting on?” Dami asked as Siyeon groaned.

“it's not just our kind. The girl with them… Vivi, I think her name was? She was a foreign human that they kidnapped and experimented on. They called her a chimera basically. They are even experimenting on their own kind to try to make more powerful toys to play with…” Siyeon said as Sunmi growled.

“that’s just wrong! she was in a strange place, and they kidnapped her as they did their little science experiments on her?” Sunmi said as Siyeon nodded.

“I want to fight…” Sunmi said as her eyes flashed. Lightning flickered over her as her anger flared.

“What does everyone think? We should ask Handong…” Siyeon said as she walked out back and froze. She watched Handong handing the small creature little pieces of food as she talked to Gahyeon and sol.

The small creature was nervous as it picked up the food that Handong had given It and nibbled nervously. It looked like it was trying to figure out the vampire and was still unsure of her. Once it was done nibbling the food, it shifted its form. It now looked like Hyunjin again as it crept closer.

Handong watched the creature with interest, but it quickly turned to panic when the fox that had befriended Hyunjin wandered up to the creature excitedly. Handong panicked, fearing that it would hurt the innocent fox, but she was shocked when she heard a childlike giggle come from it as it flopped backwards and petted the excited fox happily.

Siyeon panicked just like Siyeon, but Seulgi set a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. The fox knew what it was doing. It could smell the creature and seemed to know it quite well.

_‘he seems to know the creature. He doesn’t trust people easily. There must be a reason.’_ Seulgi said as she watched the fox playing with the creature.

“Handong!” Siyeon called as the creature froze in panic. It didn’t know what to do, and it could see Hyunjin with them today. It nervously got to its feet as it slowly backed away, but Siyeon acted like she didn’t notice it as she looked at her friend.

“We have an issue, and we need to talk to you about it,” Siyeon said as Handong looked up in confusion. She could see the serious looks on the others faces.

“what's wrong?” Handong asked as she slowly stood but looked back at the tree. She didn’t want to leave Gahyeon.

“I will stay with her,” Hyunjin said as she flopped down onto the ground beside the tree. The creature expected a reaction but was shocked to find that Hyunjin acted like I wasn’t even there. Instead, she leaned back and just enjoyed her time with Gahyeon.

The creature tilted its head from side to side as it tried to figure Hyunjin out but finally decided to flee. It just couldn’t understand these people. They had killed its kind without hesitation, but suddenly they were kind to it? It just didn’t make sense.

Inside, Handong looked at everyone's serious expressions and finally needed to know what was going on. not knowing what was going on was killing her, and when she looked to Dami, she knew something was up. The girl had been so excited with the idea of research, and that excitement was gone and instead replaced with worry.

“what is it?” Handong asked, and once they filled her in, she carefully thought about her options. It was only a matter of time before they were noticed, and she had heard some wealthy vampire families suddenly vanishing. Could this be the reason why?

“I agree with Dami. It's only a matter of time, and we have strength in numbers. Even though we have two chosen right now, we will probably not be able to defend ourselves against the government. Especially if they are collecting our kind to use against us…” Handong said as Siyeon sighed.

“alright… time to vote. All for helping raise your hands. Those who don’t want to get involved leave your hands down…” Siyeon said, but as she looked around, she saw everyone with their hands up. The decision was made. They fight.

Siyeon quickly pulled out her cell and made a call first to jinyoung. She told him her decision and asked him to bring Haseul and the others, and soon she finally calls Haseul. The girl must have been waiting for her call. She answered on the first ring.

-Haseul-

Haseul sighed as she looked at her phone. Yeojin was watching tv as if nothing was wrong, but Haseul couldn’t help but worry. Her head was in Vivi’s lap as the quiet girl gently stroked her hair. This was a common sight for the two. They would switch depending on who needed comforting.

Haseul was starting to feel sleepy when a number flashed across her phone. She quickly sat up as she answered right away. She didn’t even try to fake being relaxed. She was too stressed to bother.

“Hello? Siyeon?” Haseul asked nervously. There was silence, and she could feel her heart drop until the alpha's voice came across the phone. She sighed in relief as Siyeon finally spoke and stood as she heard what the alpha said. They accepted.

Haseul looked at Yeojin in a shocked excitement and quickly agreed when Siyeon said that jinyoung could take them to Siyeon and the others. The demon quickly agreed as the three started getting ready.

“damn… I was just getting into this show…” Yeojin grumbled as she gathered her things. Siyeon had made it clear that they would have a place to stay there. It would make it much more convenient for their preparation.

“I know, but I’m sure they have many things to keep you occupied…” Haseul said with a smirk as she rolled her eyes at her older sister.

“I sometimes swear you act the age you look…” Haseul teased as Yeojin gasped. She quickly grabbed a pillow from the bed and chucked it at Haseul as the taller girl laughed.

“a car is here. I can feel it.” Vivi said as the two sisters stopped their joking and quickly grabbed their things as they heard a knock on the door.

Haseul swung the door open but was surprised when she didn’t see jinyoung but someone else. Who was this person? All she knew is that he smelled like a wolf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit short because the next one is so long. I was going to keep it one chapter but just so much goes on in the next one. I hope you all don’t mind! ^_^


	109. Chapter 109

-Surprises-

Haseul opened the door and stared at a strange wolf. She had not seen him before and suddenly felt on edge when he was quickly shoved out of the way to reveal one of Jinyoung’s pack. He quickly took down the unknown wolf, and soon Haseul and the others were quickly moved to Jinyoung’s car.

“what just happened?” Haseul asked as Jinyoung sighed.

“that’s a new wolf that showed up in town at the same time as you three. We had been keeping an eye on him already, but when you told us about the government, we got suspicious of him. Yugyeom was following him, and when he saw him make a move just now, he quickly acted before anything could happen to you…” Jinyoung said as Haseul and Yeojin exchanged worried looks.

“do you think they found us already?” Yeojin asked as Haseul looked at Jinyoung worriedly.

“don’t worry. Where Siyeon and her pack stay is very protected. The mountain is also rumored to be dangerous to wolves, so not many, if any, go up there but Siyeon and her pack. They will never think to look for you there.” Jinyoung said as the three sighed in relief.

“Yugyeom and Youngjae are investigating that wolf and will let me know what they find. Right now, I need to get you three to Siyeon’s pack safely.” Jinyoung said as he sped down the wooded roads to Siyeon and the others.

It didn’t take long with his driving, and soon he was leading them down the mist-covered path. The three could feel that something was lingering in the mist though they couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was. They walked to the gate and waited.

Sunmi walked to the front gate with Siyeon as they opened the gate and led them inside. But Yeojin couldn’t help but stare at the fox. She could tell what she was right away. Another thing that she noticed was that the odd feeling in the mist was obviously caused by her.

“When we get to know each other better, I would like to learn about your mist. It might come in handy for hiding our kind later.” Yeojin said as Sunmi looked at the shorter girl in shock. She wasn’t expecting that from the shorter girl.

“um, of course. Are you three hungry?” Sunmi asked automatically and was surprised when she suddenly had four pleading faces. She laughed as she looked at Jinyoung and laughed. He, too, was giving a pleading look at the mention of food.

“alright. We will talk over food. Come on inside.” Sunmi said as the four followed eagerly.

“thank you… I have been living off of ramen for the last several months…” Yeojin said as Haseul rolled her eyes.

“you are the OLDER sister. Why do I always have to make food, anyway?” Haseul asked as Yeojin rolled her eyes.

“It's BECAUSE I’m older. I’m the boss, so I tell you to cook…” Yeojin teased as Haseul sighed frustratedly. Sunmi smirked at the two as she led them into the kitchen. She looked at Siyeon and smiled. Sunmi was worried that they wouldn’t get along with the others or would act like they were more powerful than the others, but she had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case.

Yeojin ran into the room and looked at the chairs, and quickly pointed at three chairs that were brought out for them. She indicated where to sit as both Siyeon and Sunmi looked at them in confusion.

“I can see the residual energies that linger behind in items that are used often. I can tell that every chair has a distinct energy, so that means that the same people sit in them every day. All except these three.” Yeojin said with a shrug as she flopped down.

“and she’s your OLDER sister?” Yoohyeon asked as she and Dami entered.

“I don’t know why you seem so shocked. You are my older sister, and you are a dork ninety percent of the time…” Dami said as Yoohyeon acted offended.

“is it a demon thing?” Minji joked as she wrapped her arms around Yoohyeons neck and kissed her cheek.

“so, mean…” Yoohyeon said with a pout. Minji kissed her pouting lips, causing the wolf to smile happily as she snuggled against the vampire.

Yeojin gagged at the cuteness as Haseul sighed. Yeojin was hundreds of years older than Haseul, but she still liked acting the age she looked like because she knew that she could get away with it.

“so, what are you planning?” Yoohyeon asked as she and Minji sat in their chairs.

“to eat. Everything else we can discuss later. I’m STARVING!” Yeojin said as Haseul rolled her eyes.

“This is how she is most of the time. Please ignore her…” Haseul said, but as soon as Sunmi walked out with trays of food, her attention was gone.

Everyone grouped around the table and joked as they observed the three that were scarfing down food at an alarming rate. They had been so tired of ramen, and Sunmi’s cooking was some of the best food that they had ever had.

After they were stuffed, the girls looked to Haseul and Yeojin while Vivi sipped some of Sunmi’s tea happily. They were waiting for one of them to talk, and finally, Haseul looked to Jinyoung. She signaled for him to tell the girls what had just happened.

“so… there was a strange wolf that came into town at the same time as these three. We were suspicious of him, and when we went to take these three to you, we found him knocking on their door. Yugyeom arrested him and should call me soon with what they find, but he definitely seemed to be following them.” Jinyoung said as Siyeon frowned. This wasn’t a good sign.

“so, do you think that they are from the government?” Yeri asked as Jinyoung shrugged.

“I don’t know how we will even be able to tell unless they step in to free him. But that will be a huge giveaway that the wolf works for the government…” Jinyoung said as Siyeon felt her anxiety rising. Were they really that close to Siyeon and her pack already?

“If he does work for the government, then that means that we are running out of time…” Dami said as everyone went silent.

“shouldn’t they have called you by now?” Sooyoung asked as Jinyoung nodded.

“yes, I don’t know why they have not called me yet…” he said as he quickly called Yugyeom’s phone, but there was no answer. Suddenly he had the feeling that something was wrong and quickly called Youngjae. It was on the last ring when the phone finally picked up, but when Jinyoung paled, they knew that something was wrong.

“I have to go…” Jinyoung said as he went to stand. They could tell that something was wrong. Siyeon quickly grabbed his arm as he went to leave.

“what's wrong?” Siyeon asked as Jinyoung looked at her with worry.

“the wolf managed to get out of his handcuffs and attacked them. They killed him, but they sound like they were hurt badly. I need to go help them… he said as Siyeon nodded.

“I’m going too. I’m not going to sit here and do nothing. You three tried to save Gahyeon before, and I’m still grateful for that.” Siyeon said as she stood.

“I will go too,” Haseul said as she stood.

“they did try to protect us after all,” Haseul said as they walked out of the house and down the path. Instead of taking a car, Siyeon and Jinyoung shifted while Haseul held a bag full of clothes for the two to wear. She held on tightly to Siyeon as they ran to the last location that they knew the two had been.

‘there is a place where your father holds possible dangerous wolves while he figures out what to do with them. We decided to take him there. It's not far from here. Follow me!’ Jinyoung said as he ran through the woods and to what looked like a small house in the woods. They could see Yugyeom’s vehicle outside, and they quickly smelled blood.

Haseul’s eyes blazed a light green with a black ring as she used her abilities to scan the area. She could tell that there was a fight, and soon they came upon the strange wolf's body. She examined it and could tell that the two fought well. The wounds on the body said so.

‘they can't be far… spread out.’ Siyeon said as they quickly followed the two trails that they found. One led off into the woods, and the other led into the house.

Carefully Siyeon followed into the woods when the scent of blood grew stronger. She quickly followed the scent and soon found Yugyeom in the woods. He was in his human form, and there were several bite marks all over his body but what he noticed was that there were two different bite marks. One from a larger wolf and one from a smaller wolf.

Siyeon looked around as she rushed over to him and found the body of a small wolf beside him. Clearly, they had been fighting when Yugyeom was finally able to deal the killing blow. She checked the wolf and found that Yugyeom was still alive, just severely hurt, and quickly picked him up as she told Jinyoung what she found.

She met up with him outside the house, and relief was evident when she saw his expression as she walked up. He rushed over and took Yugyeom from her arms and set him beside the car. Inside the car was a first aid kit, and he soon was bandaging the wounds as they waited for Haseul.

_‘I found one of them… he's alive and awake. I’m coming outside with him.’_ Haseul said, and when Siyeon looked up, she saw Youngjae in her arms. They were safe.

Haseul used her flames to carefully cauterize the wounds, which caused Youngjae to scream in pain and black out, but it stopped the bleeding, and that’s what they needed. He was the most injured between the two.

_‘It looks like they were attacked by another wolf shortly after arriving…’_ Haseul said as Siyeon nodded.

‘yes, I found its body. They managed to take out the ones that hurt them, but I’m worried what this means…’ Siyeon said as she watched Yugyeom’s heavy breathing.

_‘move over. I will cauterize his wounds. Some are still bleeding heavily…’_ Haseul said as Jinyoung reluctantly shifted over to the side. Yugyeom only managed to grunt in pain as the burning fire sealed his wounds.

_‘it’s a good thing that their car is safe, and I could find the keys. I need to take them to your father and warn him. We need to have a plan to keep tabs on new wolves coming into town. If they are using wolves as their attack dogs, then we need to know who comes in and out of this town…’_ Jinyoung said as he carefully picked Yugyeom up and set him inside the vehicle. Next, Haseul set Youngjae inside, and they quickly attached their seatbelts.

_‘I will take them back to your father, but you might want to search inside. I’m sure that they had his belongings somewhere. There might be a clue in them.’_ Jinyoung said as the two girls nodded and watched him leave.

Though the bleeding was stopped, they still were severely hurt and needed their wounds cared for. He needed to get them to safety. Once he was gone, Siyeon and Haseul exchanged looks as they nodded and walked back into the house.

_‘look around. Let's see what we can find…’_ Siyeon said as they searched the house. Haseul used the same ability that Yeojin used earlier while eating and scanned the room. She quickly noticed a bundle of clothing that showed an energy that didn’t fit inside this house and signaled Siyeon.

The alpha came over as Haseul pointed to the clothes. She waited for Siyeon to grab them and watched carefully when they found something interesting. It was an id that looked like an official employee badge, and they quickly had a bad feeling.

_‘from what I heard, they chipped the wolves that they forced into service. If that’s the case, we need to burn their bodies…’_ Haseul said as Siyeon quickly stood and ran outside to fetch the body. She returned quickly and found a firepit around back. She quickly set the wolf in the pit as Haseul took a picture of the clothes and id badge before throwing it into the firepit as well as the other body.

Haseul’s flames were a greenish-black like her eyes, and they burned through everything in the firepit with ease. Once they were sure, nothing remained Siyeon quickly shifted as Haseul climbed onto her back.

_‘I think that they were just scouts. They must use the buddy system. I don’t think that they knew what we are but just knew we were different. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have approached us so foolishly.’_ Haseul said as Siyeon ran through the woods at a fast speed.

She didn’t pause as she ran through the mist, signaling that she was close to home, and told Sunmi to get ready at the gate as the two ran through. Sunmi secured the gate right behind her, and soon the three were quickly rushing inside.

“what happened?” Bora asked as she rushed over to her mate.

“They are alive, but they were really hurt. Haseul helped save them, and we found something interesting… Haseul, can you show them the pictures?” Siyeon asked as she nodded and pulled out her phone.

“It's some kind of id badge…” Haseul said as she held it up. The others looked at it and sighed.

“so, they are coming?” Yoohyeon asked as Haseul shook her head and explained her suspicions. If they really knew that she was a demon, they wouldn’t have sent only two wolves. The others agreed with her, but it didn’t help ease their worries.

“so, what do we do? How do we get stronger and fight them?” Choerry asked as they looked at Siyeon.

“has everyone here joined Siyeon’s pack?” Haseul asked as some shook their heads.

“We might want to start there then. There is strength in numbers, and the pack's strength will help you too. Are you alright with that?” Haseul asked as Siyeon sighed and nodded.

“yes, they already said that they want to do that… I just worry that I’m forcing them to join…” Siyeon said as everyone shook their heads in disagreement.

“you are not forcing us to do anything. If I remember correctly, we all told you we want to join?” Sooyoung said as Siyeon sighed and nodded.

“I say let's do it now,” Hyunjin said as she looked at Siyeon with a determined look. She wanted to protect the others.

“alright… let's go outside…” Siyeon said as she walked outside. She still felt like the situation took away their true choice and hoped that they wouldn’t regret it later.

They walked outside and quickly started. With the addition of the others, Siyeon could feel changes in her strength but what was interesting was Heejin’s initiation into the pack. From what the others had said, she was weak, and her bloodline was weak as well, but when she was added, everyone almost blacked out as they felt a surge of power. What was that?

Last came Haseul Vivi and Yeojin. They, too, were joining. Their powers would help, and once it was over, they had the feeling that Vivi was much stronger than they thought. However, her powers seemed more unstable.

Once that was done, everyone slowly walked inside the house. They all felt like they were buzzing with the new power and soon settled for a nap. Minji and Sunmi quickly showed them their rooms as the three went to nap.

But there was one person who couldn’t sleep. Since the addition of the others, Minji felt that something had changed with her powers. Her ability was now much stronger, and she was starting to wonder just how many she could cover in her ability now?

Minji was itching to test it but knew that the others would be asleep after the initiation and decided to snuggle with her mate until they finally woke up, but one thing was bothering her. Everyone in the house was now part of Siyeon’s pack, and they did feel stronger. But were they strong enough to face this challenge?

She felt her doubts and fears get the better of her as she snuggled against Yoohyeon. But the cuddly wolf helped ease them as she snuggled closer to Minji and held her tightly as she slept soundly. Soon Minji felt herself falling asleep as she admired the beautiful girl that was holding her. She truly was blessed since Yoohyeon came into her life.


	110. Chapter 110

-Back to Training-

Everyone was resting peacefully and slept all night. The surge of power made them sleep peacefully, and even Gahyeon and sol could feel the difference. She could feel her strength increased greatly and with it Sol’s since they were connected.

That also increased his ability to heal her, and soon the wolf was feeling much better. The pain was dulling, and she was able to breathe the oxygen sol was supplying in the tree much easier. But what was interesting was that she was feeling something change within her.

The slow healing was being assisted by Solar. She was helping Sol, and in doing so, her energy was mixing with the two. Whatever would happen when she came out of Sol’s core, she had no idea. Whatever would happen, she didn’t care. Gahyeon just wanted to hold Dami in her arms once again.

As everyone started waking up and heading downstairs, they slowly started to realize that something was different. Heejin noticed it the most. Her head ached, and she felt nauseous. Hyunjin could tell that something was wrong and hugged her tightly.

“what’s wrong, baby?” Hyunjin asked as Heejin groaned.

“I don’t know. I just have a horrible headache…” Heejin said as she swayed. Her head felt like it was splitting open. She wasn’t used to the strong power coursing through her, and it was starting to get to her.

“How is she? When she joined the pack, we all felt a surge of power. That came from her, but it must have been contained. She probably feels sick now that it has been released. You know I don’t think that she was as weak and mixed-blood as she thinks…” Sunmi said as she led Heejin over to her chair and went to make some tea.

“will I feel sick like this for long?” Heejin asked as she groaned and rested her head in her hands. She felt sick, and everything felt like it was spinning.

“here. This should help.” Sunmi said as she set a cup of tea in front of her. the shaky girl picked up the cup and took a small sip. She sighed as she felt an immediate effect. The nausea was subsiding, and so too was her headache.

“better?” Hyunjin asked as she held onto Heejin’s shoulder as her girlfriend nodded.

“better… so much better.” She said as she leaned her head against Hyunjin.

The next person to come down was Siyeon, and she seemed to be having the same issue. With all of the new members, her powers had surged, and she was starting to feel sick. Sunmi set a cup of tea in front of the alpha, and just like Heejin, it helped automatically.

“ahh… much better… how is everyone feeling?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the others who were sitting down.

“I feel much better. The others joining seemed to help my drained energy!” Yoohyeon said happily. She was happy to finally be feeling better without the help of Sunmi’s tea.

“that’s good, but some of us look rather sick…” Siyeon said as Sooyoung groaned. She was already strong to begin with, and with the added power, she looked rather pale.

“I have felt better…” she said while Chuu smiled happily. The power surge didn’t seem to bother her at all.

“so, I have a question to ask…” Haseul said as she staggered down the stairs. She, too, was feeling the effects of the power surge.

“what is the giant tree outside? It doesn’t feel like just a plant, and I swear it feels like someone is inside it…” Haseul said as Dami sighed.

“Gahyeon, my mate got injured in the last fight. Sol is the tree. He is like our son and quickly grew around her to try and slowly heal her. I miss them…” Dami said as she looked out the window.

“well, I was wondering why I felt an odd connection to them. they must be part of the pack then?” Haseul asked as they nodded.

“I want to go back to sleep…” Yeojin whined as she flopped into her chair. The younger looking girl was not a morning person.

“so, what are we going to do today?” Minji asked as she looked at Siyeon.

“well, we need to practice what we can do, but we also need to check to see if the others have developed any powers…” Siyeon said as Hyunjin and the others looked at her with a confused expression.

“powers?” Sooyoung asked as Siyeon nodded.

“because there are two foxes in the pack, our elemental abilities spread to you as well, like with Yeri and Choerry, remember? Mine is lightning as you know…” Sunmi said as lightning flickered over her body.

“and mine is ice…” Chungha said as cold radiated off of her as ice crystals formed on her skin.

“so, what do you think we will be able to do?” Sooyoung asked as the two shrugged.

“It varies per person. Siyeon, on the other hand, can use a mix of everyone’s powers. Probably because she’s the alpha, but we are not sure.” Sunmi said as she set down food. She and Jinsoul had cooked everyone breakfast, and everyone had to admit it smelled amazing.

“whatever you cooked… I want to eat it all!” Yeojin said as her sister laughed. She was looking at the plates being brought forward with hearts in her eyes.

“so, we will try right after breakfast?” Sooyoung asked as Siyeon nodded.

“Alright, let's eat!” Yeojin said excitedly as everyone started eating.

-Sooyoung’s Training-

It was decided that Sooyoung would be the first one to practice. She couldn’t wait to try and see what she could do. Once everyone was outside, they quickly discussed who would be a good match for Sooyoung to practice against when Yeojin stepped forward. She had heard that Sooyoung was strong and a fighter. She couldn’t wait to see what the girl could do.

“so first try to think of different emotions. That will help you pull out your abilities.” Yeojin said as she stood in front of Sooyoung, who nodded.

Sooyoung closed her eyes and thought about what emotion to bring forth first. She decided to think of the excitement of fighting, and right away, the others could see that something was happening. Burgundy lightning flickered around her fists and feet, but as soon as she switched to another emotion, it was gone.

Now she thought about anger. She thought about how that wolf taunted her while telling her all the horrible things she planned to do to Chuu, and soon, the others watched burgundy flames swirling around her hands and feet this time.

_‘interesting. She has just shown two elements. What do you think?’_ Siyeon asked Sunmi as she paid close attention.

_‘I think she might not be limited to one or two elements but all of them. But they only focus around her fists and feet. She’s a fighter after all, so I’m not surprised, but let's see what else she can do?’_ Sunmi asked as they watched carefully.

Sooyoung switched emotions once more. This time she thought of her doubts and fears when wind swirled around her. She could truly do a bit of everything, and it was fascinating. But Yeojin had seen enough. She was now itching to fight.

“alright. So far, you have shown three elements. Let's see if you can use them before you keep going, ok? I want to punch something!” Yeojin said as Sooyoung opened her eyes. They glowed the same color as her ability as she smirked. She would never turn down a challenge.

“Let's do this…” Sooyoung said as the two charged in. though Yeojin looked young, her age and skill were evident. She was quick as she ducked under Sooyoung’s first swing and caught her in the stomach. Though her fist connected with her abs and Yeojin had to admit it was like punching steel. What was this girl?

Sooyoung felt the excitement, and soon the lightning was flickering around her fists as she smashed it into Yeojin’s side. The lightning discharged and launched the shorter girl backwards as she coughed. It was a nice hit, and if the lightning would force her backwards then it would be a good way to give her space when needed.

Yeojin was very good at taunting, though. She quickly pushed Sooyoung’s buttons, and soon the burgundy flames circled around her as she smashed her fist into Yeojin’s side once more. The smaller girl was unaffected by the strikes, however.

Yeojin had learned at a young age to create something similar to armor out of her energy. She had so much of it that she could easily sacrifice some to protect herself. It was now a habit for her, and the girl couldn’t help but smirk as she noticed that it was aggravating Sooyoung.

“you are strong, but can you penetrate my armor?” Yeojin teased as Sooyoung growled.

Sooyoung charged in as she combined punches and kicks as she smashed into Yeojin. But the flames did nothing to a demon, so she changed her tactics. Instead, she let her excitement take over, and soon she was launching her back several feet every time she struck.

Yeojin was impressed. Every hit drained her energy more and more as Sooyoung became more comfortable with her abilities, but now it was time for Yeojin to strike back. She quickly went and ducked a powerful kick as she smashed her knee into Sooyoung’s stomach. This time though, she put her energy behind it and knocked the taller girl backwards.

Sooyoung clutched her stomach as she skidded backwards. It was the first time she really took a hit like that in a while and had to admit it shocked her. for so long, she could just charge in there and feel almost invincible, but now she finally was feeling weaker than she was used to.

With that, her doubts came into play and with it, so did the wind. With it, she punched and kicked much faster than before. It was like the wind pulled her forward, helping her smash into the smaller girl at rapid speeds.

Yeojin was finally feeling the pressure, and Haseul found it insanely amusing. Her sister had loved to brag about her abilities and found the fight highly entertaining until Yeojin smirked. She had figured out something.

“I know what you are now…” the demon said as Sooyoung paused.

“what?” she asked as Yeojin nodded.

“a war goddess. There are some war goddesses that are passed down the female generations. You are one of them. this means you are a natural at fighting and people are probably naturally drawn to you, right?” Yeojin asked as Sooyoung nodded.

“well, now that we know that we just need to research your family to tell us what war goddess you are. Then we can train you accordingly.” Yeojin said as Sooyoung looked at her in shock.

“goddesses really exist?” Sooyoung asked as Yeojin laughed.

“yes, they do. Though its people's beliefs that originally gave them their powers, not a greater being.” Yeojin said as Sooyoung listened carefully.

“so that means I might be able to do other things?” Sooyoung asked as she nodded.

“It just depends on what your family origins are.” She said as Sooyoung nodded.

“Are you two done now?” Siyeon asked as Yeojin nodded.

“yes. Well, at least for now. I do want to try her after she learns all of her abilities.” Yeojin said with a challenging smirk. Already Sooyoung could tell she would like the tiny yet feisty demon.

“who wants to go next?” Siyeon asked as Minji stepped forward.

“I already know my ability, but I think that my strength has gotten stronger. Can some of you help me test it?” Minji asked as Siyeon nodded.

Soon the pack was split into two teams. It was going to be a mini-battle, and Minji’s goal was to see how many she could cover in her time ability and for how long? It was going to be a challenge, but Minji was excited to test it.

Once Siyeon gave the signal, the two teams charged forward, but Minji’s entire team suddenly vanished as the other team went flying. Choerry was on the opposite side of Minji and quickly used her protective aura on her team, but they couldn’t fight what they couldn’t see.

“damn, I can't see them! I don’t even see any signs to signal anything! No footprints or anything!” Sooyoung said as Choerry nodded.

“what do we do now?” Choerry asked as she and Sooyoung guarded each other’s backs.

“im not sure. Jungeun?” Sooyoung asked as the banshee went flying. Minji and the others knew to take her out first. She knew the most about them and could even see into the future, so Minji took her out first.

“shit!” Sooyoung shouted as she saw Jinsoul roar and charge forward. She didn’t appreciate her mate being taken out so easily. But the dragon was soon down just like Jungeun.

“shit!” Sooyoung shouted again. Her team wasn’t doing well.

With a growl, she stepped forward as she scanned her surroundings and realized something. She could feel something strange. She couldn’t explain it, but soon the feeling was closer, and without thinking, she dodged as her leg snapped out, striking something solid as it went flying. Even if she couldn’t see it, she knew that she made contact.

_‘I think I’m feeling their intent to fight?’_ Sooyoung wondered as she felt the feeling approach again, and just like last time, she struck whatever was hidden as it went flying.

_‘I think I can feel them approach! Follow my lead!’_ Sooyoung said to Choerry as she nodded.

Sooyoung quickly relayed her information as the two fought back to back. They were really a good team as they worked together. Siyeon had to admit that she was proud of them.

_‘Minji, how do you feel? You have been holding this for a while…’_ Siyeon asked as the vampire smirked.

“I feel like I can do this all day…” she said as she charged forward.

The fight lasted for several more minutes before Minji started to weaken. Soon they were starting to struggle. They were not pushing too hard. If they did, the fight would end too quickly. They did have time on their side after all.

“push her a little more. We might be able to bring out her goddess side if you push her enough.” Yeojin said as they nodded. This was not just for Minji to practice but also for Sooyoung, and already she was showing good leadership in a fight.

“I think we need to practice fighting in different teams and learn who would be good to lead in tight situations if I am cut off from you and can't give you orders…” Siyeon said thoughtfully as the others nodded. It was a good idea.

“What is that thing?” Yeojin asked as she pointed at the little creature. She was preparing to blast it but was quickly stopped by the alpha.

“We think it was a child trapped in a mirror by a doppelganger. It twists them the longer that they are trapped inside the mirror.” Siyeon said as Yeojin listened carefully and let her ability fade away.

“it seems intrigued at the fighting…” Yeojin said as she watched it carefully. But soon, Minji’s ability started to slip. They could feel it weakening as they fell from her ability one at a time. Could Sooyoung and Choerry now win?


	111. Chapter 111

-The Last of The Mirror Creatures-

Sooyoung and Choerry were watching carefully, but when Minji’s ability started to fail, they knew that they needed to move quickly. Sooyoung charged forward, smashing into people left and right while Choerry kept up her protective aura and took out the ones that tried to get back up. The lion shifted and charged in as she used her strength to knock people out.

Sooyoung and Choerry were a good team, but when they turned to Yoohyeon, they suddenly had a very protective vampire in their way. Minji was extremely protective after Yoohyeon had a hard time gaining back her energy, so the vampire was especially protective of her mate.

Sooyoung charged in as Minji lunged. The two collided, and though Minji’s cat form was large, she couldn’t overpower Sooyoung. The woman was holding Minji’s front paws in her hands as she forced her backwards. The vampire tried to bite, but she was kept off balance and had to walk backwards, or she would end up pinned beneath the woman.

Sooyoung was truly powerful, and Minji didn’t know what to do in this situation. But she soon saw Yoohyeon flying through the air at Sooyoung only to be intercepted by Choerry. The lion had more strength than Yoohyeon and was easily able to pin the wolf, but Choerry wouldn’t bite her. she wasn’t sure if Yoohyeon’s healing was affected by the last fight, so she didn’t want to hurt her.

_‘damn… how are you so strong?’_ Yoohyeon asked as she squirmed beneath her, but Choerry stopped her with a strong paw on her chest.

_‘fine… you win…’_ Yoohyeon said in a pouting tone as Choerry turned around to see how Sooyoung was doing. Minji was down, but now she faced Irene and Seulgi. The two fought as a team, and with a quick beat of her wings, Choerry was beside Sooyoung in seconds.

_‘you know it looks like something from legends. The war goddess and her winged lion companion. Good thing that they are not mates or they would be unstoppable…’_ Yeojin said as Siyeon nodded. The two did work well together, and if they need to split up one day, she knew that these two would be a good choice to team up. They fought naturally together.

It was the same with Seulgi and Irene. The two were perfect together. Seulgi was immune to Irene’s cold, and they moved together without thinking, but Siyeon wondered what would happen if the two were separated. They clearly rely on each other, but while she knew that they could handle themselves, would they be able to do as well if they were separated? Maybe she needs to split them into odd teams so that everyone could fight well?

Siyeon looked around and noticed that Sooyoung was fighting Seulgi. The woman against the charging bear was quite a sight, but they both were holding their own. Sooyoung charged forward and slammed into Seulgi as they rolled around. Soon Sooyoung found herself pressed into the soil as Seulgi tried to overpower her.

Sooyoung smirked as she got her legs underneath Seulgi’s ribs and quickly kicked the bear off of her. Seulgi was not a light bear, but Sooyoung was able to kick Seulgi off of her like it was nothing. Her strength was insane, and soon her eyes blazed as she felt the excitement of fighting once again. With that excitement, her lightning started to flicker around her hands.

Seulgi stood and noticed Sooyoung’s excitement. Unlike most of her kind, Seulgi quickly loved fighting. She, too, felt excited, and when she charged with a roar. They battled it out while Irene and Choerry fought a bit differently.

Irene was in her cat form as frost formed around her. she was circling the dark-furred lion. She knew that Choerry could protect others but what else she could do was a mystery. They cautiously tested each other when finally, Siyeon called the fight. They were obviously evenly matched, and there would be no winner unless someone accidentally slipped up somehow.

“They did better than I thought. But the tiny one interests me. She draws my attention, and I can't figure out why…” Yeojin said as she looked at Chuu.

“did you just call my girlfriend tiny when you are taller than her?” Sooyoung asked as she jogged back over. She sported minor scratches but nothing serious. You would have never known that she had just faced a bear with no weapons.

“possibly… my size doesn’t matter. I’m tiny because my powers are too strong that it stunted my growth…” Yeojin said as Haseul snorted. It had been a lie that Yeojin had been spreading for years.

“no, it’s not! Both of our parents are short!” Haseul said as Yeojin stuck her tongue out at her.

“anyway…” Yeojin said as she rolled her eyes. “she draws my attention. It reminds me of a muse or something similar…” she said as Dami nodded. She had just checked on sol and Gahyeon and had just trotted back.

“that’s what we were thinking, but not everything fits. So, I’m not sure…” Dami said as Yeojin nodded.

“some people are meant to lead or be the center of attention, to be motivation to people. That is what a muse is. But they are all different. You might have muse in your family, but there is something else there too. I just can’t figure out what…” Yeojin said as she looked at her aura.

“I find it interesting how so many uncommon people are here. Two foxes when they are almost extinct… a war goddess… Two chosen wolves… Two demon siblings… whoever is in the tree over there… a banshee… some sort of dragon… someone who reminds me of winter itself and a bear shifter that’s kind hasn’t been seen in years. All of this in one location…” Haseul said as she ticked everything off on her fingers.

“It's almost like someone was prepared for this to happen and gathered everyone here…” Yeojin said as Siyeon automatically thought of solar and Moonbyul. Could it be? Could this be what they had planned for her to face?

Siyeon planned on confronting Moonbyul about it. She had always said that there was something that Siyeon and the others would have to face, but this was something else. She decided to figure it out later, though. She could hear her phone going off inside the house.

“let’s rest inside for a bit. I hear my phone.” Siyeon said as she jogged inside.

Siyeon ran up to her room and noticed it was a call from jinyoung. She quickly answered and sighed in relief. Youngjae and Yugyeom were alright, and his pack had not noticed any new or strange wolves in town.

“so, everything is alright for the moment… that’s good to hear but be careful. You are down your two enforcers of your pack. I know that your pack is still unstable after all of this, so stay safe…” Siyeon said as he agreed.

“yeah, about Sol… something happened to both Sol and Gahyeon. I didn’t want to tell you in front of everyone else… yeah, I will explain it to you later, I promise. Take care of those two… bye.” Siyeon said as she sighed. She could tell that jinyoung wanted to know what happened but could tell from Siyeon’s voice that it might not be an easy thing to talk about.

Siyeon slowly walked back down the stairs and spotted the others. They were relaxing after the mini battle, but suddenly Siyeon heard a strange sound. It reminded her of a mix of an animal and a child crying. She quickly looked outside and froze. The little creature was surrounded by two of the missing mirror creatures and looked like it had been hurt. But what surprised her was what the little creature was doing.

The creature was standing in between Sol’s trunk and the creatures. The things were clearly wanting to get to Sol, but the little creature was defending sol against two creatures that were twice its size.

-The Creature-

It sat watching the fight excitedly. It was so fascinating that the girls could do so many things that it didn’t understand, but it loved to watch them. The way that the girls interacted reminded it of past memories that had faded and became blurry.

All that remained of its memories were faint images that were hard to understand, but instead of dwelling on those lost memories, the creature was enjoying watching and learning from the others. Everything felt new and exciting.

It watched carefully and was confused when the girls disappeared but soon understood that it just couldn’t see what was happening. It watched eagerly as they battled and was amazed at how strong Sooyoung was.

Its favorites had to be Hyunjin and Sooyoung. It suspected that Hyunjin had been acting like she didn’t notice it and was proven right when she shifted and protected it from one of the bigger creatures that liked to hurt it and steal its food. Everyone had been kind to it though it knew that they saw its kind as an enemy. It was confusing, but it was grateful for their kindness.

Once the fighting was over, Siyeon and the others walked inside, and it slowly wandered over to the tree that is Sol. It watched the fight where Gahyeon got hurt. It refused to come and help the mean one and was upset when Gahyeon got hurt.

Knowing that she was inside fascinated it, and it hoped that she was alright. It gently laid a clawed hand onto the trunk. It didn’t know what it was expecting to feel, but one thing it knew was that Gahyeon was inside even if it couldn’t feel her. Suddenly the creature heard noises behind it and turned around to see the two remaining mirror creatures approaching.

Suddenly it felt panic rise in its stomach as it put itself between them and sol. They had seen the little one coming back with food and wanted it to themselves. But its sudden defensiveness in front of the tree quickly turned their attention. They wanted what they shouldn’t have. They were now focused on it and the tree.

Their minds were simple, and they wanted what they couldn’t have. The issue was that they were much larger and stronger than the little one, and soon it found itself in a dangerous situation. The creatures charged it, but it refused to move. That would mean that sol and possibly Gahyeon could get hurt.

Unlike these creatures, it didn’t like hurting things and never had. One of the creatures slashed at it, and it quickly tried to dodge. It remembered how Sooyoung moved, and though it didn’t have the strength Sooyoung does, it was able to dodge and block the hit.

The other creature charged in and attacked while it was distracted, and soon it felt a searing pain on its shoulder. The larger creatures’ claws had cut deep into its flesh, but it held its ground. It didn’t like hurting others, but it wouldn’t let Sol and Gahyeon get injured.

The two creatures charged at once. It couldn’t hold against both of them and felt several slashes land as it cried out in pain. There were deep slashes on its chest and back from the two, but they didn’t stop there. Soon it felt a deep tearing in the muscles of its thigh as it screamed once more.

It struggled to its feet as it put itself between the two and the tree once more. The larger of the two charged forward and slashed at it, leaving a nasty slash on its face. Blood was now running into the little one's eyes as it struggled to defend the two. Just when it thought it had failed, two streaks darted past. One was white, and the other was black.

Siyeon slammed into the larger creature as she locked her jaws onto its neck and pulled as she shook her head. Her white fur was soon painted silver as she stood above the now still body. The other that came to its rescue was Hyunjin.

The black leopard charged in and took the other one down as she snarled and shredded it. Her anger flared, and she wanted it to hurt for attacking the tiny creature that didn’t attack once. She wasn’t sure why, but she felt very protective of the little one.

Siyeon and Hyunjin looked back at the little one to see it sway as it fell backwards against Sol’s trunk. It slowly slid down the trunk. It was relieved that sol and Gahyeon were safe but what it didn’t notice was the little giggle that happened as it fell backwards.

Siyeon looked up at sol and then at Hyunjin. They both swore that they heard the happy plant giggle. But was it all in their heads? When the little one tried to stand, though, they heard the giggling once more as it held the tree for support.

But it became hard to hold onto the tree for support when it suddenly started moving. Slowly sols branches were untwining and retracting to leave Gahyeon in the middle. Her once dark hair was now a blonde and pink mix as she looked down at the little one and quickly leaned down. She could tell that it was the kind little thing that would gently touch the trunk and quickly noticed the wounds all over it and the bodies beside Siyeon and Hyunjin.

“are you alright?” Gahyeon asked hoarsely. Her voice was a bit rough from lack of use, but she quickly let her powers wash over the little one. It felt the cooling tingles of Gahyeon’s powers wash over it and couldn’t help but feel amazed as it lost consciousness.

-Dami-

Dami felt the change in Gahyeon and sol and quickly ran outside to see the end of the fight and watched as sol slowly retracted back to his normal self, and with that, she soon saw Gahyeon for the first time in a while. Gahyeon’s hair color was different, but that soft smile she gave when she spotted Dami made the older girl's heart melt as she charged forward. She carefully took Gahyeon in her arms as Hyunjin picked up the little one.

“I have missed you so much!” Dami said softly as she snuggled against Gahyeon’s neck. The younger girl giggled as she held her mate tightly.

“I missed you too… I felt you beside us every night. I know you were not sleeping well…” Gahyeon said as Dami sighed into her neck. It was nice to smell Gahyeon’s scent once more.

“I missed you…” Dami said softly as Gahyeon rubbed her back gently.

“I know… but I was worried…” Gahyeon said softly as Dami snuggled against Gahyeon cutely.

‘I helped!’ sol said proudly as he looked at Gahyeon happily.

“you did help sol. Without you, we would have lost Gahyeon…” Dami said as the two felt sols vines wrap around them in a hug. He was glad that he could help, but he was feeling really sleepy. It took a lot out of him to bring Gahyeon back a second time.

That attack had damaged her healing, so it was so much harder than it should have been. The surge of power from the others joining the pack definitely helped as well. It helped him push harder and finally heal the last of her wounds.

The others had quickly run outside after they saw Siyeon and Hyunjin bolt out of the back door and suddenly heard fighting but didn’t know what to say as they saw Gahyeon standing there. Emotions were everywhere when Minji finally ran over and captured the three in a big hug. Soon the others followed as they held each other.

“Minji, stop crying!” Yoohyeon shouted as she sniffled.

“you stop crying first!” Minji whined as she held Gahyeon tightly.

“no! both of you stop crying!” Bora shouted as she clung to the pink-haired wolf.

“all of you look silly! Stop crying!” Handong shouted as she and Elkie held each other happily.

“Everyone! stop crying! I can't take it!” Gahyeon said as she looked at the teary eyes looking up at her. She was never good at holding back her tears. Especially when everyone else was crying, and soon they were all crying as Hyunjin looked at them and shook her head. Such a mess.

She looked down at the little one in her arms. It was now healed but still had not woken up. It was tiny and really did look like a child. It was also too light. There was no way that it was eating all of the food that they were giving it, and soon she figured out why her fox friend loved it so much. Food. It was sharing its food with the fox.

_‘well… you are an interesting one, aren’t you?’_ Hyunjin thought to herself as she gently held it in her arms and looked back to Gahyeon. She was glad to see the wolf alive and smiling. But they still need to tell her about what Haseul and the others told them.

Hyunjin looked behind her and spotted the three by the door. The three of them were smiling. But the happiest one looked to be Vivi, and her happy expression made Haseul smile even more. It was nice when Vivi would show one of her buried emotions.

_‘well, I guess we will have to explain a lot… Gahyeon is going to get a headache…’_ Hyunjin thought as she watched Siyeon spinning Gahyeon in a big wolfy hug. Right now, though, they all just wanted to enjoy that Gahyeon and sol were back.


	112. Chapter 112

-The Little One-

Gahyeon looked around as everyone tried to explain what was going on, and she had to admit that she was getting a headache. Everything was a lot to take in, but she had to admit that she agreed with their decision. They needed to fight. And not just for themselves. They have better odds against the enemy compared to others.

Siyeon and the others crowded around her as Dami was glued to her. Sol was excited as he gamed with Hyejoo and Chaewon in the corner of the room. They were cheering as sol managed to get past a level that Hyejoo was stuck on.

“I’m glad to see you are alright…” Siyeon said as she hugged her sister once more. She gently ran her fingers through Gahyeon’s now pink hair as she admired it. It reminded her of some of the pink flower petals that Gahyeon liked.

“so, we decided to fight, and the three over there are demons that will help us?” Gahyeon asked as Haseul smiled.

“close. Yeojin and I are demons, but Vivi isn’t. she was human. But the government kidnapped her and experimented on her. Yeojin brought her with her when she escaped last time, and we have kept her safe since.

“Yeah, who knew that I was rescuing my little sister’s mate,” Yeojin said as Haseul smiled and gently took Vivi’s hand.

“she isn’t very talkative. Some of the experiments were very cruel, and she still has some issues from it. She shut out the world for the longest time. It took several years to get her to talk.” Haseul said as everyone looked at Vivi.

Vivi was clearly not listening to anything Haseul said and was instead looking around at the various items around the house. She wasn’t doing it maliciously. It seemed to be her norm, and it was confirmed by Haseul.

_‘as soon as you mention the experiments, she stops listening. It takes a while for her to come back to us. She has trouble with those memories. She also has side effects from them. When she starts to use her powers, it can go out of control. I’m hesitant to have her try them now that she is stronger from joining your pack…’_ Haseul said as Gahyeon nodded.

Gahyeon let a calming wave wash over Vivi, and the girl looked at her in surprise but smiled after. It was nice to know that Gahyeon was worried about her even though she had just met her. The quiet girl suddenly was interested in Gahyeon and her mate, who clung to her like a koala.

Gahyeon looked at Dami. She was holding onto her but was sound asleep. Dami was unable to sleep well, and now that Gahyeon was back, Dami passed out with her arms around Gahyeon as she slept soundly.

“I wanted to thank everyone. I could hear you visiting me, and without you, I probably would have gone insane. It was just too quiet, so hearing and feeling you all visit me meant a lot.” Gahyeon said as everyone smiled.

“But I also felt this little one visiting me when I was alone. why does that one feel different?” Gahyeon asked as Hyunjin looked at the little one that was still unconscious.

Gahyeon looked at the little creature that Hyunjin had set on the couch and found it interesting. She had felt it coming to the tree and visiting and also felt that it didn’t have any aggression at all. Though it looked twisted, it also seemed slightly different. The cold, slimy look that the others had was missing from this little one.

It was pale and grey, but It wasn’t like the others. It wasn’t noticeable from far away, but from this distance, she could tell that something was different about this one compared to the others. But what did that mean?

_‘when you saw this one before, did it look like this?’_ Gahyeon asked Hyunjin. The vampire looked from Gahyeon to the creature in confusion.

_‘Like what?’_ Hyunjin asked as Gahyeon examined it more carefully.

_‘the other creatures looked like their skin was damp or almost translucent. This one looks pale but doesn’t have the same strange skin. Was it always like that?’_ Gahyeon asked as Hyunjin thought carefully.

_‘no. it originally looked like the others… I don’t know why it now looks like this now…’_ Hyunjin said with a confused expression.

_‘is it changing?’_ Haseul asked as she leaned over the sleeping creature.

_‘I can't tell what they were before…’_ Yeojin asked as everyone shrugged.

_‘the mirror realm tends to corrupt you. So, I’m not sure, and I don’t know if it will even know what it originally was...’_ Yeri said as the others nodded.

_‘it seems like this little one is slowly reversing whatever happened to it in that place...’_ Dami said sleepily as she snuggled against Gahyeon’s shoulder.

_‘it will also be easier if we can find out their name, but hopefully, they can remember their own name when they wake up.’_ Siyeon said as everyone nodded.

_‘what happened anyway? We just saw the two of you charging out of the house.’_ Yoohyeon asked as Siyeon explained how the little one was guarding sol and Gahyeon against the other creatures.

_‘well, from the first time we saw them to now, it hasn’t been very long. Maybe that means that they will soon be able to remember things?’_ Choerry asked cheerfully as everyone hoped that she was right.

_‘well, let's try to wake them. I brought food.’_ Sunmi said as she gently sat beside the little one and softly spoke to it.

“wake up, little one. we brought you some food.” Sunmi said softly as their eyes fluttered open. It was a shock to see that they were surrounded by the others, and they quickly leaned back against the couch until Sunmi lifted up the tray for them to see.

The creature instantly noticed the food and looked at Sunmi nervously as she nodded and handed them the tray. What they didn’t know is that it was things like this that would help the little one slowly return back to their original form. The abilities would still linger, but their appearance would return to normal. It would just take some time and patience.

The creature looked down at their hands and suddenly retracted them from the tray as their image shifted. They now looked like Hyunjin, and the vampire couldn’t help but smile sadly.

_‘they don’t like how they look. That’s why they keep mimicking us…’_ Hyunjin said as Siyeon nodded.

_‘It looks like it. Let's see how much they understand…’_ Siyeon said as she knelt down.

The little one leaned back with wide eyes. They always found Siyeon’s Vivid green eyes intimidating, and when looking at her this closely, it was somewhat unnerving. But they held still as Siyeon smiled and started to speak.

“do you understand what I am saying?” Siyeon asked as the little one hesitated then nodded. They were picking up speaking rather quickly from the others, and it was slowly triggering old memories but nothing to tell about their past life.

“ok. We have food for you, but we also have a question. Do you have a name?” Siyeon asked as she looked at the little one with a kind smile.

The little one searched their memories, but only vague memories came to the surface, but one name seemed to come to the top. Lua. Was it really their name or someone else’s? They weren’t sure. Everything was a blur, but suddenly their image shifted, and a girl with short hair sat in front of them.

“L, Lua?” she said in a soft voice, but they could tell that there were some doubts. She was unsure if it was really her or just someone that she cared about. One thing that she did know was that she didn’t like what she looked like right now without her illusion.

“Lua? Want to eat?” Sunmi asked as she nodded with wide eyes. She was still unsure of how to act.

“here. This is for you to eat.” Sunmi said as she handed Lua the tray and stepped back.

“Do you remember anything else?” Siyeon asked as Lua shook her head. She had no idea about anything else.

“Alright, Lua. You look very young. How did you survive against the ones that would attack you?” Siyeon asked as the little girl shivered. She didn’t know how to describe it, but the way she stayed safe was hiding and, of course, the help that she got from the animals around.

Seulgi had an effect on the animals around her. They seemed to be more intelligent than the ones that have not met her before. Now the animals around the house were assisting Lua in keeping clear of the more aggressive ones.

“h, hiding?” Lua said. She seemed unsure about her words, but Siyeon smiled as she gently stroked her hair.

“you did very well,” Siyeon said with a smile causing Lua to smile back shyly.

“go ahead and eat. We won't take it from you. So, you don’t have to rush. Ok?” Siyeon said as she nodded and grabbed a piece of bread that Sunmi had baked earlier and tasted it as she smiled excitedly. It tasted amazing, and Sunmi was happy to see her eating so eagerly.

“Why did you stop those two?” Gahyeon asked after Lua was done with her food. The tilted her head cutely. She didn’t understand why Gahyeon would ask that. Wasn’t it obvious? She didn’t want her to get hurt.

The issue was that she couldn’t think of how to describe that, so she set the tray to the side and walked over to hug Gahyeon. She was startled at Lua’s actions but soon smiled as she returned the hug. She understood what she meant.

“thank you but try not to get hurt, ok?” Gahyeon asked as she nodded.

“so, what do we do with her? we are running out of rooms, and I don’t know what to do,” Yoohyeon asked as Sunmi laughed.

“We do have more rooms, but I think what you mean is you don’t know if she should stay alone?” Sunmi asked as Yoohyeon nodded. Lua looked so young, and she was worried about the little girl staying in a room by herself.

“well, don’t worry. I can stay with her until she is comfortable if she needs it.” Hyunjin said as she looked down at the little girl. She was the reason that Lua was inside and safe. She felt really protective of the young girl, but she had to admit that she was curious if she was like Yeri. Would her age catch up with her?

“alright. Now that is settled, we just need to decide what to do about our training. We still need to have the others try out their powers, but right now, we also need to learn how to work as a group and separate.” Siyeon said as the others nodded.

Siyeon looked over to Hyunjin and Lua and smiled. Sunmi had brought her more bread, and she held some out to Hyunjin, who took a bite happily. She could tell that the two would get along well, and it was already adorable. She had not seen Hyunjin smile like that except at Heejin.

_‘It looks like your cousin just adopted a daughter…’_ Siyeon said as she looked at Bora. Her mate was smiling. It was nice to see Hyunjin looking so happy and smiling. She had seemed so emotionless for so long that it was nice to see more emotion from her teasing cousin.

They showed Lua to the room that she would be staying in, and soon Sunmi was looking for clothes that would fit her. Sadly, the only things that she could find for the smaller girl were some old clothes of Yeri’s that she had stored in the attic.

“we will go shopping for clothes in the morning, alright?” Sunmi asked as Lua nodded excitedly. She vaguely remembered that she liked shopping, but she couldn’t remember why.

“Let's go outside and continue training, alright?” Siyeon asked as everyone nodded as they filed outside. Lua was holding Hyunjin’s hand as they walked outside, and Siyeon could tell that Heejin fount it adorable as she watched the two walking out back.

“Chuu, you want to try next?” Siyeon asked as the cheerful girl nodded and walked to the center of the field.

Chuu stood in the center as she closed her eyes and started going through her emotions. The one that worked right away was her love for Sooyoung. As she thought of her, she felt a warmth rising inside her that radiated in waves off of her. the others didn’t feel anything right away, but soon they felt comfortable and heavy.

Siyeon went to take a step forward, and suddenly she felt like she was moving through water. It was a very sluggish movement, and she couldn’t help but be surprised. It was difficult to move her limbs, and soon she was too weak to move them at all.

Chuu, on the other hand, could move freely as she walked around and stood before Sooyoung. She was wondering why her girlfriend only moved her eyes but didn’t turn her head to look at her but soon figured it out when she hugged her, and the taller girl could do nothing.

With a smirk, Chuu gripped Sooyoung’s ass before fleeing back to the center of the field as Sooyoung gave her a look of shock. It was soon replaced with humor though it was hard to see with the paralyzing effects that Chuu was producing.

‘I wonder if you can control who you can target with this. see if you can lift it from me.’ Siyeon said as Chuu carefully tried. It took several minutes before Siyeon felt the numbness and weight start to lift. She slowly looked around and could tell that the others were still frozen in place.

“did it work?” Chuu asked as Siyeon nodded and stepped forward.

“I don’t know how to describe that, but I think we can definitely use this. You can stop people in their tracks with this, and I’m curious to see how strong it can become as your powers grow…” Siyeon said as she tried to think of plans where she could use Chuu’s ability. That with Minji’s ability would be devastating, but Siyeon was already seeing that Chuu couldn’t hold it for long. She was starting to struggle.

“Chuu. It's ok. Go ahead and release it. don’t push yourself too hard.” Siyeon said as the smiling girl shook her head.

“I want to see how long I can hold it for right now so that I can compare it later. I’m ok right now…” Chuu said as she continued to hold the ability. It lasted for several more minutes before Chuu’s knees gave out, and she let her powers go.

“you did very well, baby…” Sooyoung said as she held Chuu in her arms and gently kissed her. Chuu felt completely weak and draped her arms around Sooyoung’s neck as she rested against her chest with a sleepy sigh. It drained more energy than Chuu had thought.

“rest, baby. And I will get even with that ass grab later…” Sooyoung said with a smirk as Chuu giggled. She carried her girlfriend over to the old fallen tree that the others were using as a bench and set her down beside Lua and Hyunjin, who were very cute together.

Hyunjin had the smaller girl on her lap as they watched Chuu training. Heejin seemed to enjoy seeing the two as she smiled and silently observed them. She couldn’t help but wonder just how kind and happy Hyunjin was before her parents turned on her like they did. She would always see a soft or tender side from the girl that she always tried to hide, but she was showing that side right now, and Heejin couldn’t help but smile.

Lua was able to pull out the side of Hyunjin that the girl had hidden for years, and she couldn’t be more grateful. Though Lua didn’t look like everyone else while the illusion was down, she showed her true self from the illusion, and it didn’t seem to matter to Hyunjin what she looked like in either form. She was just Lua. Anything else didn’t matter to the vampire.

_‘is this what it's like to have a family?’_ Heejin asked as she looked at the two and smiled. They honestly looked adorable even if she feared that Hyunjin would teach Lua all of her bad habits. Lua watched everything excitedly and was surprised when Heejin took her hand and smiled. She didn’t know what to do at first, but Heejin’s smile brought out hers as well.

Hyunjin looked over to her girlfriend with a smile as they looked at each other and then focused back at Siyeon, who was walking to the center of the field.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’m officially on vacation for two weeks and won't be posting for that time. I hope everyone understands, and I hope everyone is good while I’m away. ^_^


	113. Chapter 113

-Learning About Lua-

Siyeon walked into the center of the field as she looked around. There was so much that they had learned, but there was also so much that they needed to learn in such a quick time to be prepared for the fight that would eventually happen. Siyeon was worried that they would not be prepared.

“so, I want us to practice working in different teams. I want to make sure that even if we are separated into smaller groups, we all can work together well and have several strategies. If the enemy is smart, that will be exactly what they try to get us to do. Separate us and take us out one at a time…” Siyeon said as everyone listened intently.

“if we prepare properly, then even If we are separated into smaller groups, we will be ready. If we are careful, then we can make it through this. I don’t want to lose anyone. So, we need to take this seriously. Ok?” Siyeon asked as everyone nodded. Even Lua nodded as she listened to the alpha intently.

Hyunjin smiled as she gently stroked the younger girl's hair and looked back to Siyeon. The little girl was bringing out a side in Hyunjin that the others had never seen before. And with that, it also brought out a new protectiveness.

“if we practice as you say, will our new abilities also increase?” Hyunjin asked as Siyeon nodded. “then let's get started. If we wait and take our time, then we can find ourselves caught unprepared.” Hyunjin said as Siyeon smirked.

“Let's get started then… first, I want to make sure that everyone learns hand to hand. Sunmi will help. We will be going up against humans as well as our kind. Hand to hand with our strength and speed will be helpful. If they block our powers, we still need to be able to fight.” Siyeon said as everyone nodded.

“that includes you too, Lua,” Siyeon said as the little girl looked at her in surprise and pointed at herself as Siyeon nodded.

“yes, I want everyone to learn how to protect themselves, including you. Those other creatures chose to attack you because they felt that they could take advantage of you. Let's prove them wrong!” Siyeon said as Lua nodded excitedly. She loved watching them train and never imagined that she would get to join them.

“Alright, let's get started!” Siyeon said as Sunmi took over and drilled everyone through the basics, and with what she had learned from Wonho and Hyunwoo, there were many tricks that she taught the others that would come in handy later.

Even Siyeon and the others that had already learned the moves went through the drills. It never hurt to practice. Once the others seemed to have the basics down, Sunmi split them into groups and had them practice blocks and strikes as they continued to practice. Every once and a while, she would shift them over to learn how to counter different heights and strengths.

Sooyoung was good at controlling her strength, which Siyeon and Sunmi were worried about. They were relieved to know that they worried for nothing. Sooyoung was always cautious. She didn’t like thinking that she could hurt the others accidentally.

Once they had been practicing for several hours, Siyeon and Sunmi had to admit that Lua seemed to be doing rather well even with her smaller size. Hyunjin was rather impressed. She didn’t have the strength of the others, but he was stronger than an average human and would be able to easily overpower one if she needed to.

The issue was that Lua seemed like a kind girl. Would she really be able to fight if she knew that it would hurt them? Siyeon hoped so. She hated to think of what would happen to the sweet girl if the government got ahold of her.

Sol wandered around the others and decided that he wanted to help. He quietly communicated with Siyeon, and she liked the idea, and soon when the others took a break, Siyeon walked into the center of the field with Sol.

“ready, Sol?” Siyeon asked as he nodded excitedly. The others looked at the two in confusion, but once it began, they watched in amazement.

When they began, Sol started lashing out at Siyeon as the alpha practiced dodging. His thorns made it quite clear when she wouldn’t move fast enough. The numbing scratches would also slow the alpha down, so she felt adrenaline rushing through her veins as she dodged the fast vines.

Siyeon dodged, rolled, and leapt as she avoided the vines, and soon she got into a groove. Sol slowly increased the pace as they practiced. Soon Siyeon was panting as she struggled to keep up. But the alpha refused to quit yet. She wanted to push herself to the limits, and soon she numbing scratches came more frequently until she felt her limbs getting heavy. She finally called it as she collapsed onto her knees, panting.

“well, that looked fun!” Bora said as she stepped forward and helped her mate up and walked her over to the tree to sit.

“well, my turn!” Bora said as she stretched and walked over to Sol. The happy plant was excited and readied himself. Just like with Siyeon, it took a bit for Bora to fall into a groove, and once she did, the vampire dodged quickly as she avoided Sol and his thorns.

Bora was doing well. Her feline instincts were starting to come out, and with it, her tail and ears. She dodged and rolled as she avoided the vines. Her eyes shimmered golden red as she felt herself slowly shifting.

Siyeon and the others watched the slow transformation as Bora continued. Was this what Wonho wanted them to learn? To be in between forms? Bora’s claws were out, and with it, her fangs and whiskers. She dodged more efficiently, and soon Sol was launching more than one vine at her at a time.

Bora found herself to be having more fun than she thought she would, and she also tired less in this in between form for some reason. Bora’s whiskers also helped her feel changes in the air and even helped her dodging.

Finally, she felt herself tiring, and after a couple more minutes, she called the fight. Sol was excited as he looked at the others. The plant wasn’t the least bit tired. He was absorbing vast amounts of energy from the sunlight and wanted to continue.

The others decided to try their luck against the plant. Next was Hyunjin. The vampire wanted to compete with her cousin and was having fun. Her in between form came more naturally to her than it did to Bora, and soon she was dodging at lightning speed. Sol was launching several vines at a time, and the feline was avoiding them well.

Lua watched Hyunjin in amazement. Heejin had pulled the small girl onto her lap to see better, and she couldn’t help but smile at the cute girl. She could tell that Lua really looked up to Hyunjin. The vampire didn’t judge her, and without her, the others might not have thought twice at getting rid of the little creature.

Once Hyunjin was done, she walked over to Heejin and Lua with a smile. Her feline features were still there, and she could tell that Lua wanted to touch her ears. The vampire leaned down with a smile as Lua gave her a nervous look.

Hyunjin nodded, and soon she felt tiny hands on her ears as the small girl gasped at the soft fur. Joining Siyeon’s pack had made Hyunjin’s ears more pointed compared to her normal leopard ears. They looked more like the ears of a house cat, and Lua found it so interesting. Hyunjin moved her ears, causing Lua to giggle as she smiled shyly.

After Hyunjin, the others took turns against Sol. Chuu needed some practice but did well. Sooyoung also did well though no one was surprised at that. But once everyone was done, they were surprised to see Lua step forward nervously.

The small girl wanted to try. Sol looked at Siyeon, who nodded. _‘gently,’_ Siyeon said as he nodded and got himself ready.

The smaller girl stood there nervously, but she looked determined. She had learned to dodge well from the other creatures. They would always target her, so she was confident that she wouldn’t make a complete fool out of herself. She just hoped that it would make Hyunjin proud. She didn’t remember much about her family, so she looked up to Hyunjin like a parent.

Once Sol started, he quickly learned that she was better than he had thought. She crouched low like an animal at times as she dodged. She was also very flexible as she dodged vines. He was impressed, and so were the others.

One fast vine lashed out, and the girl bent backwards as she bent almost in half and quickly got back into position. Her flexibility gave her an advantage and allowed her to dodge more than Sol thought. He ended up increasing the difficulty. Though Lua didn’t have the speed of the others, she was still faster than a human and managed to do quite well.

Even when the thorns tagged her, she didn’t even flinch. She was used to wounds from the other creatures and now was unphased by them. Once she seemed tired, they called the fight. She looked up at Hyunjin, who was smiling proudly. But when she turned back around to Sol, something that she didn’t expect happened.

Sol hugged her tightly with his thornless vines as he lifted her up. _‘very proud!’_ Sol said as Lua looked at him in shock and soon blushed. She liked making the others proud. It felt nice and motivated her to do better.

Once she walked back over to Hyunjin, she felt herself lifted up as Hyunjin placed her on her lap and hugged her proudly. Though Lua wasn’t part of their pack yet, she already felt like one. She felt like family.

“Let's take a break and eat. The little one looks tired, and food will probably make her feel better.” Sunmi said as Hyunjin nodded and stood with Lua in her arms. The sleepy girl didn’t even flinch. She was feeling so tired. She had so much fun today, but her stamina was low. She was still too thin from starving as the other creatures stole her food.

Once inside, Hyunjin walked over to the couch and gently set the now sleeping girl on the couch, and then she walked into the kitchen with the others. They were at the table as Sunmi started to cook with Jinsoul. Between the two of them, it wouldn’t take long, but it would be enough to give the smaller girl time to rest.

Around thirty minutes later, food was done. Hyunjin stood and went to go wake Lua up when she paused. Sometime in her sleep, the girl's image faded away. Hyunjin had expected that. But what she didn’t expect was that her true form was now different.

_‘guys… quietly come in here and take a look at this…’_ Hyunjin said as the others quietly made their way over to the sleeping girl and paused.

_‘she looks different again…’_ Gahyeon said as Hyunjin nodded.

Lua’s skin was now less like what it was and now was looking more like a human. The twisted features were now less as she started to look more like a human. The others had to admit that they were surprised. She had changed so fast.

_‘what is making her change back so quickly?’_ Handong asked as the others thought carefully.

_‘could it be that she's acting more like a human than a creature?’_ Dami asked as she thought carefully.

_‘what if it's because she has us?’_ Heejin asked as everyone looked at her.

_‘think about it… she now has people acknowledging her and taking care of her. the creatures get twisted when they feel forgotten and neglected, right?’_ Heejin asked as everyone nodded. It made sense.

_‘so, we could help her by showing her we care? Just doing things for her?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Hyunjin shook her head.

_‘not for her but with her. I think it's when she is included. If we do this properly, we can make it so that she doesn’t have to struggle to keep that illusion up. She could just be herself.’_ Hyunjin said as the others nodded.

_‘ok. We will work on that. Let's go into the other room as Hyunjin wakes her up. She seems self-conscious of this form.’_ Siyeon said as Hyunjin smiled gratefully at the alpha. She didn’t want to seem rude and ask them to leave.

_‘alright. I will get her plate ready.’_ Heejin said as she walked over to the table with the others. Hyunjin walked over to Lua and gently roused the girl. She quickly panicked and brought back the illusion and sighed in relief once she knew that the illusion was up. Unlike the others where it was just an image, Lua’s was different. Hyunjin could feel her hair, which she didn’t have in her true form. She wondered if this was signs of an ability but pushed that thought aside as she brought the sleepy girl over to the table.

“come on. Let's eat, ok?” Hyunjin asked as Lua shook her head sleepily and wrapped her arms around Hyunjin’s neck as the vampire carried her. she was gently set down and smiled when she noticed that her plate was already full of foods that she liked. They had noticed she preferred specific foods, and she felt a funny feeling in her chest as she looked at the plate.

_‘is this what a family is like?’_ he wondered as she looked up at the others who were smiling and joking as they ate. Her speech and thoughts were already catching up quickly though her memories seemed lost for the moment.

As she ate, Lua noticed that the others would pass her food that they thought she would like. She was still hesitant to ask for things, and the others could sense it, so she was grateful for the gesture. Yoohyeon smiled as she noticed the shy girl was slowly becoming more comfortable.

As Lua ate, she slowly changed under the illusion. Every kind gesture the others did for her helped slowly revert her back to her human self. Every time they did something, even if it seemed so tiny, it affected greatly.

She had been without love and feeling someone caring about her for so long that it had started to twist her. Each person was twisted from something different. With Lua, hers was loneliness and missing those she cared about.

Though she didn’t remember her first years inside the mirror, she had not been angry at her friends and family for not recognizing that she had been replaced. She instead felt lonely and missed them. There were never any negative thoughts about the situation. Only sadness.

It had become so great that her mind had started wiping out the memories that she cherished most. Because those memories hurt her the most, she would miss her family greatly and what she wanted most was to feel their hugs once again. But her family had long passed.

Though she didn’t look old, she had been trapped inside the mirror realm longer than Hyojong. She had only started to become twisted once her memories began to fade, unlike him. He became twisted rather quickly. His hatred was fueling him and twisting him rapidly.

But now Lua was receiving the feelings that she no longer remembered that she craved so much. She just knew that she felt happy for the first time in a long time. And she felt even happier when she felt a large hand grasp hers.

Hyunjin gently grasped the younger girl's hand when she had noticed her stop eating and looked at her worriedly. Lua could see the worry in the vampire's face but smiled brightly at Hyunjin as she started eating her food again. Though she didn’t let go of the vampire's hand.

Heejin looked at the interaction and smiled. She could tell that her girlfriend was instantly protective of the little girl, and she too had to admit that she felt the need to protect her. But already she realized that the smaller girl was quickly becoming very important to Hyunjin and saw how she seemed to gravitate towards the smaller girl and had to admit she was starting to feel that Lua wasn’t originally human. In fact, she had to admit that she was beginning to feel weird things that she had not felt before after she had joined Siyeon’s pack. Each person felt different when she was around them. And it was always in a different way.

Siyeon was confusing. She felt like many things, but Handong smelled like rain clouds and clean air. While when Heejin was around Sunmi, she felt what felt like a buzzing in the air. It was like all of her senses were suddenly extremely powerful, and she didn’t know what that meant. All she did know is that Lua reminded her of Chuu.

Others were drawn to her, and the odd feeling that she got around the girl was very similar. Whatever Chuu was, could Lua be like her? They both smiled freely and had such a cheerful attitude that Heejin felt It just couldn’t be a coincidence.

_‘well, I guess I will need to talk to Siyeon about this… we don’t want Lua to be in danger, and she needs to learn her powers…’_ Heejin said with a smile as she gently stroked the younger girl's hair as Lua looked up at her with a happy smile.


	114. Chapter 114

-Progress and Planning-

Siyeon observed everyone. She noticed how close everyone had become and how quickly everyone had accepted Lua. A smile crept onto her face when soon, images of her friends and packmates dying flashed in her head. Her worries were slowly getting the better of her. It drove her to make sure that everyone was ready. Once the others were finished eating, Siyeon quickly stood, gaining everyone's attention.

“I know we probably want a break, but I’m starting to get worried… I keep worrying about the worst. Jungeun? What are you seeing?” Siyeon asked as everyone looked at the banshee.

Jungeun sighed and stood. She had been seeing many things in her dreams and visions. They changed constantly, but two scenarios constantly came up. It meant that the pack would be split up and that worried her greatly, but she knew that it was also their greatest chance of survival.

“well… I believe that we will soon hear from Wonho… our survival hinges on the ones that they want to train us. But it will be difficult. We will need to split up. We also need to rely on Yeri. We need her to practice shifting because we will need her to sneak into places.” Jungeun said as she paused.

“what will I need to do? If I know, I can work hard on it.” Yeri asked as Jungeun sighed.

“We need you to be able to copy their image as well as their voices. I have seen you observing the people to learn their speech patterns and mannerisms. You were with Minji and Bora. Those who come with the three of you constantly shift, but one thing I know is that we need their help, and they are dangerous… we need to be careful.” Jungeun said as Siyeon looked in shock at Jungeun then at Bora.

“was I with them?” Siyeon asked as Jungeun shook her head.

“no, you and Minji were here training with some of the others. You were preparing and making yourself known in town so that those spies could see you and think that everything is like normal. It was working while Bora and the others tried to find information about the wolves.” Jungeun said as Siyeon pouted.

“I know that you don’t like being separated. I don’t like it either, but it's our best option…” Jungeun said as Siyeon continued to pout.

“so, we are separated…” Yoohyeon asked as she, too, pouted. The thought of being separated from Minji hurt. Especially with the fears that she had, and Minji had the same feeling.

“aww… baby...” Minji said worriedly as she wrapped her arms around the wolf hybrid. Yoohyeon rested her head on Minji’s shoulder as the vampire rubbed her back gently.

“there's more. We need to practice as much as we can because my visions are constantly changing. One moment it shows us dying, and the next, we are victorious. It constantly shifts, and I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what causes the changes. Clearly, someone is constantly changing their mind, but who is the mastermind of it all?” Jungeun wondered aloud as everyone went silent.

“well, if we find out who is behind this, can we stop it?” Yoohyeon asked as Jungeun thought carefully. It was a possibility, but could it work?

“I doubt that it would be easy. There are so many government officials, and they are very secretive. It won't be easy and would be almost impossible…” Dami said when Handong’s eyes went wide. She had an idea and hoped that it would work.

“Matthew…” Handong said as everyone looked at her in confusion.

“what about Matthew?” Siyeon asked as Handong looked at her. The wolf could see that Handong’s mind was running wild, and she waited as the vampire thought it out carefully.

“Matthews father knows several high-ranking government officials, right? he is also helping us look into Yoohyeon and Dami’s parents, right? Well, what if we get him to make a list or keep an ear out? Could that help?” Handong asked as Jungeun smirked. This gave her an idea.

“if that’s the case, then I might have an idea… it means that I might have to go see my family, which im not looking forward to… but a banshee can be trained to have visions of a target. Some of our kind are used for spying on people that can be a threat to our kind. If I learn how to do that, then we can use that list to sort through and find the mastermind if they are on it. It might also give us some interesting information…” Jungeun said when Irene’s phone rang.

“It's my father…” Irene said as she quickly sped out of the room to answer. After the fight, he had slowly recovered but disappeared in the night when Jungeun had asked him a favor. She didn’t know what it was but trusted the two and now she hoped that she could find out why.

“Hello?” Irene asked as she listened to her father talk excitedly. Her eyes went wide as she looked at Jungeun in shock.

“um… yeah, I will tell them. Ok, thanks. I love you too… dad…” Irene said as she blushed and rushed off the phone and into the room.

“was it what I was hoping?” Jungeun asked as Irene nodded.

“he said that the other aspects are coming. They don’t know what's going on. But he hopes that they will be here when everything happens. They can't stand not helping when something goes wrong… was this your secret weapon? To turn the seasons against them?” Irene asked, a bit impressed as Jungeun smirked.

“it was… and if Handong’s idea works, then it would give us a target. I don’t know if it would stop it, but it's better than nothing…” Jungeun said as they nodded in agreement.

“what do we need to do? Anything that you see that is a weakness we need to work on?” Siyeon asked as she and Sunmi listened carefully.

“they keep separating us in different methods. So, your idea of haven’t us trained to fight in small groups is a good idea. But we also should be able to fight alone against several enemies… I have seen them separate us and kill us off one by one several times in my dreams… I don’t want that to become a reality…” Jungeun said as Siyeon nodded and plotted in her head.

“We have been careful with our abilities… we haven’t really tapped into them for fear of making a scene or making ourselves known, but when this goes down, it will be an all-out war… this means that we will not need to hide. We need to stop holding ourselves back…” Siyeon said as the others nodded. They had worked on control, but now they needed to learn how to lose that control and release their powers to their full extent.

“I sense a lot of training… how long until we might get that call?” Dami asked as Jungeun sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

“um… possibly a month? Maybe two? Then we will be separated. So, we need to make sure Yeri is ready and train as much as possible. Yeri, when you are relaxing around the house, try to copy who you can. Learn how we talk. How we move our hands and walk, ok?” Jungeun asked as the vampire shifted to a perfect mirror image of Jungeun.

“I have been working on it. The voice is hard, but I’m getting better at it.” Yeri said as Jungeun smiled.

“Let's talk about ideas of what we need to work on. I want everyone's input. Don’t think that your ideas don’t matter because we can't think of everything…” Siyeon said as everyone started discussing things.

Lua looked up at Hyunjin with a worried expression. She didn’t know what was going on, but she could feel that something was seriously wrong. She nervously reached out her hand and grasped the vampires.

Hyunjin looked at her hand in shock as she felt a tiny hand grasp hers. The little girl was looking at her with a worried look that was so sincere that it made her heart ache. She gently squeezed the little girl's hand as she smiled.

“everything's alright. We are just trying to figure some things out, ok?” Hyunjin said as Lua nodded.

“can I help?” Lua asked as Hyunjin shrugged and picked her up to set her on her lap. It gave Lua a better view, and she listened intently as the others discussed everything.

“if Matthew can really get us a list, it would be really useful. But what all can we find out if you learn that ability?” Sooyoung asked as they discussed it.

“well, say that one of the head people are planning a raid on a town or family… if she can see that, then she can give them a warning. Right?” Gahyeon asked as Dami nodded.

“Yeah. It will give us an advantage that we don’t have at the moment. Something that we might desperately need…” Siyeon said as she thought carefully.

“But I would rather have you here with us…” Hyejoo said softly as she looked at Jungeun.

“Yeah. What if you have an important thing that you need to relay to us, but you can't because you are with your family?” Chaewon asked as Jungeun smiled.

“one thing with my family is that we constantly stop training to warn people. That is what we do, after all. If I say that my friends are in danger, then it should be fine.” Jungeun reassured as the two young wolves looked at each other with a pout. They didn’t like the idea of splitting up the pack, even if it is temporary.

“well, I want to train and learn how to fight against wolves. Most of our kind that they have captured so far are wolves, right? I have seen you fight, and I’m learning to fight with you but not against you. I also will need to be able to tell you apart from the enemy. That will be a help.” Sooyoung said as Chuu nodded.

“yes, I would like to know how you fight. Well… a regular wolf. I know that you and the others are far from normal.” Chuu said with a smirk.

“very true,” Siyeon said with a smirk as she looked at her pack and smiled.

“we will continue hand to hand and dodging against sol today. I want us to be able to dodge each other's attacks with ease. Alright?” Siyeon asked as everyone nodded.

“good. While we are practicing, think of things that we might be lacking and need to practice, alright?” Siyeon said as she stood and walked outside. The others followed her as they prepared for another intense training session.

This time Siyeon had them team up two against one as they would take turns against each other. The two would work as a team while the other one would try to defend. Like before, some started to stand out. Both Bora and Minji had their tails and ears out as they fought while Lua managed to dodge and defend very successfully but could she fight? The girl was so soft-hearted that Siyeon was worried.

That was until it was her turn to attack… seeing the worried looks on the others triggered something in the little girl, and with it, she quickly found herself striking at rapid speeds as she dodged easily. She was teamed up with Heejin and was able to defend the older girl while keeping on the offensive as well.

It was impressive what the small girl could do when she set her mind to it, and Siyeon was starting to get the feeling that Heejin had noticed before. There was no way that Lua was human before she was trapped.

 _‘she is interesting… I can't quite figure out what she is…’_ Haseul said calmly as she looked at the small girl.

 _‘yeah… she definitely wasn’t human. But what was she?’_ Siyeon asked as they watched silently.

“well, there are many beings that most thought went extinct, like foxes and demons. But we are here. Some other creatures have remained in hiding and have truly been forgotten from history though they live right under our noses. We might not know what she is, but we know that she doesn’t fit anything that we can think of for the moment.” Yeojin said with a shrug as she watched the tiny girl fight.

“what do I do to help her get ready? She's so young…” Siyeon asked as Yeojin laughed.

“are you seeing what I’m seeing? She's a natural fighter. She just needed motivation, something to protect. And that was us. Now that girl seems unstoppable. I don’t think that we will have to worry about her.” Yeojin said as Siyeon smiled. She hoped that the small demon was right.

“well, ready to begin? It's our turn to fight!” Yeojin said as her sister laughed. Siyeon nodded with a smirk as they prepared to fight.

Siyeon had expected the two to be strong, but that was an understatement. They worked as a perfect team as they forced her back. Siyeon found herself desperately trying to block their strikes in time, and she knew that they were going easy on her. This was the teamwork she was hoping that they could achieve by the end of this. They didn’t have to say anything. They just knew what the other was going to do and worked with them.

Siyeon felt herself being easily pushed back, and soon she found herself knocked on her ass as Yeojin laughed. The younger looking girl smiled happily. She loved the look of annoyance that Siyeon had. The wolf didn’t like to lose though she hated to admit it.

“relax. There's always next time!” Yeojin taunted as Siyeon huffed and stood. She wouldn’t go down that easily.

Siyeon quickly realized that the two were different than most. They didn’t fall into patterns that were easy to learn. They also didn’t signal their moves before they made them. It made everything extremely difficult, and soon Siyeon found herself on the ground once again.

Yeri, on the other hand, was having a much easier time. She was paired off against Choerry and Hyunjin. The two were working well together, but she could feel what they were going to do just before they did it. It allowed her to dodge and strike when there were openings. She didn’t know how it was possible, but she didn’t want to think about it at the moment.

Choerry could tell that there was something more going on and quickly figured it out. Before she would move, she would quickly think about what move she was about to do next. It signaled Yeri, who was able to quickly counter it. Due to this, the two were at a disadvantage.

 _‘We need to not think about what we are doing. Let your instincts take over. Let's see how that will turn out?’_ Choerry asked as Hyunjin nodded.

The two quickly let their instincts take over. Soon Choerry’s black ears stood out against her vivid purple hair. Her tail swished slowly as she felt her senses grow stronger. She had never been in this in-between phase before but let it take over as her eyes opened. The vivid color was mesmerizing as she launched forward with a growl.

Just like Choerry, Hyunjin’s ears and tail were out though she was used to this form. She charged in with Choerry, and soon Yeri found it wasn’t as easy to counter the two. There was no thought before their moves. They just acted, and it countered her ability perfectly.

Now Yeri felt pressured, but she didn’t want to break under it. Instead, she took a breath and also allowed her instincts to take over. Now the three were in an in-between stage of their animal forms though they fought more like wild animals.

Siyeon heard the snarls and roars and quickly turned around to see the three fighting. Yeri was doing well as she held the others off. It would have worked better if the two had worked as a team after their instincts took over, but it was their nature not to.

Siyeon could see that this was something to work on. The vampire's abilities at the moment relied on them being able to let their instincts take over, and they also needed teamwork. But this was showing her that they needed teamwork to be drilled into their heads for their instinctive side to take over. Once that becomes natural, then things would get interesting. But how could she do that?

Siyeon remembered someone mentioned that the vampires could hunt together in cat forms. She wondered if hunting as a pack would help. Naturally having to rely on the others and helping each other as they hunt. She promised not to hunt in the area that Seulgi had animal friends. That meant one thing. Tonight, they were going on a hunt.


	115. Chapter 115

-The Hunt-

Siyeon and the others quickly gathered their things as Siyeon went over their plan. She wanted to hunt as a group and, with it, help with the way that they would interact instinctively. If she could get them to react without thinking, then it would greatly help the way that they could fight.

It took several hours to gather the required things for Sooyoung, Chuu, and the others that don’t shift. Once that was gathered, Sunmi took their things and placed them inside a large SUV that they had never seen before. It managed to fit everything, and soon Siyeon was wondering just how many cars did they have?

They drove several hours while some ran behind them in the woods, and once they arrived, Siyeon and Gahyeon quickly set up a large tent that could hold many people. It was roomy, but with so many packmates, it would be a tight fit unless some of them decided to sleep in their wolf or cat forms.

“Seulgi, this is far enough out, right?” Siyeon asked as the bear nodded.

“yes. Though I would feel bad for the animals we are about to hunt…” Seulgi said as Siyeon smiled. She understood, but she also didn’t want to spoil her plan with sol.

“yeah, but we need to work on our teamwork. I can't think of anything else. Can you?” Siyeon asked as Seulgi sighed and shook her head. She looked around at the trees and shivered. She didn’t like being outside of her forest. This place felt foreign and wrong.

“The animals seem less intelligent here… it’s weird…” Seulgi said as Siyeon laughed.

“Actually, they are normal. I think that your presence makes the animals around you smarter. It probably makes them seem dense compared to what you are used to but trust me. The animals around our house are special. They are extremely intelligent.” Siyeon said with a smile as Seulgi let that sink in. was her presence really affecting the animals around her?

“so, what do we do? We can’t run with you in animal forms though I can keep up with you…” Sooyoung said with a smirk as Siyeon laughed.

“well, we will have some of us carry you on our backs. If we have to escort people to safety, we need to learn how to do that without throwing people off of us after all.” Siyeon said as Sooyoung nodded. It sounded fun to the war goddess.

“Are we ready? We can store our clothes in the tent and head out.” Dami said as Siyeon nodded. It was weird to be outside of their territory, but she knew that with a pack as large as theirs, they wouldn’t be able to stay in that town forever. They were becoming too well known for her comfort.

“alright, group up!” Siyeon shouted as everyone gathered around. They watched intently, and she worried that this impulsive decision wouldn’t be something that she would regret later.

“We are looking for those that seem sickly. We should be able to smell it or see it. Those are our targets. No healthy prey. Got it?” Siyeon asked as everyone nodded. It made sense, and Seulgi was relieved that they were not just killing for the sport of it.

Seulgi knew that it was better to pick off the sick and the old, but she still worried that without their interference that they would recover and live long and peaceful lives. The doubt always made her hesitant to kill. She was fine coming across a fresh kill when she was living in the wild, but she didn’t like being the one that did the killing blow.

“now what I have planned is a bit of a competition. We will split into two groups for the first hunt. The wolves against the felines. Seulgi, Chungha, and the others can choose what teams they will be on. Sound good?” Siyeon asked as everyone nodded.

The teams were soon decided. Team feline was Minji, Bora, Handong, Irene, Yeri, Choerry, Hyunjin, Seulgi, Sunmi, Heejin, Jinsoul Yeojin, and Lua. Team wolves were Siyeon, Yoohyeon, Dami, Gahyeon, Elkie, Hyejoo, Chaewon, Chungha, Jungeun, Chuu, Sooyoung, and Haseul. Siyeon was happy with the teams, and soon she set up the rules of the competition.

“alright. As I said, we go after the sick and old. Only one can be airborne at a time. So, either Jinsoul or Choerry scouts above but not both at the same time. There is also a rumor of large rabid wolves in the woods here. Jinyoung told me about it. He thinks that it's wolves that were driven insane by that drug, so though this is just hunting stay alert, alright?” Siyeon asked as everyone nodded.

“then let's go! We will take the left side of the road, and you take the right. ok?” Siyeon asked Minji as she nodded, and soon they were off into the woods.

-Siyeon’s Team-

Siyeon stretched before she darted into the woods. It was nice to feel the soft soil under her paws once more. She wasn’t the only one eager to run again. Yoohyeon and Dami were running at her side excitedly as their tongues hung out the sides of their mouths, making them look completely ridiculous.

 _‘Dami… Yoohyeon is rubbing off on you…’_ Siyeon teased as she laughed. They were having so much fun that the younger girl didn’t even care.

 _‘It feels like its been ages… you know how long it’s been since we have visited Moonbyul and solar? Should we visit them before it's too late?’_ Dami asked as Siyeon nodded.

 _‘I have been visiting them with Elkie every night after you fall asleep. They are doing fine and keeping tabs on what all is going on though they seem worried about something. I don’t know if it's due to this or something else, though.’_ Gahyeon said as Dami pouted.

‘ _no pouting… imagine being so close to your lover but never being able to see them unless someone happens to come along only when they feel like it?’_ Gahyeon said with a whiny tone that she knew would give her the upper hand against her smart girlfriend.

Dami was going to argue when she caught a scent. It smelled like a deer or something, but it had a sickly scent to it. It smelled off, and suddenly her direction changed. She had signaled Siyeon and the others, and soon they arrived close to the scent.

Siyeon and the others hunkered down as they carefully crawled on their bellies until they were close enough to look into the clearing before them. There was a small herd of deer and among them was a large buck. But the buck looked off.

The animal was clearly sick as dark streaks of oozing black blood ran from wounds that looked like an old wolf bite. Siyeon quickly exchanged a worried look. The animal was slightly wobbly, and she could tell that it needed to be healed or put out of its misery.

 _‘Gahyeon? I think there's something wrong with that bite… mind trying to heal it when we take it down? I know that your powers mixed with Sol’s, so it might be possible…’_ Siyeon asked as her sister nodded.

 _‘alright. Let's circle it… everyone spread out, and once we are in position, we will make our move…’_ Siyeon said as the others slowly retreated backwards into the woods as they slowly got into position.

Siyeon slowly crept closer. Her white fur shadowed by the trees and bushes. Her ears were back and occasionally twitched as she listened to the others, slowly making their way into position. It felt like hours though she knew it was only minutes.

‘patience… this will definitely teach us patience…’ Siyeon said to herself as the last of them got in position. Dami held Sooyoung on her back, and the two of them managed to get into position rather quickly.

Chuu was on Elkie’s back. The smaller wolf fit her well. They quietly made their way over to their spot and quietly waited.

Haseul was on Yoohyeon’s back, and it didn’t take long for the lanky wolf to get into position as well. The two demons seemed to get along well, and Once she was finally in position, Haseul climbed off and waited for the next part to happen. She figured that the wolves would charge while they would try to block it if it bolted, and she was right.

The last ones to get into place were Gahyeon and Vivi. The wolf and the quiet girl went slowly as they got into position. Their spot was the farthest away bit once they were ready, everyone prepared themselves.

The clearing was quiet, and the deer looked peaceful and happy except for the buck. His actions were wild though the others seemed used to it. The odd jerking motions and sudden movements that would normally startle them didn’t even make them flinch.

 _‘This is odd… they should be running, right?’_ Gahyeon asked as Vivi nodded.

 _‘very odd. Smells funny too…’_ the quiet girl said. She would be amazed at her talking if Siyeon hadn’t told her that Vivi did most of the talking in their first meeting.

 _‘Everyone ready?’_ Siyeon asked as they silently signaled that they were ready.

 _‘now!’_ Siyeon shouted as she and the others burst through the brush. Finally, the seemingly fearless deer bolted at the sight of so many wolves, but the sick buck almost fell over in fright. He couldn’t get his legs back underneath him until the last minute where he launched toward a narrow path.

Before it could clear the brush, Hyejoo and Chaewon had the poor thing in their jaws and ended it quickly. They didn’t kill it because of Siyeon’s orders but did render it unconscious. Gahyeon quickly ran over and checked the wounds. It was full of infection and caused the blood to look dark, but luckily no signs of the drug were inside its body.

 _‘It's clear… though the infection is one that I haven’t seen before. Could it be what happens when a wolf bites something? I wouldn’t know because I have never hunted before…’_ Gahyeon asked as Hyejoo shook her head.

 _‘no. It's different from a regular wolf bite of our kind. I would hunt deer and other creatures all the time for Chaewon, and sometimes I would fail in making the kill, but when I would find those animals later, they would never look like that. Something was seriously wrong there….’_ Hyejoo said as Chaewon nodded in agreement.

 _‘hmm, alright, we need to keep our eyes on this then… I don’t like the look of that wound…’_ Siyeon said as Gahyeon tested how difficult it would be to heal the wound and illness.

 _‘this thing is resistant to my ability… more so than it should… it's like the infection was made to resist me…’_ the younger girl said as she struggled to heal the deer.

 _‘that’s not good. We don’t want the forest getting sick with this stuff. Can you heal it?’_ Sooyoung asked as Gahyeon looked up at her and nodded.

 _‘it’s a bit difficult but doable.’_ The wolf said as she nodded.

 _‘it’s blood smells off, though… I can smell a sickly sweet scent from its blood. The vampire blood in me is magnifying the smell, and it's making me kind of sick… but if I need to, I could probably track this scent. Same with any of the other vampires…’_ Gahyeon said as Siyeon sighed in relief and nodded. That meant interrupting their hunt to search for more infected creatures.

-Minji’s Team-

Minji was quickly learning why Siyeon wanted them to hunt as a team. They were several solo kills into the competition when she grew frustrated. Most of those kills were Hyunjin with Lua on her back. She was trying to teach Lua while she did it, but the others wouldn’t listen to the vampire as she hunted.

Their natural instinct was to take it down by themselves. The only other one who seemed to be trying was Choerry. It was rather frustrating because Minji could feel herself doing the same thing without thinking.

When she would spot prey that seemed sick or injured, her automatic reaction was to try and quickly take it down before the others could get to it. She wondered if it was because of what animals their vampire blood was mixed with, but she wasn’t sure.

Hyunjin was a black leopard just like Bora, but she seemed to think more about the others and their positioning than her cousin did. However, Minji was wondering if that was only because of Lua. The tiny girl brought out the things in Hyunjin that she had pushed away and forgotten.

The kindness and laughter that Bora used to talk about were starting to show. And Lua was completely amazed at the vampire. Everything that Hyunjin did seemed absolutely amazing to the tiny girl. She had been trapped in a mirror for so long that everything felt exciting.

Yeri was too distracted to truly focus on hunting. She wanted to work on her ability, so every couple of minutes, she would mimic one of their forms. Right now, she was mimicking Hyunjin. She had every detail right and was quickly learning their mannerisms and expressions even while in cat form.

Minji was tempted to stop her and have her focus, but she quickly remembered how serious Jungeun sounded and decided against it. She knew that Yeri was only trying her hardest for everyone and decided to focus on the hunt.

They had quickly caught the scent of humans in the air and turned around when Siyeon called to them. Something was wrong, and she needed their help. Hyunjin exchanged a worried glance with Minji before they darted off in Siyeon’s direction.

It took several minutes, but when they finally arrived, they could smell something off in the clearing. It was so strong to Hyunjin that she gagged slightly as she slowly approached. Whatever that scent was, she wasn’t very excited to find out.

Siyeon quickly explained the situation, and soon, they split up into teams. Wolves with vampires so that they could easily track the scents in the air. It took an hour, but they found nothing major. Just some small animals that were not as severe as that deer, and with Gahyeon’s ability, it was quickly healed.

They slowly made their way back to the camp when they suddenly heard voices. Siyeon paused as she tilted her head and cocked her ears in the direction of the voices. They sounded so familiar, and when Irene gasped, she knew she was right.

 _‘is that… why are they here?’_ Irene asked as they listened to the voices. The two sounded panicked and lost. They kept repeating something about a crazed wolf and soon stumbled upon Siyeon and her pack.

Wendy screamed as she fell backwards. Joy was taken out by her falling friend, and soon they looked up at Siyeon with such a terrified expression. Siyeon just tilted her head cutely as she sat. she didn’t want to spook them even more than she already had.

“Wendy? Joy? Why are you here?” Irene asked as she shifted and walked towards them. The two looked completely shocked before it turned to relief.

“Irene? What are you doing out here? And with a pack of wolves? Wait… How the hell can you turn into a cat?” Joy shouted before Wendy shushed her.

“It's still out there, remember?” Wendy said softly as Siyeon shifted and stepped forward.

“what is still out there?” Siyeon asked as Joy slowly admired Siyeon’s naked body. All the running and training that they had been doing had done wonders for Siyeon’s body. Her abs were clearly visible, as were her toned muscles, and Irene couldn’t help but laugh at her friend's drooling look.

“Siyeon… Joy is a succubus, remember? You are killing her with your abs…” Irene said as Siyeon smirked and stood behind Bora in her feline form as Joy pouted.

“better?” Siyeon asked as Joy sighed.

“yes and no?” Joy said as she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. It was such a nice view and was triggering her succubus abilities.

“what were you talking about, though?” Siyeon reminded them as Wendy went to speak.

“We were searching the woods for a friend's lost pet when suddenly we ran across a wolf. We were going to ask him if he had seen it, but when he turned around, we could tell that something was off. He had one of his ears tagged, and he seemed to be acting crazy. We ran when he charged at us and lost him, but we don’t know if he is still close…” Wendy said as Siyeon thought about what she had just said.

“tagged? Like an animal?” Siyeon asked as Joy nodded.

“yes. It looked not like a regular tag either, but maybe a tracking tag or something? It was weird because he reacted like there was nothing there mentally. Like he was just running on instinct and madness…” Joy said as Yeojin growled.

“experiments… I bet that’s what this is. They tested something on some poor wolf, and either he escaped, or the more likely option is that they released him to see what havoc he would do…” the smaller girl said as Joy looked at her.

“you are talking about those rumors that are spreading about the government starting to collect our kind, aren’t you?” Joy asked as Wendy looked at her with a confused expression.

“you know about that?” Siyeon asked as Joy nodded.

“my family has lost contact with several families living in Seoul. They just vanish, and their money and houses are seized by the government. It's very suspicious, and the word has finally started to spread. Do you really think that they are experimenting on our kind, though?” Joy asked as Yeojin nodded.

“I have experienced it firsthand. I know that they are. And not just on our kind. On innocent humans too.” Yeojin said as Haseul walked over to Vivi, who was quickly shutting down mentally again.

“humans too?” Wendy asked in shock as Joy stood by her protectively.

“Yeah, wait… do you hear something?” Siyeon quickly had her pack circle around the two protectively as they heard clumsy running off in the distance. Soon the wolf crashed through the brush. Just like Joy had said, there was a tag on its ear that looked like it could be used to track him. That meant that they might be monitoring him.

Siyeon knew that she needs to take him out as quickly as possible and hide the dead wolf's existence while they get as far away from here as possible. She didn’t want to get caught out of their safe haven without being ready.

 _‘We need to take this thing down fast and get the hell out of here! We don’t know if the government is close behind him. Let's end this and get these two to safety.’_ Siyeon said as everyone agreed as they let out a low and challenging growl as one.

Joy and Wendy shivered at the sound of everyone growling in unison but also felt protected. They just hoped that Siyeon Irene and the others wouldn’t get hurt by this crazed wolf. It had attacked everything it saw without hesitation, and they worried for Siyeon and her pack.

“don’t worry. We will protect you, and we will be fine. We have dealt with much worse than this, and we have only joined Siyeon’s pack just recently.” Sooyoung said as she held her hand out to Joy. The two were still on the ground. She helped her up as Chuu helped Wendy up as well.

With the combination of Joy’s succubus side and both Sooyoung’s and Chuu’s aura, the girl was completely speechless.

“um, hi…” Joy managed to say as Wendy laughed at her girlfriend.

This often happened to Joy. Her succubus side took over and had her either drawing someone to her accidentally or drooling over someone's energy. Wendy wasn’t jealous because it was her nature, and she never cheated. She would, however, drain some of the people's energy and use it to make Wendy’s nights very fun.

“baby… you are drooling…” Wendy teased as Joy shook her head and hid behind her girlfriend. She was being overwhelmed.

“Sorry, baby…” Joy whispered softly as she wrapped Wendy in a gentle back hug. The conversation was quickly ended when the crazed wolf lunged at Siyeon and her pack, though.


	116. Chapter 116

-Experiments-

Siyeon and the others had created a protective circle around Wendy and Joy as they watched the crazed wolf. It was true. There was a tag on its ear that had a wireless receiver. It could possibly be tracked, and that idea worried Siyeon.

 _‘I think we need to take this thing out quickly…’_ Siyeon said as she watched it pace back and forth as it glared at them. Its eyes locked on Wendy, and quickly it tried to lunge at the human. Siyeon instantly lunged in and blocked the wolf as the others worked as a team to take the wolf down. It wasn’t a difficult fight, but once it was over, Wendy quickly noticed that something was wrong.

“um… that’s not the same wolf… I thought it was, but this one's fur is different…” Wendy said as Joy walked over to get a closer look.

“shit… you are right… I thought it was the same wolf, but it's different. But why did it try to lunge at Wendy?” Joy asked as she looked to Siyeon for answers.

“I have no idea. He clearly was focused on her… all I smell is human with your scent masking most of it. there is nothing that stands out, so why was it so focused on her?” Siyeon asked herself as Dami shifted back into her human form and walked closer for a better look.

“Why does this wolf look familiar?” Dami said as she looked closer, then paused as she realized it.

“fuck… this is one of the wolves that your father sent to the government facility… this is what they did to him?” Dami said as she looked up nervously.

“They are trying to turn us into their mindless attack dogs…” Siyeon said with a growl.

The growl instantly made Joy drool as she watched the alphas energy radiate off of her. It was so strong that Joy was able to bleed some of it off for Wendy. She knew that the alpha had to feel it but said nothing as she focused on the now-dead wolf before her.

“We did this… maybe it was better to kill them than let them go there…” Gahyeon said as Dami and the others shook their heads.

“there's no way that we could know that this would happen. We just thought they would make them work off their time, but… not this…” Dami said as she shook her head.

“They deserved to be punished, but…” Choerry said as she looked at the wolf. Chaewon, on the other hand, had a different look on her face. One of fear and disgust.

“he… he deserved it,” Chaewon said softly as Hyejoo looked at her girlfriend in shock. The panicked tone showed that she, too, had recognized the wolf.

The wolf didn’t physically do anything to Chaewon or Choerry when she was unconscious, but he was one of the more vocal about what they should do with the girls, and it wasn’t pleasant. It left a strong memory in her mind. She had spotted him in the crowd once the fight was over but said nothing. She knew that Hyejoo wouldn’t leave him alone if she reacted to him. That meant that the young wolf acted like nothing happened.

Hyejoo had felt that something was bothering her girlfriend after they were rescued. But she didn’t want to pressure her to tell her what was bothering her. Instead, she made sure that she was there and kept her smiling with games and bad jokes.

“no… he didn’t touch me or Choerry,” Chaewon said as she rested her hand on Hyejoo’s shoulder. The young wolf sighed in relief as her shoulders slumped.

“I didn’t say anything…” Hyejoo said softly as Chaewon wrapped her arms around her girlfriend tightly.

“I know… thank you,” Chaewon said as she snuggled against Hyejoo’s neck.

“what do we do now?” Joy asked as she looked at the dead wolf.

“well, we now know that there are more around here. Or at least one more. We need to stop these things, but we also need to keep you two safe…” Siyeon said as she looked over at Wendy and Joy.

“I can protect her if I need to. I just didn’t want to have to fight in front of Wendy. She tends to panic, and it's not good for her heart. I have to constantly feed her energy that I drain off of others to keep her going…” Joy said as she wrapped her arms around Wendy protectively.

“I’m alright at the moment,” Wendy said as she leaned against Joy.

“babe, I can feel your energy. I know that you are starting to feel drained…” Joy said as Wendy sighed in defeat.

“What's wrong with her? Why do you need to feed her energy?” Dami asked as Gahyeon stepped closer to her.

“I’m not sure. It's like all of her energy drains from her body slowly throughout the day. It weakens her. When I first met her, she had collapsed at school. She stopped breathing, and when I went to do CPR, I noticed something strange when my lips touched hers. My energy transferred into her slowly. As soon as it did, her skin went from pale to flushed again.” Joy said as she looked at Dami.

The succubus didn’t notice that Gahyeon was slowly walking closer to Wendy until she felt the cool tingly energy wash over the two of them. Joy looked at Gahyeon curiously as she felt the cuts and scrapes from running through the woods for hours had caused. It felt nice, and there was so much power that she instantly drew off extra and stored it later for Wendy.

“It's interesting… it’s like her energy is being pulled from her. It's like someone is draining her while you refill her. I can feel the faint pull of her energy as It travels away from her…” Gahyeon said as Joy looked at Gahyeon in shock.

“What?” the two of them said as Seulgi nodded. She was using her ability and saw it clearly. It was a thin line of energy connecting the human to something in the distance.

“I think… someone is drawing it slow enough that it seems natural…” Seulgi said as Joy sighed in frustration. She had taken Wendy to multiple doctors, and that had not helped anything. She had also taken her to someone of her kind, and they saw nothing as well. Drawing energy was something that a succubus does every day. Why had she not felt it?

“shouldn’t I have felt it?” Joy asked as she held Wendy tighter.

“probably not. It's not like it’s a huge amount, and it's steady so that it seems natural. I didn’t notice it until I touched you with my powers.” Gahyeon said as Joy sighed.

“We can figure this out later. I just saw a pack of four wolves running this way. They seem to have a target…” Jungeun said as she landed on a branch and shifted quickly before launching into the air and taking flight once more.

“fuck! Why are all of you so hot!?” Joy asked with a groan as Wendy laughed.

“come on, baby. Let's get to safety. I am feeling a bit tired…” Wendy said as joy instantly reacted. The succubus picked Wendy up and looked to Siyeon.

“where do we go that’s safe?” Joy asked as Siyeon listened to Jungeun’s report.

“this way!” Siyeon said as she lunged forward and quickly shifted.

Siyeon and the others were now shifted as they charged forward. They continued to create a protective ring around Joy and Wendy as they went. The only one that wasn’t in the circle was Seulgi, who had the dead wolf in her arms as she ran in human form. If the government was around, then she didn’t want to leave the body to be found.

 _‘you are being cut off! Pack of five wolves!’_ Jinsoul said from above as she watched the new pack charging forward.

 _‘shit! I know what they are trying to do… they are trying to make us go left or right. One is blocked by a large highway, and the other has a large hillside that we can’t climb easily. We need to charge through them!’_ Dami said as she remembered the map of the area.

 _‘fuck. Well, guess we are going through them!’_ Siyeon said as she charged forward with a burst of speed. The wolves thought to ambush them but wouldn’t expect to be ambushed as well.

 _‘Dami with me. Yoohyeon, you and Minji take the right side. Let's set up a mini ambush of our own. Handong guard the front!’_ Siyeon said as the large tiger got into position. Sunmi and Chungha took position on either side of the tiger and wolf as they prepared to use their abilities if needed.

 _‘don’t even think about it!’ if the government is in the area, then they could be looking for large energy sources. That might be why the wolves are tracking them. Wendy has energy draining from her, but it's enough for them to pick up, and Joy drains energy from others constantly. No abilities until we are out of these woods. Alright?’_ Yeojin said as everyone flinched.

 _‘well, that would explain why they are after the two of them… let's see what we can do then… let's take out their attack dogs, shall we?’_ Dami asked as Siyeon nodded.

The rogue wolves burst through the trees, thinking that they had ambushed Siyeon and her pack, but instead, they found themselves attacked from both sides as Siyeon Dami Yoohyeon and Minji tore through them.

Handong stood her ground, but the wolves never even reached her except one. But it was so crazed that it charged blindly and died quickly to one of Handong’s massive paws. The crushing blow was quick, and the wolf went instantly still.

 _‘well, that was easy, but we still have four from behind… we can’t carry all of the bodies. Should we stand our ground?’_ Yoohyeon asked as Siyeon nodded.

 _‘we fight. Then we take care of these bodies.’_ Siyeon said as she got into position.

 _‘how far?’_ Siyeon asked Jungeun as the banshee circled overhead.

 _‘any second now! Get ready!’_ Jungeun shouted as they heard the wolves approaching.

Just like last time, the wolves expected to ambush them and instead found themselves ambushed. They were taken down quickly, but after they were finished, Siyeon didn’t know what to do. How could they get rid of the bodies without having them use their abilities?

 _‘this won't sound pleasant, but what if we remove their ears?’_ Joy spoke to Siyeon as the wolf looked back at her in shock.

 _‘that’s what we think that they are using to track us, right? Well, if that’s the case, we can remove the ears and run them over to the opposite side of the mountain. They will track them and soon find out that they were lead on a wild goose chase.’_ Joy said as Siyeon quickly shifted back to her human form and looked at her with an impressed look.

But Siyeon wasn’t the only one giving an impressed look. Joy couldn’t help admiring Siyeon’s naked body once more. She slowly raked her eyes over the wolf's body happily as the wolf rolled her eyes and laughed.

 _‘I know what you are doing…’_ Wendy threatened Joy as the succubus jumped. But she wasn’t the only one. Could a human speak mind to mind like that?

 _‘um… I am starting to think that either Wendy isn’t a normal human or she's not a human at all…’_ Dami said as the others nodded.

“I think that we need to use Joy's ear plan… Yoohyeon, you are our fastest wolf. Let's see how fast you can get them to the other side of the mountain, shall we?” Siyeon asked as her friend smirked. She liked being trusted with this and nodded excitedly.

Siyeon grimaced as she and the others removed the receivers from the wolves ears and dropped them into a bag that Wendy had, and handed it to the large wolf. Yoohyeon pawed at the earth excitedly as she waited for Siyeon to give her the command.

“go!” Siyeon said with a smirk as she watched her friend bolt into the dense woods.

-Yoohyeon-

Yoohyeon was doing well. She was deep into the woods at an insane pace when she went to duck under a low branch. The bag snagged and soon ripped. The receivers were soon scattered over the ground as Yoohyeon swore.

The wolf quickly shifted as she scurried and picked up the receivers, but there was an issue. She was missing one. She swore under her breath and searched the leaves and groundcover carefully. It took several minutes before she finally found the receiver with a cheer.

But with the bag being already torn, what would she hold them with? The wolf looked around frantically when she spotted something in the woods. It was the only time that she was grateful that humans tended to throw their trash everywhere. An old bag of some kind was caught in the branches of one of the bushes nearby.

Yoohyeon carefully grabbed the bag and sighed happily when she realized that it was intact. Soon she placed the bloody receivers inside the bag and continued her sprint towards the opposite side. It didn’t take long, and soon Yoohyeon found the perfect place to hide them.

With a couple of attempts, Yoohyeon grasped the tall branches of a large tree and continued climbing until she wedged the bag into the crook of a branch and then slowly started her descent. But on the way down, her foot slipped. The wolf didn’t want to fall, so against her better judgment, she wrapped her legs around the trunk as she slid down several feet.

Yoohyeon’s eyes stung as she felt the tree's rough bark tearing up her inner thighs and swore. She had just left DNA evidence and knew that if someone scaled the tree, then they would notice a large patch or removed bark with dried blood.

Soon Yoohyeon climbed back up the tree and fetched the receivers once more. She was also more careful this time as she climbed down and soon sniffed the air. She smelled water and smiled as she followed it.

This wasn’t fresh and flowing water but stagnant water that wasn’t suitable for drinking. It was the perfect place to drop the receivers. If they were waterproof, then it would at least be a pain in the ass to find them at the bottom of the muck and grime.

Yoohyeon smirked as she tossed them into the stagnant water and then turned to run back towards the others when she heard something. It sounded like a human, and it was close. It took every ounce of control she had not to cloak herself with her shadows.

Quickly she hid behind a tree as she heard not one human but two as they walked into the clearing. They were arguing about something and soon found themselves completely lost.

“I told you that this damn thing is broken! How is it that they traveled over here so quickly?” one human shouted. He was older with a bit of a belly. The younger man was quiet and seemed to fear the older man.

“I, I don’t know. I only read what it said…” the man said nervously.

Yoohyeon heard a smack, and the younger man whimper as something was snatched out of his hands. She peeked around the tree to see that he seemed to be looking at some tablet with a large antenna from it.

“odd… it does show that they are here. Fucking piece of junk!” the man shouted as he tossed it back at the nervous one. They slowly turned and walked back as the older man bragged about the project that he worked on before this. The wolf tuned it out until the words demon, human, and experimenting came up in one sentence.

Yoohyeon instantly thought of Yeojin and Vivi. Without thinking, she slowly stepped out from behind the tree and started to follow them deeper into the woods.


	117. Chapter 117

-Yoohyeon’s Risky Plan-

Yoohyeon slowly followed the two humans throughout the forest. She had a feeling that the older man knew more about Yeojin and Vivi. The man bragged as the younger one fidgeted with his tablet nervously. What stood out was that the man not only mentioned the old facility that they had raided but another one in the woods. This one was for the more difficult and powerful creatures.

The younger man asked about its location as the older man bragged about how well hidden that it was that they didn’t need keycard entry. The younger man slipped and said that for a maximum-security facility, not having proper entry measures sounded stupid. Yoohyeon agreed and fought back a growl as the older man slapped him across the face.

“no respect! You think that we were stupid back then? We held the most dangerous creatures! That includes demons!” the man said as the younger man cowered, but it seemed like he couldn’t control his mouth.

“but didn’t the demons escape? How secure could it have been?” he said as he flinched, expecting another hit, but it never came. When he slowly looked up, he saw an odd expression on the older man's face.

“that wasn’t due to our security. It was because one of our own staff helped them escape… he opened the cell to one of the demons and handed it everything needed to escape. That bastard broke out not just another demon, but our prized experiment! Imagine if we could use a bit of demon blood to mesh together the best traits of every creature? Then we could use it on humans. We would no longer be prey or weak to them… we would have been the top of the food chain! It would have been glorious…” he said wistfully as the younger man asked another question.

“but wouldn’t that just make humans like the creatures we are trying to protect ourselves against? I would be afraid of them. They told us in training that these creatures are dangerous. That they hunt and prey on us, but if you take some of the strongest creatures' DNA and put it in a human, then they would become the most dangerous creature. We wouldn’t even know how to control that…” the younger man said as, the older one sighed.

“That was the argument among the staff. It was the reason that person freed that demon. They disagreed with the experiment being on humans. They said that it was unethical, but they had no problems experimenting on those creatures. Such hypocrites…” the older man said as the younger one looked confused.

“if they were ok experimenting on the demons and things, then why free them and not just the humans?” the younger man asked as the older man sighed.

“you have a point… but they never seemed to mind experimenting on others and only became vocal once we started, so we never thought that they would do it… maybe they were just hiding it well, and bringing in humans pushed them to finally do something? It doesn’t matter now… after that, everyone got demoted, including me. I had to climb back to the top to get here…” the man said when Yoohyeon started to pick up the scent of wolves in the distance.

“We are back. Should we set these wolves after them? See if they can find what happened to the others?” the younger man asked as the older one laughed.

“These wolves are only good for our defense. They are useless for anything else! They trashed their noses from all of those damn drugs! Can’t smell a damn thing! Isn’t that right, you beast!” the man shouted as he smacked a wolf on the nose, causing it to yelp.

Yoohyeon held back a growl. It was such an insulting thing to do to a wolf, and she felt for the poor wolf even if they did do horrible things to get there. The wolf covered his nose with his paws as he cowered from the older man. It was making Yoohyeon hate this man more than she already did. What had he done to make them cower like that?

_‘Yoohyeon? What's taking so long?’_ Siyeon asked, causing the tall wolf to jump. She had forgotten what she was supposed to be doing and slowly withdrew from the area and darted back to her pack.

_‘well, I have some news… It seems that they were actively tracking those wolves. They almost ran into me, but I hid… I kind of followed them…’_ Yoohyeon said and instantly tripped as everyone started shouting at her in her head. She went tumbling before splatting very gracefully with her ass in the air.

_‘ouch… I know it was stupid. Ok? But I have some interesting information that I got from it, ok?’_ Yoohyeon said when Minji’s voice rang through very loudly.

_‘KIM YOOHYEON! WHEN YOU GET BACK HERE YOU ARE IN TROUBLE! GET BACK HERE NOW!’_ Minji shouted as Yoohyeon flinched and covered her ears with her paws.

_‘I’m sorry…’_ Yoohyeon said in a pitiful tone, hoping that it would help ease the rath of her girlfriend, but it didn’t seem to work as Minji proceeded to yell at her the entire way back.

Once Yoohyeon made it back, she was tackled by several members of her pack as they harassed her and made sure that she was uninjured. Once she shifted back, Minji winced as she looked at Yoohyeon’s thighs. It had not finished healing yet, and the scratches looked much worse than they were.

“oh, I slid down a tree. I thought it would be funny to leave the receivers in a tree and almost fell out of it… so I threw it in a stagnant pond. That’s when two humans showed up. They mentioned demons and experiments. I thought of Yeojin and Vivi. I decided to follow them. and before you yell at me, I found out something useful!” Yoohyeon shouted as she held her hands up.

“well, let's get these two back to safety before we go into detail… I don’t want to stay here talking out in the open.” Siyeon said as Yoohyeon nodded.

“Yeah. There are other wolves in these woods. For “protection,” but I think it's safer to get out of here…” Yoohyeon said as everyone started moving back.

Once they were back to camp, everyone surrounded her as they waited to hear what she had to say. But before they could really start, sol came from the trees with news. Many things had happened while they were gone.

_‘quiet! Bad wolves in area! Hunting something!’_ sol said as Siyeon looked around.

All of their belongings were gone. She went to ask about it when she spotted several things hidden in the trees. Sol had brought everything into the trees at the first signs of trouble. This included several animals that had fled from the wolves.

_‘sol? What happened?’_ Siyeon asked as he slowly started lowering the animals he had hidden in the trees down.

_‘wolves came by just after everyone left. Looked crazy and mean as they chased everything that they could see. Possibly stupid? Not look up…’_ sol said with a shrug.

_‘stupid how?’_ Dami asked as sol shared his memories. It was different than their sight. However, it was becoming more like a human's sight with energies shimmering throughout everything. Was sol developing the plant version of actual eyes?

Dami quickly put that idea aside as she watched the wolves running around their camp. Sol truly pulled everything up just in time. They crashed through chasing a deer. The small deer was changing directions constantly to try to keep the wolves guessing. Dami quickly realized what sol meant by stupid. They didn’t use their sense of smell at all and only tracked the deer with their eyes and ears.

As soon as the young deer went behind a large tree, sol snatched it up. The wolves came around the corner, completely confused as they tried to find their prey. Not once did they try to sniff the air or look up. The natural instinct for a wolf would be to sniff the air for clues, but they just didn’t do that.

_‘they can't smell?’_ Dami asked as Yoohyeon looked up in shock.

“How did you know? I didn’t say anything yet, did I?” Yoohyeon asked as Dami looked at her in confusion.

“what?” Dami asked as she stared at her older sister in confusion.

“that they can't smell? How did you know that?” Yoohyeon asked as Dami raised a slender brow at her.

“and how do YOU know?” Dami asked as Yoohyeon went into detail about everything that she had witnessed while following the two deeper into the woods.

“so, they have some of the ones that cant smell that they use for protection, but why were they here?” Siyeon asked as Yoohyeon thought carefully.

“to hunt? They don’t seem like people anymore but simple wolves. I don’t think that they feed them judging from how skinny they were. Maybe they release them to hunt every so often?” Yoohyeon asked as Dami thought carefully.

“if that’s the case, then they would leave themselves unprotected… there must be two groups. The ones we fought could smell while these can’t, or if they can, it is not well. We need to be careful and bring Joy and Wendy back to safety… until then, we can think of what to do.” Dami said as everyone nodded.

“oh, and there is that second base! We need to go and try to find it! Supposedly there is no keycard access! I think I might know where they were talking about too! When I would go on late night hunts with my imposter family, we would hunt in a specific area that fits that description. It wouldn’t hurt to check it and its normal wolf territory after all. We won't look out of place.” Yoohyeon said as Siyeon nodded.

“that one place? By the rocks? Where we said it looked weird growing up? That what you are thinking of?” Siyeon asked as Yoohyeon nodded excitedly.

“First, we need to find the cars and get back…” Siyeon said when suddenly sol dropped the vehicles that they had taken from the trees.

“fuck! Sol, how did you get those up there?!” Siyeon shouted as she jumped in surprise.

_‘I picked them up. How else?’_ sol asked cutely as Siyeon shook her head at the cute plant before her.

“well, let's get inside and head back home. The hunt didn’t go as planned, but at least it meant we were able to save these two.” Dami said as she led everyone to the vehicles.

Yoohyeon looked over her shoulder at the woods that they were just about to leave when she felt a very sharp claw puncture her ear as Minji dragged her over to the car.

“oh, no! I don’t fucking think so… that’s your I have a stupid idea look!” Minji shouted as Yoohyeon whimpered. Her claws were out and basically gave Yoohyeon a new piercing.

“ouch…” Yoohyeon whimpered. Minji glanced back at her girlfriend and released her grip slightly without letting go completely.

“into the car…” Minji said, slightly softer as she closed the door. Yoohyeon did find out some possibly vital information but at what cost? What could have happened to her if she was found? The thoughts of her leaving them something to track also worried Minji greatly.

It was a bit of a drive, but everyone made it back to the house without incident. Joy and Wendy got to experience Dami’s love for speed and were very grateful to kiss the soil once they were out of the car. Dami rolled her eyes as she slowly locked the car and patted it happily.

“let's get inside. You two must be hungry too.” Sunmi said as Wendy nodded.

“thank you for taking us with you, but it looks like we left one forest for another…” Joy said as Siyeon and the others laughed.

“Just wait, and you will see…” Siyeon said with a smile as she walked towards the house with the others. The mist was making it difficult for Joy and Wendy to see, but soon the path was a bit clearer, and the large gate came into view.

“Woah… that’s a huge house…” Joy said as Siyeon and Minji laughed.

“Yeah. But try being trapped in the mirrors of that house for hundreds of years… then it doesn’t seem so large…” Yeri said as Joy looked at her in shock.

“trapped inside a mirror?” Wendy asked as Yeri nodded.

“I was the victim of a doppelganger. Choerry managed to free me with the help of the others.” Yeri said as Joy looked to the others as they nodded in agreement.

“it's true. She's actually… like a great or great great aunt of mine… long story…” Minji said as Joy and Wendy looked at her in shock.

“I understand that look. Yeojin is my older sister. Everyone thinks I’m the older sister but I’m only in my twenties while Yeojin is hundreds of years older. It leads to a lot of confusion.” Haseul said as she smiled at Minji.

“us old crones have to stick together! Right, Sunmi?” Yeojin said as she put her arm around Yeri and looked at a very offended looking fox.

“I am not a crone! And neither are you!” Sunmi said as Yeojin grinned mischievously.

“so Yeri… what kind of phone you have? I wanted to add you as a friend in some games.” Yeojin asked as Yeri looked at her with a confused expression.

“I still haven’t learned much with cell phones…” Yeri said as Yeojin looked at her in shock.

“oh no… we need to fix this. have you ever been on Twitter? No? follow me! I will teach you!” Yeojin said confidently as Haseul groaned.

“I take it that isn’t a good thing?” Handong asked as Haseul nodded.

“last time she was like this, Yeojin was so addicted to her phone that we needed to confiscate it and make her sleep… it didn’t go well. I had to subdue her… she didn’t like it.” Vivi said casually and almost robotically.

“well, that’s interesting… you subdued a demon?” Dami asked as Vivi nodded emotionlessly.

“yes. It isn’t hard as long as I don’t try to use my powers. If I do, I go out of control.” Vivi said as Dami looked over at Haseul.

The demon was looking at Vivi with such a tender, loving, and slightly worried look that she knew that Vivi was telling the truth. Just how strong was this human? Would humans actually treat her differently compared to them just because she was a human? She actually seemed more dangerous than most of their kind, but Dami quickly learned at a young age that human logic sometimes lacks the logic part.

“have you tried to use your powers since joining the pack?” Dami asked as Vivi shook her head.

“no. I am afraid to. It might be even stronger than before.” Vivi said as Haseul held her hand.

“no need to push yourself if you feel that you are not ready… alright?” Haseul asked as Vivi nodded and smiled faintly. Though Vivi seemed emotionless, Haseul was always able to pull out some remnants of her human side and emotions just because it is Haseul.

“let's continue this inside. I think that we need to give the two a tour.” Siyeon said as everyone nodded and filed inside.

Once inside, Hyunjin carried a very sleepy Lua up to her room. The young girl was very tired and didn’t want the two to be afraid if they saw her true form. Hyunjin wanted to tell her that it was alright but also didn’t want to push the young girl.

She tucked Lua in and slowly walked back downstairs to hear Joy and Wendy explaining a bit more of their story. They were talking about the pet that they were searching for. It wasn't just some cat or dog but a shadow hound. How they thought that they could find one in the forest Hyunjin had no idea, but it was no wonder why they didn’t find it.

“well, at least you are safe. And it looks like food is ready!” Siyeon said as Sunmi set down several plates of food for everyone. Jinsoul had helped to make a huge feast for everyone. Together the two made an impressive cooking team.

“Alright, Yoohyeon… tell us more about this base and anything else that you might have left out…” Siyeon said as everyone's eyes shifted to the wolf that was currently stuffing her face with food.


	118. Chapter 118

-Testing Connections-

Yoohyeon spent several minutes explaining every little detail of what happened while Joy and Wendy walked around the room, admiring the beautiful house. Everything was like a time capsule to them. It showed things from Yeri’s time all the way to Minji’s, and it fascinated the two girls.

“Are you two hungry?” Sunmi asked as she walked over to the two. She had made some food and also one of her special teas to help with Wendy’s energy issues.

“oh! Thank you!” Wendy said with a smile as she and Joy were led into the kitchen. They passed everyone interrogating Yoohyeon and shook their heads.

“Woah… when you offered food, I didn’t think you meant this much…” Joy said as she looked at everything Sunmi had set out. She wanted to feed them before feeding the others due to Wendy’s energy issue. She needed to monitor it as she drank, so the others continued to question a very regretful Yoohyeon.

Wendy smelled the tea that Sunmi sat in front of her and smiled happily. It smelled amazing, and when she took a sip, it warmed all the way down. Her mind suddenly felt clearer, and she felt stronger, but it quickly disappeared as soon as it happened.

Sunmi frowned. Her energy spiked considerably, but with it came the instant drain back to the level that it is now at. With this, she had a better judge at whatever spell was doing this, and she meant spell. This wasn’t a creature doing this but a human witch. It was siphoning off power to strengthen their own.

This meant that she knew how to possibly break the spell, but there was extra info that could help. Minji’s family had initially been witches, and with that history, they had several journals. Inside one of them, there had to be more information on spells like this.

 _‘Dami?’_ Sunmi asked as the younger girl looked at her questioningly.

 _‘I need you to go into the attic and pull out the journals. This isn’t an ability. It’s a spell. Wendy is a witch. A powerful witch at that. Someone is siphoning off her power for themselves. I’m sure that there must be something inside those books about it.’_ Sunmi said as Dami quickly stood and walked upstairs.

 _‘something wrong?’_ Joy asked silently as she raised a slender brow in question.

 _‘I think we might be able to help Wendy. I’m having Dami go check some old books for more information.’_ Sunmi said as Joy sat up slightly.

“seriously?” Joy asked aloud as Wendy looked at her in confusion.

“Something wrong?” Wendy asked as Joy shook her head and wrapped her arm around her girlfriend.

“no, baby. Just chatting.” Joy said softly. She didn’t want to get her hopes up if there was a chance that it wouldn’t work.

 _‘I found several mentions of binding spells and draining spells… I don’t know what would be the one we are looking for…’_ Dami said as she walked around the corner and set several old and dusty journals onto the table and started flipping through the pages with Handong.

The vampire had seen Dami walk into the kitchen with the journals and got instantly intrigued. She was quickly caught up, and soon the two split the journals as they combed through the pages looking for things that might help.

 _‘here is something interesting… this talks about a complicated binding and draining spell that was combined. It was used against a witch that went towards dark magic. It seems like it needs to be done by several witches… if this is the case, then more than one person is involved. But there's more…’_ Dami said as Handong took over.

 _‘it says that when the binding was finally broken by the evil witch, her powers flooded back so quickly that it killed her. If we break this spell, we need someone to drain the surge of energy that will rush back to her. Good thing we have a succubus that can help us with it.’_ Handong said as Joy looked at her in shock.

She had always given power to Wendy but never taken any away. And from what they were saying, it would be a lot of energy to drain. Joy had only ever drained enough to keep the two of them alive. Could she do it?

 _‘I’m not sure if I can do it… I don’t have much experience at draining high amounts of energy. I have only done just enough to survive off of…’_ Joy said as Sooyoung walked up.

 _‘don’t worry about it. I’m sure you can practice with some of us. Gahyeon can also gather energy from the sun. I’m sure that you can practice draining huge amounts of energy without worrying about taking too much.’_ Sooyoung said as Joy looked at her nervously.

 _‘yeah. You can practice with me. I can absorb more than you can probably draw anyway. Im probably the safest to try it on, but the issue is what to do with the energy you draw?’_ Gahyeon asked as Joy smirked.

 _‘I’m a succubus… I can use that energy to make people around me horny or just use up the energy with sex. Whenever I had extra energy Wendy would help me release it. I just get super horny. That’s why she started calling me Joy.’_ Joy said with a smirk as Gahyeon laughed and shook her head. Dami, on the other hand, was turning slightly pink at the talk.

 _‘well, if that’s the case, what's the fastest way for you to draw and use energy at the same time?’_ Sooyoung asked though she was pretty sure of the answer. Joy’s smirk confirmed it.

“well… this is going to be fun then…” Sooyoung said aloud as Wendy looked up with a confused expression.

 _‘anyway… this tells how to break the connection. That means that we just need Joy to practice drawing energy NOT WITH SEX, and if she needs to with Wendy, then she can. I don’t like how it's drawing more than it did before…’_ Dami said as she looked at Wendy.

 _‘I wonder if it's because of the tea. It gave her a surge of energy, but that energy was quickly drained off… what if the surge made whoever is doing this greedy. They might hope that if they get her lower, then there might be another surge of power?’_ Sunmi said as she went to brew more tea. She had a plan.

 _‘if that’s the case, then I don’t think that more tea will help, right?’_ Joy asked as Sunmi looked back with a smirk.

 _‘energy burn. It's probably what killed that witch. I was worried that it would get Chungha. If we keep them draining huge surges, we will soon hit their max energy level. Too much, and it starts to burn them up if they don’t burn some off… I’m hoping to at least take out a couple. Then the drain on Wendy would be less. It would buy us more time.’_ Sunmi said as Joy looked at her in shock.

 _‘will it work?’_ Joy asked as Sunmi shrugged.

 _‘if not, then they will at least be possibly rendered unconscious for a couple of hours. If she seems more energetic when she first wakes up in the morning then quickly drains in the morning, then that means that while the others are asleep, then they also are draining her energy slower when they sleep.’_ Sunmi said as Joy nodded.

“baby? Would you like some more tea?” Joy asked as Wendy took another sip of the flavorful tea and nodded happily.

“We are going to try something. Your energy is being drained by someone. This tea will cause your energy to recharge. They drain it right away, but they could drain too much and knock themselves out. It will give you a break, so we need you to drink a lot of tea, ok?” Joy asked as Wendy nodded.

“it won't hurt them too much, will it?” Wendy asked as Joy exchanged a look with the others begging for them to go along with her.

“of course not. It will just make them sleep and give you a break. Ok? At the most, they would just wake up with a bit of a headache.” Joy said as Wendy nodded and took another sip of tea.

‘she doesn’t like the thought of hurting someone? even if they are bad and hurting her?’ Dami asked as Joy shook her head.

 _‘no, she doesn’t have sympathy for them… she has it for the possible family that they might have. She says that though the person is bad, their family might be innocent any time we watch a movie with a horrible villain.’_ Joy said as the others nodded. It made sense in a way though Dami and Handong couldn’t feel much sympathy for them with everything that they had seen.

“How is the food?” Siyeon asked as she leaned against her chair. Joy looked up and gulped. Though Siyeon was now fully clothed, the image of her toned bare body was forever imprinted in Joy’s brain.

“very good, thank you!” Wendy said for Joy as she giggled. She could tell right away what her girlfriend was thinking.

“so, I heard something about a plan?” Siyeon asked as Dami nodded and told the alpha everything while silently telling the truth of how they hoped to take out some of the ones drawing her energy. The alpha nodded and carefully watched as Wendy drank the fragrant tea.

They could watch her skin go from pale to pink and back to pale in seconds. They were trying to suck up everything that they could and leave her with the bare minimum. But Siyeon knew that she needed to change that. Wendy seemed to be getting paler each time.

 _‘they are draining her too much…’_ Siyeon said as she watched Wendy fading.

 _‘I will try and give her some of my energy that I took from you earlier. It seems that it's harder for them to drain the energy that I have given her…’_ Joy said as she quickly got Wendy’s attention. The blonde looked at Joy only to feel her fingers on her chin. Joy carefully leaned in and kissed Wendy. Her energy slowly flowed inside of her, and just like she mentioned, it helped immensely.

 _‘how did you know that they have a hard time draining your energy?’_ Dami asked as Joy smirked.

 _‘because she had never been drained like this before whenever I would give her energy. I have given her more energy than that surge multiple times during sex, and she was fine for hours, not minutes.’_ Joy said as Sunmi nodded.

 _‘if that’s the case, then maybe they have a hard time draining the energy that they get from our kind? If that’s the case, then that will work to our advantage. We try to give them energy burn, then the ones that know to burn it off will spend too much energy expecting continuous surges only to struggle with Gahyeon’s energy…’_ Sunmi said as Siyeon smirked.

 _‘what about a human with insane amounts of energy from other creatures?’_ Haseul asked as Vivi held her arm pleadingly.

Though Vivi didn’t talk often, it didn’t mean that she didn’t want to. She had to be in constant control of her energy. The idea of some being drained off made her a bit more excited than Haseul expected. It would be an interesting test.

 _‘I can test that right now if you would like? I’m not sure if your energy would be more human or not, so it would be good to test right now. If it's more like a human's energy, then they will drain it and suffer energy burn.’_ Joy said as Vivi’s eyes lit up.

Joy soon stood in front of Vivi and looked at Haseul. She had told her that to draw a large amount of energy, a kiss was the easiest way. Though the demon hated the idea, Vivi’s pleading look made her sigh and agree. That didn’t mean that she had to watch it, though.

‘its not a true kiss like I would do to Wendy. I’m just sucking her energy out, alright?’ Joy said as Haseul nodded and looked away.

Joy’s lips connected with Vivi’s as she quickly drew off a substantial amount of energy. It was making her dizzy. Just how much energy did Vivi have? It was insane. Joy quickly staggered over to Wendy and fed her the energy. It surged into her but what was interesting is that it was split. Half of it was drained rapidly. The other half was energy that was from creatures that they couldn’t draw from easily.

 _‘look… it instantly changed the amount that was being drawn off… I think we took some out! Let's try again!’_ Sunmi said as Joy walked over and drew another large amount of energy from Vivi.

After the second draining, Vivi felt immediately better. There wasn’t the constant struggle to keep her power suppressed, and for the first time in a long while, Vivi sighed a breath of relief as Haseul turned to look at her.

Haseul could feel that something was different. As she locked eyes with Vivi, she could see the relief. She had been unable to be very affectionate with Haseul because it would make her energy control slip, but right now, Vivi darted over to her as she surprised Haseul with a passionate kiss.

Haseul was caught completely off guard and rendered breathless. Even Vivi’s expression was much more relaxed and softer compared to normal. Haseul said the only thing that she could think of at that moment.

“Woah,” Haseul said breathlessly as Vivi looked at her excitedly.

“well, that was surprising…” Yeojin said as she walked in with Yeri.

“you're telling me…” Haseul said as she looked into Vivi’s eyes with a dazed expression.

But while this was happening, Joy went over and fed Wendy the energy taken from Vivi the second time. The amount of energy being drawn off dropped once more, and the extra energy left Wendy feeling amazing. Her energy was around what it should be, and she started to feel the effect that Joy had on her. The constant feeding of energy was a huge turn on for the two. Soon they were praying that they would be shown a room because it was starting to feel unbearable.


	119. Chapter 119

-Unleashed Powers-

After draining Vivi, Joy walked over and fed Wendy the energy that she pulled from her. The next surge had interesting results. The energy quickly drew off before stopping abruptly. It seemed like the last surge was too much for many, and they either were rendered unconscious or killed from the energy burn.

Wendy instantly felt better though there was still a high amount of energy within her. She seemed unphased. It made Joy wonder just how much her energy levels would be if it wasn’t constantly drained? Would it rival the others? Would it come close to the insane energy that Vivi has?

Wendy sighed in relief and took another sip of tea. Her energy levels soared once more, but the energy draining from her was only a trickle. Their plan seemed to work, but the issue was that those that had fallen might be easily replaced if they didn’t take out the one who was in control of the spell or item that bound her powers.

“what does the journal say about that spell?” Joy asked as Dami and Handong carefully read over the old pages.

“I think that they used some kind of item. Something that held Wendy’s image or maybe a piece of her hair? Something to bind her with. Then once they bound her energy, they linked it to others. That’s how it drains most of her energy. It says most binding spells are not to hurt or kill. So maybe that’s why it leaves her just enough to live off of?” Dami asked as Joy shook her head.

“no, it almost killed her the first time I met her. I have had to feed her energy several times a day for years now…” Joy said as Handong frowned and pointed to a specific paragraph.

“it says here that though binding spells normally don’t harm the one who is bound. If the one casting it wills it to be, then it turns the spell into a dark binding spell. They can be deadly. Examples are draining spells that drain the person until their heart stops…” Handong said as she paused.

“but to do a dark binding spell, it requires more than one witch. The power required is much more than one witch can hold… so does this mean that this has been going on for years, and some people have just watched you fading away? How long have you felt like this?” Dami asked as Wendy paused and thought about it.

“um… as long as I can remember. Even as a baby, I seemed to lack energy and didn’t seem to keep up with the others… so I’m guessing from a baby? But would they really do that to a child?” Wendy said as what she just said started to sink in.

Someone drained her energy to dangerously low levels from near birth. It made her feel like she was just a sacrificial pawn. Expendable as soon as they drained all of her energy. Her jaw started to clinch as her anger rose, and with it, some odd things started to happen.

Now that Wendy had energy, her ability was running wild. Things around her started to vibrate as some things started to rise. Her hair fluttered around her like a breeze circled her, and Sunmi quickly realized that not only did Wendy have no control over her powers yet, but she was much more powerful than any witch she had met throughout all of the years that she had been alive. There was something about Wendy’s energy that gave her cold chills.

Sunmi wasn’t sure if it was Vivi’s energy within her or Wendy’s own energy that had an edge of something more to it. Something that Sunmi almost feared. It reminded her of something that she couldn’t put her finger on.

Joy watched Wendy’s energy swell as things started to vibrate and move. Wendy was finally getting angry. She was finally accepting that what was happening to her was wrong and cruel. Why did she finally let her anger rise? She thought back and realized very quickly why. They targeted Wendy when she was a child. Innocent and unknowing.

Soon that thought started to bother Joy as well. Wendy was completely innocent. She was a baby and had done nothing wrong. who would even do this? How could they sacrifice a baby like this? the thought triggered Joy’s protective side as she slowly wrapped her arms around Wendy.

The action was difficult. Wendy’s energy was radiating around her so thickly that her arms moved in slow motion. It was like moving through syrup. But the touch instantly started to relax and calm Wendy. Joy was always an excellent reality check for Wendy whenever she was stuck in her head. It helped whenever her doubts and fears got the better of her.

For years Wendy feared that she could die at any moment. She feared that she would die in her sleep, and Joy would think that she was ignoring her until it was too late. But it wasn’t the fear of death anymore. She had slowly started to accept that several years ago with Joy’s help. No. what she feared was leaving Joy.

The succubus was everything to Wendy. Even though it was difficult at first, it was hard to get used to your girlfriend constantly getting hit on by swarms of people. But what made it worse was when Joy would flirt back, knowing Wendy needed more energy.

It killed her to know that Joy had to flirt with men though she felt extremely uncomfortable with it. But she did it because men gave her the most energy. It was only for Wendy, and that used to bother her so much. Actually, it still bothered her, though much less now. Joy had proven her love and dedication, time and time again.

As Wendy looked at Joy, she realized that she was struggling. She had never drained this much energy before. She might feel completely fine, but Joy was starting to look sick. Wendy quickly offered her some tea that Joy was going to refuse, but Sunmi urged her to.

After Joy took a small sip, her energy levels balanced back out as she sighed in relief and looked behind her to see how Vivi was only to find Vivi and Haseul gone and Yeojin grinning like a maniac. Joy knew what that meant and quickly looked back at Wendy to see how she was doing. The two of them were constantly checking on each other after what happened.

“How are you feeling? Is it too much energy?” Joy asked as Wendy shook her head.

“no. I actually feel really good. Better than I ever have, actually. is this how I was supposed to feel from the beginning?” Wendy asked as Joy nodded.

“you are not supposed to have your energy constantly drained for years. When I was young, they taught me not to drain too much repeatedly. I was told that it would be dangerous. I can't believe that they were doing that to a child for years…” Joy said as she shook her head.

“is it really that bad?” Wendy asked as Joy looked at her sadly.

“yes, it is, baby… you were sick for YEARS! How many doctor's appointments did you go to? How many times did they say that nothing was wrong with you and you just needed to sleep more?” Joy asked as Wendy’s shoulders slumped.

It had been very difficult throughout the years. There were so many times where she would just collapse and wake up hours later. Feeling drained was an understatement. She constantly felt like she was on the brink of death every day. The fear soon became normal. But should it have been?

Thinking back at her old memories, her anger was starting to get the better of her. She was learning something about herself. She had always tried to remain calm, but she was wondering if the reason she always dismissed everything that someone did wrong was because she didn’t have the energy to deal with it. Now that she has the energy, she was finding out that she was angry. Extremely angry, and she didn’t want to let this slide.

“so, what exactly am I again?” Wendy asked as Sunmi walked over and took one of the journals from the table and opened it.

“you are a witch. A very strong one judging from your energy. You seem to have very old and powerful magic running through you, and someone felt it and decided to take it from you for some reason. Minji’s family were witches before they became vampires. Though it isn’t your family history, maybe you might like to read some about what you are?” Sunmi asked as Wendy looked up in shock.

The book was very old, and she worried that she would damage it, but she was dying to read it. she ran her fingers over the old leather cover and gasped when the cover blazed in Vivid a blue light. Everyone froze as they looked at the book. Something had happened, and when Wendy opened the pages, she gasped.

Inside the book was regular diary entries, but on the pages, there was now writing that shimmered in a blue light. As she leaned closer and read, she quickly realized what she was looking at. This wasn’t just a journal but a secret spellbook. One that held spells that were special to Minji’s family.

Wendy quickly closed the book as she looked up and apologized. Minji had just walked in to see the light show with the diary and quickly asked her why she had apologized. Wendy didn’t know why, but she felt that it was wrong to read another family’s spellbook.

“sorry. I didn’t know that it was a spellbook when I touched it. It looks like it holds your family's most powerful and secret spells. Here.” Wendy said as she stood and held out the book for Minji to take.

“How did you get it to show for you?” Minji asked as Wendy shrugged her shoulders.

“I don’t know… I just brushed my hand over the cover. I wanted to know how it felt when it just reacted…” Wendy said as Minji tried it. The book glowed a soft pink, but it was so faint that it could barely be read. Minji didn’t have the power and strength that Wendy had.

“maybe this is meant for you? We are no longer witches. We are vampires, and the book barely reacts to me. Maybe it will help you learn more about yourself?” Minji said as she held the book out for Wendy to take.

The witch clutched it to her chest, gratefully. She didn’t know why, but she missed the book as soon as it left her hands. The book felt right in her hands, and she was dying to read it. she didn’t know what to say to Minji in thanks.

“maybe it will help you learn to protect yourself. We are in a situation, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they start going after witches too…” Minji said apologetically.

“a situation? Oh, about the people disappearing?” Wendy asked as Minji and Siyeon nodded.

“It's been getting worse. Jungeun had been seeing these weird visions that looked like people getting taken, but she thought it was in the distant future. But now we are not too sure. They could be rounding up our kind as we speak. And judging how someone felt the need to drain your energy as a baby, they must view you as a threat or something…” Siyeon said as Wendy thought about something.

“Minji? the book did react to you though it wasn’t strongly. I wonder if you just need to tap into them. I could try to teach you what I learn if you would want to try…” Wendy said nervously as Minji smiled.

“I would like that. But don’t tease me if I am a complete beginner or weakling!” Minji said with a smile as Wendy smiled back.

“I think this means that we have two new additions to this household!” Sunmi said with a smile as both Joy and Wendy looked at her in shock.

“We don’t want to impose…” Wendy said as Siyeon shook her head.

“We need to keep you alive. Someone wanted your energy enough to drain it from you for years. And if all we did is just knock some of them out, then they might try to drain more once they wake up. Also, now that your energy is coming back, you need to learn how to use it. This is a safe place to train and keep you out of the eye of the government. We still don’t know who was draining your powers…” Siyeon said as Wendy nodded in understanding. She didn’t like forcing herself upon them, but they made a good point.

Wendy knew that if someone was looking for her, then Joy would get aggressive or protective of her, and she didn’t want her to get hurt for it. Joy also was looking a bit shaky after draining off so much energy. She knew that Joy needed to rest, and this gave them the opportunity, and she had to admit she was dying to learn what all was inside this book.

Wendy held the book to her chest as Sunmi set out food for the rest of them. Yoohyeon looked thoroughly harassed, and her hair was all over the place. It seemed that they went and ruffled her hair quite furiously.

Wendy had finished eating and gently stroked the cover once more. The light blazed blue once more, and when she slowly opened the book, she realized that not only did this book hold strong and advanced spells, but it also went over the basics. The one who organized it did very well.

“basic spells for moving objects…” Wendy mumbled as she read. It didn’t take long for her eyes to slowly blaze the same blue color as she focused on a fork that was on her empty plate. She had read that at first, you need to use the chants. But once you become more advanced, it wasn’t needed, but she would not skip on the basics.

Joy looked over at the fork and watched silently as it shook and vibrated as it glowed a faint bluish tint. The others didn’t notice it at first because of the loud chatting, but soon they slowly started growing silent as Wendy slowly made the fork rise in the air. She was using a bit more power than needed as she tried to learn control, but it made the fork hum an interesting sound as it hovered in the air.

Wendy sighed as she relaxed her concentration, causing the fork to clatter back to the plate. She had a faint smile on her face as she looked at her fork proudly, but when she looked up to see all eyes on her, she quickly blushed as she apologized.

“sorry… I hope I wasn’t disrupting your meal… Wendy said as Siyeon laughed.

“no, we were just kind of amazed. No worries.” Siyeon said with a smile as Wendy looked at Minji for confirmation. The vampire also smiled as she nodded. Wendy sighed in relief as she looked once more at the book.

This was her first try, and she had succeeded. She was very proud of herself, but she knew that it didn’t mean anything. She wanted to learn, and that meant practicing and learning to control the amount of power that she released into whatever working that she was doing.

“can you bend the fork? Like in those movies with psychics?” Chuu asked curiously as Wendy looked through the book.

“There are spells to do that, but they are a bit more advanced than I am at. The next spell is to call fire to yourself…” Wendy said as Bora smiled and let her purple flames flicker across her body.

“see if you can call it from me,” Bora said as Wendy read the spell and slowly started the chant. At first, Bora didn’t think that anything was happening, but soon she felt the flames at her shoulders slightly tugging away from her body.

As Wendy’s focus increased with it, so did her strength. Soon the purple flames started to swirl in the air between them until it snaked over to rest in Wendy’s palm. She remained unburned from the first half of the spell. It rendered flames useless against her. It was why Bora thought that nothing was happening for several minutes, but she had not even begun calling the fire to herself yet.

“amazing!” Bora said as she watched the purple flames slowly turn into the same blazing blue as Wendy’s eyes. Her energy fueling the flames caused it to change colors. It was clear that Wendy’s powers were blue. Her energy was blue, and so were the spells that she worked.

Wendy read two new entries in the spellbook and slowly split the fire into two. She then started to chant as she returned one flame back to Bora. As soon as it touched Bora once more, the fire blazed a vibrant purple.

But the next flame Wendy had a different plan for. There was a spell of binding a flame to her. If she could do it successfully, then it meant that she could call the flames back to her whenever she needed them.

Wendy focused as she drowned out the world around her. She needed complete concentration, and slowly she started the chants as she watched the flame flicker and shake. After about a minute, Wendy closed her hand, snuffing out the flame. Now it was time to see if it was successful.

Wendy slowly started the chants to summon the flames back and prayed that it would work. Soon she felt a flicker of energy in her palm, but she refused to look at it as she concentrated and continued until the spell was done.

Slowly Wendy opened her eyes to see the blue flame happily dancing in her palm. Wendy looked at Joy excitedly as Joy smiled at her proudly.

“good job, baby. I’m proud of you…” Joy said with a happy smile as she gently stroked Wendy’s hair. Proud was an understatement. Wendy had always been so weak and drained. Seeing her like this made Joy’s heart soar in happiness. She couldn’t wish for anything more.


	120. Chapter 120

-Spells and Incantations-

After eating and using her powers for the first time, Wendy felt completely drained. Her energy levels were fine at the moment, but she had not used her own energy to do a spell before. The feeling of doing her first spell felt amazing, though.

It was like all of her senses were heightened as she worked her first spell. The energy flowing from her made her body tingle, and she had to admit that she liked the sensation. She felt powerful, and it was also kind of addicting.

But one thing Wendy had was a lot of willpower and control. The witch knew that her powers would be tempting and was ready for it, thanks to one of the first passages inside. It was left by Minji’s ancestors, and with it, she knew what was coming. Her strength was stronger than most, and it also tempted her more than most.

“I can kind of understand how witches went bad, how they let their powers or their greed for power take over. I need to be careful…” Wendy said as she looked at Joy. The succubus looked at her curiously.

“what do you mean?” Joy said as she rubbed her girlfriend's back.

“I feel the urge to continue. Or do something to get more powerful. I can see why they would drain me. I don’t agree with it, obviously, but I can feel the temptation. But doing what they did, doesn’t that mean that they are leaning towards dark magic? The book says that dark magic corrupts and consumes you… what are they like now, I wonder?” Wendy asked as Siyeon growled.

“they drained a baby for years, constantly stealing your power. As far as I’m concerned, they are monsters…” Siyeon said as she glared into the distance.

“I think we have a way to track them back as well…” Sunmi said as she looked over Dami’s shoulder and pointed at a passage in one of the older journals.

“it says that there is an incantation that will use a bit of your energy that you can use to track it back to them. We just need to wait until morning and see how much energy is being drained from you. Want to go on a witch hunt?” Sunmi said jokingly as Wendy smiled.

“so, we will be tracking the ones who did this to her?” Joy asked as her eyes started to glow like amethysts in the dim light. Revenge was on her mind. Every time she remembered seeing how weak Wendy was, it made her blood boil. ‘soon…’ she thought as she wrapped her arms around Wendy protectively.

“let's get some rest early then. We need to hunt in the morning after all…” Siyeon said with a smirk. They originally wanted to hunt, but and now they have a different kind of hunt coming.

Everyone slowly wandered to bed as they prepared for the next day. Wendy slept well for the first time in a while. Normally she would fall asleep from pure exhaustion and sleep a dreamless sleep, but this time it was different.

Wendy fell asleep with Joy's arms around her. It made her feel protected and safe. Those warm arms gently rubbed her back as she drifted off to sleep and dreamt for the first time in a while.

-Odd Dreams-

_Wendy woke up in an odd room. Candles littered the tables and shelves around as old books were littered around the room. Inside the room were several people in long black cloaks. They didn’t seem to see her, and as she walked closer, she could feel the energy radiating from them._

_To be specific, HER energy radiating off of them. She watched as they focused and chanted as her energy was being drained at an alarming rate when a familiar voice rang out. Wendy looked over as a woman with a long cloak that had intricate designs woven in silver wire along the edges._

_‘why do I recognize that voice?’ Wendy thought to herself as she stepped closer to the woman._

_“We need to drain everything that we can with these surges! I don’t know what that bitch is doing, but we need to take all this energy for our coven! Focus!” the woman said as Wendy felt a shiver run down her spine. Was this happening right now or earlier?_

_At that moment, another surge of energy hit the group as she saw one person gasp. Her hood fell back as blood dripped from her nose. The power was too much for such weak witches, but they struggled forward._

_When the second surge hit, the girl's eyes rolled back as more blood rushed out of her nose. There was just too much energy to handle. Her body hit the ground with a thud as the high priestess sighed. They were losing so many of their weaker witches this way._

_“bring in another one!” she bellowed as another person quickly took the place of the fallen witch. Their priority was to drain as much of Wendy’s energy to strengthen the elders of the coven, and they didn’t mind using expendable young witches in the process._

_Soon one girl started to scream as blue flames sprung from her fingertips and slowly traveled down her arms as only ashes were left behind. Another one fell to energy burn, but the high priestess didn’t care. All that mattered to her now was power, and so she called for another replacement, but there was an issue. There were no more expendable witches. With a sigh, she stepped forward and started to chant._

_A large portion of energy surged into the older woman as she sighed happily. She craved this energy, but she had to admit that she had been draining too much and taking too much of Wendy’s energy inside her lately. She feared energy burn, but she was addicted to the girl's magic._

_“this energy has a hint of dark magic to it…” the new witch said as she stopped her chanting and looked at the others._

_“This can corrupt us! You need to stop this! Where is this energy coming from anyway?” the young woman asked, but for her answer, she was knocked back by the older witch with a growl. This wasn’t the first time that they had some young witch try to tell them what to do, and it was always infuriating._

_“remove her.” The woman said flatly as Wendy felt that déjà vu feeling at that tone. It was so familiar that she felt she knew it somehow._

_A shiver ran down her spine when she realized why. She knew this woman. That voice was so familiar for a reason. Her “aunt” that was close to her mother before she passed away. She had offered to take her in, but Wendy refused. She didn’t want to leave the house that she lived in with her mother._

_Her mother… she had thought that whatever she had was genetic. It seemed to affect her mother too, but now she wonders if her mother was killed by her own friend. She was drained to death by someone she trusted._

_Wendy felt anger rising in her chest as she watched the woman remove her hood. It was the confirmation that Wendy needed. It was indeed her aunt but what the woman said next made her blood run cold._

_“We have given her multiple chances to reproduce, but she instead decides to whore around with some woman… she’s the last in her family. If she doesn’t reproduce, then her magic dies with her. Drain her. All of her. We will harvest her eggs and have an unlimited supply of power for the coven!” her aunt said as Wendy stood there in shock._

_“are we going to drain her like her mother?” one witch asked as she smirked._

_“yes. But this one has much more energy than her mother. She seems like a fighter. It just means more energy for us. Remember, we are protecting the world by doing this! Her family line were all dangerous dark witches. Binding and draining their powers strengthens our coven to protect everyone! Don’t feel sorry for the little bitch. Remember the chaos her family has brought on the world!” she said as Wendy’s rage started building even more._

_“but she hasn’t done anything. She doesn’t even know that she's a witch. Neither did her mother… is this really the right thing to do?” one of the witches asked. This one also had silver trim on her cloak and seemed to be one of the elders of the coven._

_Her aunt scoffed as she rolled her eyes. When she had given the order to drain Wendy’s mother, many disagreed with her decision. It caused the coven to split temporarily, but when the ones that left were cut off from their power source, they quickly came crawling back. This witch was one of those._

_“We already went over this YEARS ago! You know what happened every time her family hit the age to learn their first workings… they delved into dark magic and became corrupted. You SAW IT YOURSELF! That’s why we started binding their energy, remember?” her aunt said as the other woman shook her head._

_“I’m not so sure anymore. I am starting to think that they just naturally have both dark magic and light magic inside them. We felt the dark energy, but except for one or two bad seeds in her family line, none of the others became corrupted. Are we just killing these girls for power, or are we actually protecting people?” the older witch asked as her aunt growled in frustration._

_“Remember how it was to be without their power? Do you seriously want to experience that again? The energy of their family line is what made our coven so powerful! It's what made us feared and respected. Look at how many new witches flock to us because they know our names? We are legends, and do you seriously want to end that because of some stupid girl?” her aunt whispered in a deadly tone._

_The older witch sighed and shook her head. She was slowly starting to feel that they were never really protecting people but instead talked themselves into it for the power that they knew they could draw from her family line. Guilt was starting to outweigh the power._

_“We don’t have time for your conscience to finally show its head… we have a job to do…” her aunt said as she shoved the older witch aside and stood in the center of the circle._

_But before they could prepare for another surge, Vivi’s energy smashed into them, rendering several young witches either unconscious or burnt to a crisp from energy burn. Her aunt instantly dropped as her nose started to bleed._

_Wendy found herself cursing. She wished that it would have taken out that woman so that she wouldn’t have to face her, but she didn’t have that luck clearly. That meant that she would have to confront her in the morning._

_The issue was that instead of feeling dread or worry, Wendy felt anger and rage. Her mother that tried everything that she could to help her until she passed, was killed by the one person that she trusted most. Wendy wanted revenge. She wanted to avenge her mother, and for however many of her family died because of this corrupted coven._

Wendy woke up with a gasp as Joy pulled her tightly to her. She wanted to comfort Wendy, but the witch slowly untangled herself, causing Joy to pout, but she slowly thumbed through the pages as she read ahead. These witches were clearly stronger than most because of her power that she had been unknowingly feeding them for years. This meant that they could probably use dangerous spells. She quickly needed to learn how to protect herself and the others from it.

She didn’t want to wake Joy, so she slowly opened the door as she crept downstairs but was surprised to see Minji and Yeri sitting at the table. The younger looking one seemed to be exhausted as she stared into a tiny mirror.

“I don’t know how to control this. I don’t know who or what to look for. How can I find who is doing this to Wendy?” Yeri said in frustration. She was still extremely new to scrying.

“what are you two doing?” Wendy asked softly, causing the two to jump. They were so focused on their tasks that they didn’t realize that Wendy had silently joined them.

She looked at them and laughed. They looked like two startled kittens with their fluffy tails even fluffier from shock. The shock made their ears and tails appear, making it an adorable picture. Wendy walked over and soon saw the moving image inside the mirror and looked at it with interest.

“What is that?” Wendy asked as Minji sighed.

“She's trying scrying. I guess it was a gift passed down through the generations to one of us, but we don’t know what to do…” Minji said with a sigh as Wendy’s eyes lit up.

“scrying…” Wendy said as she gently stroked the spellbook. It blazed blue as she carefully turned the pages and found what she was looking for.

“look. This might help…” Wendy said as she pointed at a section for scrying. The three carefully read over it as Yeri sighed.

“is it really that easy? But how do I feel for their energy or whatever to link them to the mirror?” Yeri asked as Wendy thought carefully.

“they are constantly draining my energy, but I can't feel their energy to track them. Not like I would know what I was feeling yet anyway… wait… my aunt…” Wendy said as she trailed off. Was that why she had the dream?

“what about your aunt?” Minji asked in confusion as Wendy’s expression darkened.

She slowly told the two about her dream as they listened in shock. They couldn’t believe what she was saying. Could it really be possible? And from what they were saying, at least two of them were way older than a human should be. Is it from Wendy’s family? Their power?

“I woke up and came down here to try and practice defensive spells. They will be strong, and I don’t know what tricks they have up their sleeves…” Wendy said as she looked at the others.

“how about we help each other? You know who to look for, and we can help you practice. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to learn some things too. It was what we were before vampires. Right Minji?” Yeri asked as Minji nodded. It was at times like this that she definitely felt younger than Yeri.

Wendy explained her dream and the mention of dark magic, possibly naturally running in her family. Minji and Yeri were worried, but they could tell that she was taking every precaution that she could. If that was indeed the case, would she be consumed by it like a regular witch that didn’t have it naturally?

The three stayed up for hours as they helped each other. With Wendy’s help, they managed to find her aunt, and just like in her dream, she was inside that room though she now looked pale. Her skin was ashen, and her hair seemed a duller shade of red.

They watched her aunt for several minutes before they started helping Wendy with her spells and incantations. It didn’t take long to figure out that both Minji and Yeri both still had the abilities to use magic like their ancestors though the skills were not honed.

Wendy quickly went over the basics once more as a refresher while the others learned from her, and soon they were learning defensive spells against several dangerous and dark spells listed in the book. But they found out something interesting as they practiced.

“There is something about the rule of three… there are also many things listing three witches required. have you noticed that when we chant together, our spells are stronger?” Wendy asked as Minji nodded. They were trying to move objects after taking a break from defensive spells when they chanted the words at the same time.

The energy around the room hummed with power as their spells were magnified. Each time that they did that, they realized that their spells were stronger. Wendy started flipping through the book when she noticed something, not in the blazing blue letters but the handwritten ones below.

With a wave of her hand, the blue writing faded away as she read a brief history of the creating of the last coven before they turned into vampires. These would be the girls that were seen in Jungeun’s dreams. The ones that looked like Minji and Yeri.

“it says that they had refrained from creating a coven for the longest time but were pushed to it when the town started targeting witches. A coven is started with at least three witches… it also says that their powers feed off of each other. They strengthen them and create a bond between the witches that helps them grow stronger. They will know when one of their sisters is in trouble… three witches…” Wendy said as she looked up at Minji and Yeri.

“How would that affect your pack? Would forming a coven strengthen it or pull you from it?” Wendy asked as Sunmi laughed and entered the room.

“the way to form a coven is similar to how Siyeon’s pack was formed. Instead of just the three of you, you can join Siyeon’s pack. Not only will you basically form a coven with the three of you, but you will also have the pack's energy to feed off of.” Sunmi said as Wendy nodded.

“yes, but isn’t that too much power? What if I get addicted to it?” Wendy asked as Sunmi smiled.

“I don’t think you will. You will have all of us helping to keep you grounded. Of course, the choice is up to Siyeon…” Sunmi said as Siyeon laughed and walked into the kitchen.

“I was planning to offer them already. Imagine the surge of power we could send their way if she joins?” Siyeon said with a smirk before she remembered how Wendy didn’t want to hurt them the night before.

“good. They deserve it… they drained my mother until they killed her… this isn’t the first time that they have done this…” Wendy said as she looked at Siyeon with determined eyes. The alpha could tell that Wendy wanted revenge. This changes things.


	121. Chapter 121

-Spellbook Secrets-

Everyone was starting to stir and slowly wander out of their rooms as the morning approached. They had tried to rest and be ready for the fight ahead. Everyone but Wendy.

The girls were getting ready for a fight, except that Wendy had been practicing all night. But it wasn’t that she had just decided to read ahead and practice random spells. No. something strange had happened when she was left alone the night before.

Wendy had just finished practicing with the others, and they finally wandered to bed when she sighed and looked at the book with a worried expression. She worried that the others would get hurt trying to save her, and she was starting to feel desperate. With a heavy sigh, she ran her fingers over the pages and the shimmering blue writing.

“I wish I knew how to protect them. I don’t want them getting hurt because of me…” Wendy whispered with all of her being. The worry was really wearing on her, but as she whispered those words, something strange happened within the spellbook. It blazed a pink hue as writing started to appear. Wendy froze in shock before her brow raised.

 _“who is holding my book… you are not of the Kim family. My family…”_ Wendy quickly read as she paused. “I’m not part of the Kim family, but I was given this book by Minji. she is from the Kim family…” Wendy whispered as more writing appeared.

“Why does she not use the book herself? Oh, she is a vampire. They haven’t used their powers in generations. Minji found out that I’m a witch and let me use the book. I have been helping her learn spells, though, if that helps…” Wendy said as there was a pause.

“who do I want to protect? Minji Siyeon and the others. They saved me. I was being drained of my powers since birth. They are going to help me take down the coven that is doing it… but I’m worried that they would get hurt trying to help me. Wait… how are you able to talk like this? are you a book or a person?” Wendy asked as more silence went on. she didn’t know why, but she swore that she was being laughed at.

“This book belonged to my mother. I cherished it until I died. Part of me merged with this book when I passed. I have always been here and listening… wait, doesn’t that mean that you knew how I got this book?” Wendy asked as she felt that she was being laughed at again.

“ _Yes. I wanted to see if you would be honest or lie to me, claiming that you are a Kim.”_ The book read as Wendy looked at it in confusion. _“I wanted to see if I could trust you with what I was going to offer to teach you.”_ the book said as Wendy looked at it in shock.

“teach me? But I already am learning from the book. Right?” Wendy asked as the book blazed once more with a spell.

 _“read this spell aloud. It will let you hear me though you might regret it. I don’t shut up.”_ Wendy read with a giggle. For some reason, she felt that she would like the girl inside the book, but who was she? There was only one way to find out.

Wendy started the slow chant of the spell. Like most of them, it was repeated three times. As soon as she finished the last of the chanting, she heard what sounded like a young girl in her head.

 _“finally! Someone can hear me!”_ the girl said happily. She had a stronger accent like someone who lived a long time ago, and its fascinated Wendy.

“I really can hear you!” Wendy said softly as she heard the other girl giggle.

 _“yes, you do. But let's get to work we don’t have much time. My name is Dahyun, by the way. Let's get started!”_ the voice answered as Wendy nodded and followed her instructions.

 _“First, we need to make sure that you know basic attack and counterattack spells. You are lucky that you are learning from me. Though I died young, I was one of the best in fighting magic in the history of our family.”_ Dahyun said proudly as Wendy nodded and started to learn.

It turned out that Wendy was a fast learner, and Dahyun was a good teacher. Though she was right. Dahyun had a tendency to talk. A lot.

Wendy stood in the back yard as she stared at a girl with a shimmering pink outline around her. Wendy was panting as she looked at her teacher before her. Her knees were feeling weak, but she pushed forward as Dahyun ordered her.

“again. You almost had it!” Dahyun said as Wendy focused on feeling her powers. She drew them from deep inside her as she focused them, and with the incantation, she launched her powers in a blaze of blindingly blue light with a scream.

The blue crashed into the shimmering form of Dahyun as it absorbed into her. She smiled proudly as she slowly walked closer to her. She looked proud.

“I knew that you could do it. Now, do you want to know why I made you practice with me like we did? Why I made you give me some of your energy? Because of this…” Dahyun said as she gently rested her hand on Wendy’s shoulder that rose and fell with heavy breathing.

But once she touched Wendy, she started to fade. All of the energy that Wendy had wasted practicing against Dahyun was absorbed into her image, and she had just given it back to Wendy. The surge of energy quickly made the witch feel better. It was like she had a long night's rest. Dahyun had magnified her powers and given some of hers, allowing the witch to be fully prepared for the morning.

But just as Dahyun was fading away, Minji Siyeon and the others stepped outside. Dahyun looked over her shoulder and instantly recognized Minji as someone from her family. The light pink aura told it all. And beside her, there was another Kim. Dahyun smiled as she waved at them as her shimmering image finally faded.

“who was that?” Minji asked. For some reason, she felt like smiling back at the fading girl.

“Dahyun. She is part of your family. She was trapped inside the book when she died. I whispered that I wanted to be able to protect you, and she answered. I think that I am ready for today…” Wendy said confidently as she looked at Siyeon. Her determination showed Siyeon that she felt she was ready for what was about to come and Siyeon hoped that she was right.

Wendy's appearance had quickly changed after she found out about her mother. Her lipstick and clothing were both darker than before. It looked good with her blonde hair, and Joy couldn’t help but admire her girlfriend though she didn’t say anything the entire morning. She was too worried to.

“well, I figured that we could plan what we will do. You ready to hear what I had planned?” Dami asked as Wendy looked over at her with interest. She was curious about what they had planned.

“We need to do the tracking spell and get you to join the pack before we fight them. I was figuring that we would have you join right when we are near the coven. That way, we hit them with a wave of energy right before we attack. Sound alright, Siyeon?” Dami asked as Siyeon nodded.

“but aren’t you worried that my dark magic could taint your pack?” Wendy asked when she heard Dahyun in her head.

 _“dark magic? Interesting. That explains a lot. However, I doubt that you have anything to worry about. Dark magic and light magic are just what the person draws upon for their power. Dark magic isn’t evil. It is just a rare type of magic that is insanely more powerful. Because of that, the regular witches swore that wielders of dark magic had to have sold their souls for power.”_ Dahyun said as Wendy looked at Dami in shock.

“but we have read in several books that witches have delved into dark magic and became corrupted…” Wendy said as the others listened to her one-sided conversation.

 _“yes. That is usually from someone who didn’t naturally have dark magic. Power becomes too much for them. It's not because of the dark magic. It's because the person is just tempted with power that they didn’t already have. Everyone can succumb to greed or power.”_ Dahyun said as Wendy nodded.

“I actually died to a witch that I thought was corrupted from dark magic. It wasn’t until I was dying that I realized that I was betrayed. I was lied to. The witch naturally had dark magic that one witch wanted. THEIR greed was the cause, and they ended up destroying everything that the dark witch held dear. They came for revenge as the witch that caused it claimed that it was the corruption of dark magic. I foolishly believed it until the very end.” Dahyun said with an edge of sadness. Clearly, she was remembering the events that led up to her death.

“What's going on?” Dami asked as Wendy quickly explained everything. It didn’t take long before Dami was quickly putting everything together, yet she remained silent. Both Dami and Wendy quickly realized that Dahyun’s story sounded very familiar.

“ask her how she knows so much about dark magic now when she only found out as she was dying?” Yoohyeon asked as Wendy talked to Dahyun.

“she says that when a part of her soul was trapped in her mother's book, with it came knowledge that she doesn’t know where it came from. It's not listed in the book, but she now just KNOWS it.” Wendy said as Dami nodded. She didn’t know how it worked but what Dahyun said made sense.

“well, let's get started. We will start the tracking spell. It will allow us to track a piece of your energy that is being drained away from you. Are you ready?” Dami asked as Dahyun quietly explained the spell that they were going to perform. She knew so much for sounding so young.

It took Minji Yeri and Wendy to perform it, and luckily once the incantation was done, the three saw a blaze of blue that was slowly pulled from Wendy’s body and towards whoever was doing this. It was what they needed to track down this coven, and Wendy was ready.

“let's go. This path won't follow roads, so you can ride on our backs. Ready?” Siyeon asked as Wendy and the others that couldn’t shift quickly nodded. It didn’t take long before they were off into the woods following the trail.

The blazing blue of her power shimmered in the dim morning light as the soft sound of paws on the damp earth sounded through the forest. Siyeon held Wendy on her back as she ran. The girl was struggling to stay on the white wolf. She was so large that it reminded Wendy of riding a horse, but she managed to stay on.

After several minutes they hit a large lake. It was too large to run around, and they risked losing sight of Wendy’s energy if they waited when Chungha stepped forward. She quickly froze the top of the water creating a raft large enough for everyone to stand on, and with Jinsoul’s help, it was propelled rapidly across the water and onto the other side.

Once everyone was off of the makeshift raft, bora melted it with her flames. They didn’t want some human coming across a giant ice raft in such warm weather. As soon as it was completely melted, they all waited for the energy to catch up.

With Jinsoul’s help, they managed to cross the lake before Wendy’s energy did. So once it passed them, they started the chase once more. It seemed that the ones draining her power had begun to wake. The energy-draining began to pick up, and with it, Siyeon and the others had to pick up the pace. An hour later, Siyeon and the others came across a large property with large iron gates surrounding the perimeter.

The energy passed through the gate and into the house. Siyeon and the others watched to see if it went through the other side. They wondered if the house was just a coincidence, and they were still on the chase. But when the energy vanished into the house and never came out, they knew that they found their target.

“be careful. Don’t step closer to the house unless you want to set off their detection spells…” Dahyun said as she looked through Wendy’s eyes. The witch quickly relayed her message as Siyeon, and the others slowly slunk back into the treeline.

 _‘let’s hit them with a wall of power. Ready to join the pack?’_ Siyeon asked as Wendy nodded.

Instead of like every time before, once Wendy joined the pack, they were hit with such a wall of her powers that every one of them staggered as the power surged into them. The only ones that didn’t seem to feel it was Wendy and Vivi. Both were used to insane amounts of power.

It took several minutes for the others to feel like themselves, and they were not the only ones affected by her surge in power. When the wave of power was pulled from Wendy, it rocketed into the house, and soon the energy pull slowed to a trickle.

 _‘I think that we are ready. But those spells…’_ Dami said as Dahyun scoffed.

 _“oh, we can take care of those spells. With them are some nasty spells to hurt intruders. But we can take them out. The only issue is that once they are down, it is basically like setting off an alarm. They know that someone breached their defensive spells, but they can't find out where. Are they ready?”_ Dahyun asked.

Wendy relayed her message, and soon Siyeon and Dami nodded their heads. It was now time for the fight to begin, and Wendy was ready. So was Dahyun from the sound of it. She just hoped that she would be able to pull off the spells that Dahyun had taught her.

 _“ready? Do the spell as I taught you. You are basically using your powers to shatter their spells. We are making an entrance, and it's going to be a loud one.”_ Dahyun said as Wendy nodded.

“I’m about to break the spells. Everyone ready?” Wendy asked as she looked over at the large metal gates and the house tucked safely behind it.

 _‘let's do this.’_ Siyeon said with a wolfish grin. They were ready for a fight.

 _‘I’m ready too. I can't wait to punch some witches in the face!’_ Sooyoung said as Wendy smirked.

 _‘believe me… I can't wait to take out several of them myself. They hurt Wendy for years…’_ joy said. It was the first thing that she had said all morning. She would grow silent when she was upset or something was bothering her, and Wendy knew that pressing her wouldn’t help. She had thought that it was due to worry, but it was actual rage. She wanted revenge for all of the things that they had done to Wendy.

“let's go…” Wendy whispered as she grasped her power.

The spell that Dahyun had taught her to take out the spells was a destruction spell. It would take a lot of power for an average witch, but to Wendy, it was nothing. Though it was nothing to Wendy, it would terrify the coven before them. Breaking one spell is one thing, but breaking ALL of them is another thing altogether.

With a quick chant, Wendy slammed her magic into the spells and shattered them in one shot. Every witch in the coven inside felt the spells shattered and froze. It wasn’t just shattered. Wendy had destroyed them in a silent explosion.

Every witch in that coven was now on high alert, but the ones that were the most dangerous were distracted. Their power source was rendered useless with the surge of power. The new witches had either perished from energy burn or were rendered unconscious from the surge. Now they quickly took the young witches' place and were completely unaware of the danger that was just outside.

“let's go. Time for revenge…” Wendy said as she blew a hole in the gate before her. It was so effortless for her that she didn’t even have to think about it as she stepped through the fence. She was greeted by three witches and quickly realized that they were up to something.

“careful! They are chanting in unison to strengthen the spell that they will attack with! Either blast through it or use the defensive magic I taught you!” Dahyun shouted in her head as Wendy smirked. She wasn’t going to go on the defensive. She was here to avenge her mother.

As their spell launched from them, Wendy countered it with a destructive blast. But something odd happened. Part of her dark magic was creeping into the rest of it. With the increased power of her dark magic, the witches before her were utterly obliterated. All that remained was a residue that reminded her of black ash.

“Woah… dark magic is intense! Well, this will be easier. Ready?” Dahyun asked as Wendy nodded. She was more than ready. She had one primary target tonight. Her aunt. To her, she was the one that started all of this. She just hoped that she could find her.

 _‘auntie… I’m coming for you…’_ Wendy thought to herself as she started moving forward. Witches were coming from everywhere, but Wendy just vaporized them as she slowly walked towards the gate.

 _‘Woah… I never expected to meet such a strong human…’_ Dami said as she watched Wendy carve a path. They had not had to fight even once, and they were already at the house.

 _‘yeah… she's a beast, isn’t she?’_ Siyeon asked as she watched Wendy singlehandedly taking out every witch that challenged her.

 _‘there was once an argument that witches were not human. They were a separate branch in the evolutionary chain. I’m starting to believe it. Wendy seems like a different species compared to most humans. But her powers are so great because of this coven. The constant draw made her body produce more energy and adjusted to handle it. I wonder what she would be like if that had never happened…’_ Sunmi mused as she watched the witch with interest.

 _‘well, let's not just sit here. Let's join the fight. More are coming out of the buildings to the sides. Time to earn our meals tonight!’_ joy said with a smirk. It was her turn for revenge as well.

Think psycho Wendy for her new style ^_^


	122. Chapter 122

-Revenge-

The doors to the house blasted open as Wendy destroyed the spells attached to them. Her aura was blazing around her as she stormed the building alone. The others had been distracted as witches came from what seemed like nowhere. Siyeon had her hands full with a large witch that thought she could take her. But it wasn’t anything that Siyeon and her pack couldn’t handle, and Wendy knew that.

As the doors slammed open, witches filed out of various rooms as they tried to protect their home. But Wendy wasn’t just some ordinary witch, and neither was her adviser. Dahyun was on high alert as an extra pair of eyes.

_‘behind you! shield or reflect!’_ Dahyun shouted as Wendy quickly reflected a spell with the swipe of her arm. With Dahyun’s help, she had gone beyond incantations for several spells, and defense spells were some of them.

The witch's spell was reflected right back at her as she screamed in pain. Her spell was eating her alive, and soon nothing remained. Dahyun didn’t know what spell that was. It was something new, but she knew that they didn’t want to be hit by it.

The two were a good team. Though Dahyun couldn’t use magic like when she was alive, she could feel and recognize dangerous spells and watch Wendy’s back. That was something she needed because they were now surrounded.

“I don’t know who you are, but you have no right bursting in here like this!” an older witch with a cloak that was embroidered said with confidence.

“I’m the one you have been draining since a baby. I’m the daughter of the one you killed. I think I have every right to do this…” Wendy said clearly as she glared at the now nervous witch.

At those words, the witch stepped back. You could see her confidence shatter at Wendy’s words, and her dangerously powerful aura didn’t help the situation. Wendy could tell that she was about to run and wouldn’t let that happen. If she got away, then she could alert the more powerful witches.

“oh, I don’t think so…” Wendy said as her blue magic rocketed from her to strike the fleeing witch in the back. Within seconds the witch was wiped from existence.

Wendy looked at the crowd surrounding her and noticed them squirm in panic. They didn’t know what to do with what they had just seen and heard. Several of them had worked on draining her energy and now looked panicked.

Wendy could tell that they recognized what she was saying and felt rage rising up. But she didn’t want to let her rage take over and decided to let them have a choice. She just hoped that she wouldn’t regret it.

“those of you who want to leave, do it now. You won't get a second chance…” Wendy threatened as several witches stepped back and fled. It was around six witches that fled. She quickly feared that she would regret it. If they escaped and knew how to drain energy, then the cycle could continue. She pushed it aside as she focused on the ones before her. Several were preparing to strike, and with a sigh, she drew on her energy and flung out her arms as she sent out a wave of her powers, burning every witch to a crisp. There was nothing left but ash.

Wendy went to walk forward when Siyeon finally made her way inside. Her white fur looked very fluffy as lightning zigzagged through her fur, but otherwise, she looked completely unharmed. The alpha looked at Wendy, quickly scanning her for any injuries.

_‘don’t worry. Everyone is fine. Hyunjin, Lua, and Heejin found a secret exit and are blocking their escape. That little girl has changed… she’s becoming a confident, fierce little thing. It's interesting to watch her go. I will help you clear a path. Find who you are looking for and take them out. Joy will be here any second. She was having fun taking out the ones that hurt you…’_ Siyeon said with a shiver as Wendy giggled.

Joy had a mean streak, and when someone hurt someone that she cared about, it would make an appearance. This was an understatement for what was happening outside, though. She was draining them of their lifeforce and leaving hollow shells of a person behind.

-Joy-

Joy ran up to a witch as she gripped her throat tightly. She could feel the power draining from the girl in her grip. The draining was visible to everyone, and Dami couldn’t help but shudder. The faint pulsing of energy flowed from the girl's neck and up Joy’s arm. It flowed inside Joy and mixed with all of the other energies that she had drained.

The amount was too much for her to hold, and as a way to continue, she released some of the extra energy into the air around her. It caused an interesting effect on the plants around her. They blazed to life similar to when Gahyeon would use her powers. They did not fight for Joy, but they did grow into large walls of plants behind her. At this rate, the house would be overgrown by the end of this fight.

The last of the girl's energy was drained from her body, and Joy quickly dropped it as she moved on to her next target. But what she noticed was that the path to the front gate was clear. She desperately wanted to join Wendy, and with a look to her right, she spotted Sooyoung.

The tall woman was crashing into witches and smashing her fists into them as they flew backwards. It reminded her of someone getting hit by a truck, and it was a very good description of the feeling. Sooyoung caught her look and smirked.

“want to go after your girlfriend? Let's go! I will block anyone trying to block your path! Let's go!” Sooyoung shouted as Joy nodded. They quickly ran up the path as Sooyoung took out witches foolish enough to cross their path.

It didn’t take long for the two to get to the house though it felt like hours. The fight was just starting to pick up, and the number of witches in one tiny house was physically impossible without the use of spells. So, the girls were unsure just how large this coven was.

A body smashed into the large wooden doors as Sooyoung smirked. Her strength was increasing with the energy Joy was releasing. It was making for a very interesting fight. But they had now arrived at their goal.

Joy ran inside and spotted Wendy and Siyeon. They had their hands full. Witches continued to pour out of the rooms on either side, and they were now pinned down. Wendy had a defensive barrier that she learned from Dahyun up over herself and Siyeon as she struggled to keep it up. Joy could also tell that the energy drain was quickly increasing on her girlfriend. Clearly, they were trying to take her out while taking every last drop of her energy, and Joy planned to stop that.

‘we need to make a scene and bust some heads. Ready?’ Joy asked as Sooyoung smirked. She was more than ready.

The two quickly charged either side and blindsided the group. Joy gripped two girls by their necks as she quickly drained them of all their power. A third witch tried to free her friends and froze in place as she felt Joy’s lips contact hers, and soon her eyes rolled back in her head as she collapsed.

The two in her hands quickly fell in a matter of seconds, and soon Joy was on to her next victims. Sooyoung just broke jaws as her fists smashed into those in reach. She was trying to do witch bowling. She wanted to see how many witches she could take out with one punch as she waded into the fray.

Wendy looked up and sighed in relief as she saw the two coming to her rescue. Holding the barrier was difficult even with her increased power, and that was quickly being drained since she broke into the house. Even Dahyun could feel the rapid energy drain.

_‘that’s insane! Are they trying to kill you? How are they sure that you are the one attacking? Or are they just sacrificing you to protect their coven while not even knowing you are the one attacking?’_ Siyeon asked as Wendy shrugged.

“no idea, but it's getting difficult… This is the most energy that they have ever drained…” Wendy said weakly. Her arms were starting to shake as she held the barrier. Though some were distracted with Joy and Sooyoung, several were still launching deadly spells at Wendy and Siyeon.

_‘is there a way to let the barrier down so I can strike at them?’_ Siyeon asked as Wendy shook her head.

“no, but your spells can go out only things can’t come in.” Wendy said as Siyeon smirked wolfishly.

_‘good… it's not spells, but I have something in mind…’_ Siyeon said as she built up electricity in her fur and soon shifted into her human form, startling several witches. Clearly, they thought that Siyeon was some magically modified dog that was forced to do Wendy’s bidding and didn’t expect to see a naked girl surrounded in blue lightning glaring at them with wolfish eyes.

With a snarl, Siyeon launched out two bolts of lightning that struck the two witches just in front of the barrier and snaked out to the ones beside them, taking out a large group, but those spots were quickly taken by new and fresh witches.

_‘fuck! It never ends!’_ Siyeon said as they fought harder. But as soon as they took one witch out, two stood in their place.

_‘portals! They are using portals! It’s the only way! Destroy the doorframes! That’s how the spell works. It's carved into the doorframes linking two places together with strong spells!’_ Dahyun shouted as Wendy relayed the message to Siyeon.

“I can't drop the barrier because you are in here too, so can you take it out?” Wendy asked as Siyeon nodded. She was drawing on Yoohyeons flames and quickly launched them outward. Several witches cried out as they were caught in the blast.

The doorframes burst into flames as they quickly turned to ash, and once they were destroyed, the room visible on the other side quickly disappeared, leaving a false doorframe built into a wall. There was no room there, only spells to link them.

As soon as the portals were gone, the witches tried to flee. Their constant waves of support were cut off, and they were now stranded and surrounded. Siyeon quickly lunged from witch to witch, ending them quickly as Sooyoung and Joy finished the ones that decided to stand and fight.

Wendy sunk to her knees as her barrier fell just as Joy turned around to check on her girlfriend. She rushed over to Wendy’s side and could tell that the energy drain was even worse than a couple of minutes ago. Her arms started to shake as she felt the urge to vomit.

“come here, baby…” Joy said as she held Wendy to her. She applied a gentle kiss to Wendy’s neck as she started to filter some of her stolen energy into her girlfriend.

It was helping, but the draw was still too much. Quickly Joy lifted Wendy’s head up and kissed her deeply as her energy rocketed into Wendy. The girl gasped at the rush as her breath quickened. It was much stronger than she was expecting.

“better baby?” Joy asked as Wendy nodded. Her magic was high once more, and with a smirk, she nodded.

“ready to burn some witches?” Wendy asked as Joy laughed.

“I don’t think you should say that. You are a witch too, remember?” Joy said jokingly as she booped her girlfriend on the nose. Wendy scrunched her nose as she giggled and rose.

“let's go get revenge.” Joy said as the two looked at Siyeon.

“what about you two?” Wendy asked Siyeon and Sooyoung.

“We are going to back up Hyunjin and the others. Dami bora and the others are having fun wreaking havoc out there to keep people busy. It's interesting. They are casting spells at us, but Choerry is using her ability to protect us, and they just brush right off of us. It's making me feel hopeful for when the government comes after us. And from what I saw today… a succubus that can share the energy she steals to the ones that need it would be very useful.” Siyeon said as Joy smiled. She liked knowing that she could help and make a difference.

But the main thing was that she could fight and didn’t feel weak. Her main goal was to protect Wendy, and now she was able to do it. The fears that she had before had vanished as soon as Wendy really needed her, and Wendy herself had changed.

Wendy was now much more confident. Though her clothes had become darker, her mood had not. She was now confident in herself, and strong and Joy had to admit a bit hot as well. She loved watching Wendy walk in like a badass.

But it was only the beginning of the fight. They both were ready and trying to prepare for anything. It was now time to climb the stairs and search for their target, Wendy’s aunt, who caused everything. But Wendy was nervous. She had a feeling a certain someone wouldn’t handle seeing the older woman very well.

_‘please let this go well and keep everyone safe. If they hurt even one of us I’m wiping out every witch I see…’_ Wendy thought aggressively as Dahyun shook her head. She understood the need for revenge and hoped that it wouldn’t take over Wendy. Little did she know she was going to have her own battle with that later.


	123. Chapter 123

-Plans-

Hyunjin stalked closer to the escape path that they had stumbled across earlier. The witches were smart and had created several escape holes just in case of an attack, and they just happened to stumble on the main one. She could see witches fleeing through all sorts of portals, but the main thing she was watching for were witches with embroidered robes.

From what Wendy had said, they were the ones of higher rank in the coven and were much more important and dangerous. They didn’t want those witches to escape through one of their rat holes and into another town or city. But what made this ambush interesting is that she and Lua had already taken out one embroidered witch, and now Lua stood in the open giving the fleeing witches the order to flee and never speak of the coven again.

Hyunjin was extremely proud of the little girl. She had learned so quickly and could now mimic the now-dead witch’s tone perfectly. This mimicry allowed them to guide the witches away with a lie. She managed to tell them that the coven was destroyed and to never speak of it again, and like the inexperienced witches that they were, they believed her.

But soon, one of the robed witches appeared, and this was the time that they were waiting for. Hyunjin was set up in a perfect position to ambush, while Heejin remained hidden as a lookout. This was a good spot for the ambush, but the two didn’t like Lua being in such a dangerous position.

“what are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to go alert the others?” the older woman screeched as Lua kept a cool expression. Hyunjin quickly told her what to say over mind speak.

“I already have. I came back to make sure everyone made it back safely. We will need our numbers later.” Lua said coolly. Her tone matched what Hyunjin wanted it to, and the woman paused in thought for a second.

“but these fools are expendable! Why protect them?” the woman asked as Lua smirked.

“because they can be expendable once they regroup and defeat these beasts.” Lua parroted perfectly. The woman nodded. She understood that thought and quickly walked closer. Just a little closer, and they would have her.

“What did the other elders say?” the woman asked as Lua rolled her eyes.

“how do you think it went?” Lua said as the woman sighed frustratedly.

“of course, they would rather sit there and do nothing! And Narsha only cares about draining that poor girl's energy!” the woman said as Hyunjin paused. Was there a hint of discord in the coven? This gave her an idea.

“I think we need to do something. We need to separate ourselves from them, or we will be destroyed too.” Lua said as the woman nodded.

“I wish we didn’t fail back then. If we stopped Narsha, then this probably would have never happened…” the woman said as Hyunjin smirked. This would definitely be plausible.

“what if I give you the chance to make things right?” Hyunjin said from the trees. The woman looked around in panic but didn’t seem to want to fight.

“Who are you?” she asked as she finally spotted the red and gold eyes peeking out of the shadows from one tree.

“who I am isn’t important. What IS important is that she plans to wipe out everyone involved… that means you too.” Hyunjin said as the woman sighed.

“I know it… I deserve it. I had several chances to stop them in the beginning, but I believed her. We all did, and once we learned that she lied to us, it was all too late… you are not who you say you are, are you?” the woman asked Lua as she nodded.

“I’m Miryo. I was one of the four that started this hundreds of years ago. Together we killed hundreds of people and maybe even more over the years. Why would she spare me?” Miryo asked as Hyunjin smirked.

“easy. You just have to come to our side. We could use a person who knows this place and all its escape holes if we want to end this. But that means going against your friends. You know what that means, right?” Hyunjin asked as she paced one of the large tree limbs.

“yes. We tried to stop them before. We tried to stop HER before but failed. We were too greedy and ended up coming back for power. I haven’t used the power that has been drained in years. I don’t want to be like I was back then…” Miryo said as Hyunjin smirked.

“how many are with you? how many do you think you can convert?” Hyunjin asked as the older woman smiled.

“two that I truly trust and a handful of others. But I can't vouch for them. Gain and Jea I can, though.” Miryo said as Hyunjin nodded.

“those other two… are they strong enough to go against this Narsha?” Hyunjin asked as Miryo nodded.

“We have not been drawing on the power from that girl, but together we could easily defeat her if you manage to sever the link to that girl. Inside is a large intricate wooden archway. That was created to draw the energy from that girl and her ancestors. Destroy it, and you sever her power. Once she uses it up, she will be just like any other witch…” Miryo said when she heard the soft padding of paws on the earth.

Siyeon slowed to a stop. The large white wolf with blazing green eyes unnerved Miryo, but she faced her confidently. If she was going to die, then so be it. She deserved it.

“so… sounds like we have a plan. I will tell Wendy. Dami Yoohyeon and Gahyeon will look for your friends and try to recruit them. We will look for that archway while Wendy stalls this Narsha and her minions. Sound good?” Siyeon asked as she stepped forward. The naked human form of the wolf was almost as intimidating as the white wolf itself.

“I can help if you will accept it, and you can even kill me after. I don’t care. I deserve it… but could you spare one person? Yes, she was a part of it, too, but though it seems like she has an attitude, she just doesn’t want to seem weak. She only went along with it because of us. We were older, so she followed our lead…” Miryo pleaded as Siyeon looked into her eyes. She seemed to be sincere.

“What is her name?” Siyeon asked as Miryo sighed in relief.

“Gain. Son Gain. You will know her when you see her. Short with short hair and a fuck you look.” Miryo said as Siyeon smirked.

“and what should we say to get her to listen to us if we find her while you are not there?” Siyeon asked as Miryo thought carefully.

“tell her Miryo says to trust your senses. She will know what that means…” Miryo said as Siyeon nodded and spread the information to the others. Now, all Wendy had to do is stall.

-Wendy and Joy-

Wendy paused at the information that Siyeon passed to her and smirked. They now not only had a plan but also had a way to destroy the link allowing them to drain her energy. It was perfect as long as she could stall while keeping them both alive in the process.

Wendy looked around the now empty hallways of the upper floor and wondered where she should start looking. Should they search every room? She could still see where her energy was draining to but wouldn’t it be safer to clear the rooms first before just barging into the room where she knew many witches were probably waiting?

Wendy tried to weigh her options and asked her girlfriend. They both decided to clear the rooms to make sure the floor was safe before they took on her aunt. If she was correct, her aunt wouldn’t leave the spell. And with how quickly it was draining her, she knew that they were panicking.

There were about ten rooms total on that floor, and the two quietly snuck over to the first door. There were soft sounds inside though they couldn’t make it out. Carefully Wendy reached for the door, but Dahyun screamed for her to stop.

“don’t touch that door! There are spells that alert those inside that someone is there! I will tell you how to destroy it without them noticing!” Dahyun said as Wendy carefully told her girlfriend what was going on. The blonde quickly destroyed the spells, and once it was safe, she quietly swung the door open.

Inside there were several women surrounding a mirror. They were focused on it intently. They seemed to be trying to scry but were not having a very good time with it. They were young witches and had not learned much.

When they joined such a large and powerful coven, they thought that it would mean that they would be able to learn many things, but they were wrong. Instead, they were only pushed aside and forced to try to learn in private. They were not pleased.

“I hate it here… we never are taught anything, and they treat us like shit…” one girl said as she tried to scry once more.

“I know… but if we leave, then they will ruin our chances of joining another coven. We are stuck here…” the one who looked like their leader said. The sound of defeat in her voice was clear, and Wendy wondered if she should give these girls a chance to escape. They clearly hated it, and she doubted that they would risk their lives for a coven that treated new witches so horrible. They were just expendable, after all.

“I suggest you leave. Now.” Wendy said, causing the girls to jump. They looked at Wendy in shock but showed no hostility towards her at all. They just looked bewildered.

“w, who are you?” the leader asked nervously as she stood protectively in front of her friends. Wendy would have thought that she was really confident if it wasn’t for the trembling voice and shaking hands.

“We are here to take out your coven. They have been draining my girlfriend since she was a baby and even killed her mother that same way. Their power comes from Wendy, not themselves.” Joy said as the girls looked at her in shock.

“wait… you mean that the ‘secret spell’ that they have been recruiting new witches to join with is that? We were supposed to help them next week… they drained someone to death?” the leader asked as Wendy and Joy nodded.

“I knew I didn’t like this place for a reason…” the girl from before said as the leader nodded.

“you were right. They never taught us anything and just had us standing around. They would wake up young witches and drag them to the room at the end of the hall. Sometimes we would see them again but most times we didn’t… You look alright for being drained, though. Did you break the spell?” the leader asked as Wendy shook her head.

“no, I have been having to give her energy repeatedly to keep her alive…” Joy said as the girls frowned. That didn’t sound good.

“instead of us leaving, can we help somehow?” one girl asked. She seemed a bit more confident than the others.

“can you tell us what the rooms on this floor are used for? We need to clear them out before we try to take on everyone in that room.” Wendy asked as the girls smirked.

“We can do even better… this floor is for the newest witches. They all feel like we do. That we are ignored and used as pawns. We can help clear the floor while you just focus on the fight.” The confident girl said as the others nodded.

“what are your names?” Wendy asked as the others plotted the quickest way to clear the floor.

“I am Jihyo. That is Momo, the one hiding behind me is Sana, and the negative one is Jeongyeon. She has had a bad feeling about this coven since we joined… and they just took some of our friends for that special spell. We can clear the rooms if you can spare our friends… they don’t know what they are doing and are extremely new witches…” Jihyo asked as Wendy nodded.

“as long as they don’t attack us, then we won't hurt them. We are only after the ones behind this spell.” Wendy said as the girls sighed in relief.

“here is a photo of us. The girls are Nayeon, Mina, Chaeyoung, and Tzuyu. They have been taking so many witches there lately. Is everything alright?” Jihyo asked as Wendy grimaced.

“they can die from the spell. They can suffer energy burn. Too much energy can burn them alive. Or they can be rendered unconscious by the amount of power that they drain. You might want to prepare yourself for the worst. They have been using younger witches as expendable pawns…” Wendy said with a solemn expression. The girl's hearts dropped before they were overcome with anger.

“I swear if they got our friends killed, we will help you burn this place to the ground…” Jeongyeon said as the others nodded in agreement.

“we will clear the rooms. Please just try to save our friends if… if they are still alive…” Jihyo said sadly as Wendy nodded.

The girls rushed out of the room and split up. Each girl took one room, and soon Wendy heard an odd sound from each room. She couldn’t understand what it was until Dahyun explained.

“they are forming a portal. It sounds like they are helping the other new witches escape. It's time to fight. Are you ready? Remember the spell I taught you? It takes a lot of power, but it's our best bet if we are overwhelmed. Joy has more energy that she can give you. you will need it then.” Dahyun said as Wendy nodded.

The two slowly and quietly approached the large doors that pulsed with energy. Wendy’s energy. It radiated from the door and made Joy want to scream. All of this was just for greed and power. They didn’t care that lives were being taken, and she wanted to destroy the one behind it.

“ready? Remember, if we take out that archway, it will stop the spell. Then we just have to take out the ones who attack us first. Are you ready for this?” Wendy asked as Joy nodded. She had a trick up her sleeve, and she couldn’t wait to use it.

“let's go.” Joy said as Wendy’s energy blazed blue around her. She quickly looked at the doors and spells across them and blasted it to pieces with a wave of her energy. She was pure destruction when she drew on a bit of her dark magic, and she would be drawing on it a lot during this fight.

They rushed in, and right away, waves of spells shot at them. Wendy quickly cast a protective barrier as the spells struck. It made the barrier echo like a bell, but it held strong. The drain of her power almost completely stopped as soon as the door was shattered. Many new witches were too startled to continue the spell.

“who do you think you are barging into here!” Wendy’s aunt shouted as she looked at the intruders. It was difficult to see who they were due to the spells striking their barrier, but when she saw the blue energy radiating around Wendy, she immediately knew who it was.

“Wendy? What are you doing here! This is no place for a sick girl to be!” the woman shouted as Wendy scowled.

“sick? No… drained. You drained my mother until she died and then moved onto me! You acted like family after she died, yet you started draining me too. You have been slowly killing me since I was a baby!” Wendy shouted angrily as her energy started to take on a black tint.

  
“your kind are dangerous! Just look at what you are doing! You barged in here, and who knows how many innocent witches you killed in the process! That’s why we started this in the beginning! Dark magic is evil! It corrupts you and drives you mad! Just look at yourself! We were doing you a favor! If you didn’t know of your power, then you would have just lived a normal life! We were helping you!” Narsha shouted as she flung her hood down.

Dahyun paused as she slowly recognized the woman in front of her. Her last moments alive flashed in front of her eyes as she remembered that voice, and in seconds she was in a rage. Was this who they were fighting? That changed things.

 _‘This is your aunt?’_ Dahyun asked with a growl, startling Wendy. The girl could feel the shift in her and paused.

“yes, why?” Wendy asked as she felt Dahyun’s anger rise.

“because that’s the one who tricked me. It also means that the person that killed me was probably your ancestor… change of plans. I will teach you a new spell… it was what killed me, and I know that it is powerful in the hands of a dark magic user. Are you ready?” Dahyun asked as Wendy felt a chill run down her spine. Dahyun was more than just angry. She wanted revenge.


	124. Chapter 124

-Repeating the Past-

Wendy stood before Narsha as her aura shifted from the blue hue to black. The darkness crept in as her eyes darkened with it. Wendy’s dark magic was starting to surface, and with it, her powers were starting to be amplified. But just like Dahyun had said, her magic wasn’t controlling her. She was controlling it.

_‘Are you ready for the spell? It is a more destructive spell than the one you have been using. Before, you were blasting them to ash with a massive amount of your energy. But with this spell, you don’t need much to wipe out a life. When you are stronger, it can cover the earth like a blanket and completely destroy the ones that you target.’_ Dahyun said as she tried to control her rage. She didn’t want to let it take control.

“what about the others? We need to spare some of them…” Wendy said as Dahyun laughed.

_‘it won't hurt them. It only harms those that you want to target. Dark magic isn’t evil. She just said that it is. I was foolish to believe it and regret it. I almost died to this spell. I survived, but I fell to another. What kind of fate is this? I foolishly supported this woman who targeted your family… I’m glad that I am able to make things right… Wendy, are you ready?’_ Dahyun asked as Wendy sighed. Her protective barrier was taking a beating.

‘stall for a bit longer! We found this Gain girl! She has a plan! There are spells that Narsha has added to the archway that reflects the spells at the caster, and she has an idea on how to take advantage of this!’ Dami shouted as Wendy sighed in relief. Her shield couldn’t last much longer, and she didn’t want to rely on Joy for too much energy.

“babe, I have an idea…” Joy said as she quickly charged through the barrier to the two closest witches and grasped their throats, rendering their spells useless. Wendy watched as their energy was sucked from them and left nothing behind. The bodies collapsed onto the ground with an odd thud as Joy safely drained the two witches that got too close.

“Are you crazy!? What if you got hit by one of those spells?” Wendy shouted. Her heart was pounding, and her barrier wavered as her fear for her girlfriend gripped her.

“I’m fine. I watched where everyone was focused and saw an opening. I know that they won't make that same mistake again, and now they are splitting their attention into two points on your barrier. You and me. If they all focus on one point, your barrier strains, but now it's more stable. It was like a needle about to pop a bubble, but now the pressure is more distributed.” Joy said as Wendy realized that she was right. The pressure on her barrier was much less than before. When they all focused on one point, the barrier was so strained that it risked shattering.

“We need to stall, and Dahyun needs to teach me this spell…” Wendy worried aloud as Joy smirked and held her hands to the barrier. The energy that she absorbed flowed into the barrier, strengthening it as Joy winked.

“what? I’m learning too!” Joy said as her girlfriend looked at her in shock. The barrier was strengthened greatly, and since it didn’t travel through Wendy, some of the energy didn’t get drained off. It created a much stronger barrier than it she would have given the energy to Wendy that way.

_‘send out small, destructive spells! Don’t put a lot of energy behind them! We want them to think that most of your energy is going into the barrier!’_ Dahyun said as Wendy looked around the room and spotted someone in the crowd that she recognized. It was one of Jihyo’s friends, Chaeyoung.

The girl was not part of the fight and seemed quite scared. She had two girls beside her as they surrounded a girl who was on the ground. Quickly Wendy pulled out the photo that Jihyo had given her and held it up for the girl to see. At first, the girl didn’t think much of the photo, but when one of the girls gripped her arm tightly and whispered into her ear, the small girl looked once more at the photo.

“I need to talk to her, but it's too far… everyone will hear us…” Wendy said as she heard Dahyun shout excitedly. She had an idea.

_‘use this spell! Look at the book! It is a communication spell! I can't believe that I forgot to teach you something so simple! Stupid!’_ Dahyun shouted as Wendy opened the book to see a spell blaze across the pages.

Wendy focused on the smaller girl and chanted the incantation. Soon she felt a connection and sighed in relief. The spell had worked.

_‘can you hear me? Jihyo and your friends sent me! Stand back and try to slip out of the room while everyone is busy! I promised to rescue all of you!’_ Wendy said as the girl's eyes went wide in shock. She soon heard the girl's voice echo in her head.

_‘rescue us? Aren’t you attacking us?’_ she asked in confusion as Wendy shook her head.

_‘they are using young and weak witches as pawns to draw my energy from me. You should have noticed that several young witches have gone missing lately? That is because the spell that they were trying to have you do can kill you. They don’t care as long as my power is drained for their coven…’_ Wendy said as Chaeyoung’s eyes went wide.

_‘Nayeon collapsed earlier, and no one seemed to care! Is she dying? Did they get her killed?’_ Chaeyoung asked in a panicked tone as Wendy shook her head.

_‘if she died, then her body would burn up from too much energy. She might have just passed out. The surge was too much for her to handle, so she lost consciousness. Try to get her out of here! Your friends are clearing the floor for us. Meet them and escape to safety!’_ Wendy shouted as Chaeyoung nodded and turned to her friends.

Wendy let the connection spell fall as she looked back at Joy. The succubus was trying a new ability that Wendy had never seen before. She was distracting several of the girls. Those who were attracted to girls instantly found it harder to concentrate as Joy focused some of her energy into gaining their attention.

It was an ability that had been used by her kind for centuries but had slowly died out. Too much attention could be dangerous when you try to hide what you are. But right now, she wanted the attention. This made the enemy lose focus and slip up. It gave Wendy a slight advantage that they didn’t have before and bought them more time.

Chaeyoung and her friends helped carry their unconscious friend towards the door as Dahyun tried to teach Wendy the new spell. It was hard to focus and learn as her barrier was constantly assaulted. But she needed to learn, so she quickly tried to focus while holding the barrier. Joy's attention-grabbing ability made it much easier, but they were still in a dangerous situation.

Chaeyoung was almost to the doors when the girls that Wendy let escape when entering the house charged in. in a panic, a girl launched a spell at Chaeyoung’s friends. The girl quickly blocked it with her body as she screamed in pain and collapsed onto the ground and lay still.

Wendy screamed in rage as she lashed out with her energy. It lashed at the girl like a whip and wrapped around her. It crushed her slowly as it burned her. The girl could only scream before she exploded into a mix of ash and flame.

Wendy lashed out at each of the girls that came with her as rage slowly took over. She had let them escape. She had let them live when she could have easily killed them. And for what? Was it her fault that Chaeyoung had fallen? Her rage and guilt took over as she faced Narsha. She was the cause of this. all of this was her fault. If she didn’t exist, then none of this would have happened. just how many had lost their lives because of her?

Wendy’s eyes were pure black with only a hint of blue around them as she slowly stepped through her barrier. Joy screamed at her to stay, but Wendy was past reasoning. Her rage had taken over. She only managed to say a few words through her clenched teeth.

“stay inside the barrier. I can't lose you too…” Wendy said as she let her dark energy cover her body like a cloak. It coated her like armor as she stepped forward.

As soon as she was past the protection of her barrier, the spells quickly focused on her only to be eaten by her dark magic. It broke down the spells and absorbed them like a sponge as she slowly walked forward. With a wave of her hand, she launched her dark magic at several witches. They dissolved into nothingness, leaving nothing behind. This was the pure destructive power of dark magic.

“this… is… all… your… FAULT!” Wendy screamed as she slowly walked towards Narsha. The witch had quickly put several young witches between herself and Wendy, but with a wave of Wendy’s hand, soon there was nothing between her and her prey.

“look at you! You are a MONSTER! AN ABOMINATION THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED! WE WERE PROTECTING THE WORLD FROM A BEAST LIKE YOU!” Narsha shouted as Wendy growled in rage.

“monster? Monster! Who is the monster? HOW MANY WITCHES DIED FOR YOUR GREED FOR POWER?! Do you think you can fool me with your lies? All you care about is POWER! You let your power corrupt you and blame others! You have targeted my family for YEARS! How many of my family died at your hands? How many people died because of you?” Wendy roared as Narsha snarled at her in disgust.

“me? How many died because of me? Why should I care? Your family was a menace! They came out of nowhere and disrupted the peace of our town! Soon everyone focused on the new witches in town! They were showoffs and soon tried to take my family’s place as the leading coven! They were all smiles as they slowly took everything from my family! Everything that we cared about! But we knew… we knew that there had to be something behind their power, and we were right. Dark magic…” Narsha spat out as Wendy slowly made her way to her.

Narsha was frozen in fear as she watched the witch covered in black magic slowly make her way over to her. The murderous intent in Wendy’s black eyes made it clear what she wanted. She wanted Narsha dead.

“your family came in and tried to take over with dark magic! Their greed for power was so obvious! I had to stop them! It wasn’t hard. Take out a couple people that they care about, and their true nature comes out!” Narsha shouted as Dahyun screamed in rage inside Wendy’s head. Her memories were coming back, and things made so much more sense.

-Dahyun-

_Dahyun stood with Narsha and several other witches. They waited for the dangerous witch that they had been warned of. It didn’t take long for the witch to show up, but something felt wrong to Dahyun. The witch looked distraught with grief. Her eyes were red and puffy like she had been crying, and it seemed like her will to live had been sucked out of her. But Dahyun quickly pushed those thoughts aside. She needed to focus. This was a dangerous witch._

_But what Dahyun didn’t know is that the girl before her wasn’t some dangerous witch but just a girl. A girl who had just lost her family and the love of her life in only hours. She had just buried the one she had loved most and was distraught with grief and rage. What had she done? What had her love done? They were new to town and had harmed no one. But now only she remained._

_Narsha stood proud as Miryo and her friends stood beside her. They listened to Narsha as she spouted lies of the girl's crimes and what she was capable of. And just like perfect followers, they believed it without question. The only one who doubted it was Miryo, but she also pushed her doubts aside. Narsha was a friend after all, and she felt that she could trust her._

_Dahyun gasped as she watched the girl before her slowly become covered in a dark magic that covered her like smoke. What was this? was this the dark energy that Narsha had warned her about? dark magic was known of but only barely. Not much was truly known and documented. Most were just rumors and word of mouth, and that tended to change from person to person. It always varied depending on the person that told it._

_Dark magic was relatively unknown, and so it was feared. When Narsha told her about all the horrible things that the new witch had supposedly done, she had just believed her because it had fit with the rumors that she had heard about dark magic. Dahyun had no idea just how wrong she was._

_It didn’t take many words from Narsha to trigger the girl to attack. She knew just how to press the girl's buttons, and at the mention of her now-dead lover, the girl went into a rage. The words that Narsha said indicated that she was the one behind her death, and the girl couldn’t hold herself back any longer._

_“don’t you DARE talk about her!” the girls shouted as she sent out a wave of her energy. She didn’t need to cast spells. Her energy was dangerous enough._

_The wave knocked several witches back, and soon Dahyun felt just how strong the witch before her was. That wave was a warning. There was no true intent to harm behind it. It was a warning that went ignored. One that Narsha ignored. She had a false sense of power with all of the witches behind her, but she would soon learn that their numbers were not nearly enough to go up against the girl before her._

_“give up, Naeun! We outnumber you! You can't defeat us! We won't let you harm anyone else! You even killed your own family for greed and power! What would you do next?!” Narsha shouted as Naeun froze. She fought back tears as she screamed in rage as her energy exploded from her like a bomb. Dahyun and the others were knocked back and scrambled to their feet._

_The fight had just begun, and no one but Narsha knew of the tragedy that had happened to Naeun and her family. She had lost everything in a matter of hours. She had just buried Eunji, the love of her life, and her entire family just because of Narsha’s jealousy._

_Naeun and her family had never harmed anyone. Her baby brother and her parents had died senseless deaths, all just for the greed of one girl. Of course, Dahyun knew nothing of this, but she would soon learn thou_ gh it would be too late.

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to follow me on my twitter if you want. ^_^ @saraslain


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